Ambulance Ltd
Ambulance Ltd
( 14/03/05 TVT Records)

One of the most aggravating factors when commencing playing an album is being in the right frame of mind to fully extract the rhythm, wisdom and energy exuded from the offering, something that usually takes at least two tracks to achieve. However, this is strictly not the case with this crafty New York quintet; Ambulance Ltd, as they are way ahead of us in opener; ‘Yoga Means Union’. They automatically draw you into their psyche, relaxing you into the feel of their sound with a slow mind massaging instrumental offering.

The influence of the Mar-Keys and Neil Young seeps through in ‘Sugar Pill’; a foot tapping percussion fuelled number that sees the earnest front man Marcus Congleton soulfully deliver a captivating performance, one of several on this neat debut album. The slower and homely acoustic fuelled ‘ Michigan’ will bring tears to the eyes and make for a spine tingling and humbling experience. That is, especially if it were to be emitted from the speakers on a Greyhound coach, as you enter the state referred to in the aforementioned tune. Sprinklings of the Mamas and Pappas, The Beatles and The Byrds add the coup de grace to a well thought out debut, featuring a comfortable tempo throughout.

On this evidence Ambulance Ltd’s mission, it appears, is to rescue subtlety that has been trapped in the wilderness for sometime and to reacquaint it with modern music. All that is left to add is Godspeed friends and good luck with your task.

www.ambulancenyc.com

David Adair