Share with us... Your Best & Worst Collections of Haute Couture F/W 2025.26
AMBULANCE LTD
by Andrew Bunnell
Walking into a club an hour before doors open, completely unannounced, isn�t something that usually happens. I was scheduled to talk to Ambulance LTD at 8, it was ten of, and the band was onstage soundchecking.
So who do I talk to, I wondered, as my friend and I wandered around the tiny club in the middle of Cambridge, Mass, looking for someone who might be with the band. The merchandise tables were being set up, so I tried them, and was met with the wonderful �maybe you should try the band,� response from one of the guys there. Super helpful, thanks. The bartender � who wasn�t yet serving, which would have made this ordeal much easier � didn�t seem to have a clue.
Finally, I decided to sit back and relax, listen to the band run through a couple verses of the current single �Stay Where You Are� and enjoy myself. After all, how often is it that you get to see an up-and-coming act toy around with covers, half-songs and unreleased material? Not very, in my case.
After a bit, the band finished up with sound check, and I approached singer/guitarist Marcus Congleton and introduced myself. Sadly, he didn�t seem to know we were scheduled to talk but he was incredibly accommodating. �I�m starving,� he said, �but yeah, let�s do this now.�
Ambulance LTD came together as many other groups do. The five members of the group got to know each other by playing with different bands and, when a couple of bands broke up, this one was formed. They almost called it quits early on but were encouraged when one of the few people at a near-empty show was an A&R rep from TVT Records, who released the group�s first EP, as well as last year�s full-length debut.
Congleton�s musical history goes back to his childhood in Eugene, where he lived until he was 19. He was in a few high school bands covering a whole array of genres, including jazz (he also plays the trumpet), hardcore and ska.
Ambulance LTD - Ambulance LTD
(TVT)(buy it!)
The rest of the band members have equally diverse backgrounds, having done time in jazz, rock and punk bands over the years.
Right now, though, Ambulance is pushing last year�s album on the touring front, trying to grow its audience and gain some recognition on the national scene. As far as its sound? Think of the missing link between The Strokes and Interpol, as some sort of NYC band trinity.
Ambulance draws from different parts of the same era, lifting ideas from My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and The Smiths, with a great ear for melody and catchy hooks that can be traced straight back to The Beatles. The group prefers to play with dynamics and atmosphere, rather than straight volume, making its debut album an interesting listen that can be played over and over again without getting old.
�I think what sets us apart from other bands is the diversity in our songwriting,� says Congleton. �We all have broad backgrounds with music and, even though we�re playing rock songs, we�re coming at them a lot differently than I think other bands do.
�We really make an effort for variety.�
Indeed, the album reflects the bands goal of diversity. �Primitive� is a mid-tempo rocker built around one of the best, most memorable guitar riffs of the last five years,and spoken vocals that lead to the chorus of �Relax. Don�t think about the way I treat you.�
�Ophelia� and �Michigan� show the band�s quieter side, along with �Anecdote,� which adds in some lush vocal harmonies.
�Stay Tuned� is a dark, Brit-poppy song, the highlight of the last half of the record.
The centerpiece of the album � and the song that should rocket the band to fame � is the instant classic �Stay Where You Are.� Introduced by a swirling mass of shoegaze guitars that give way to the song itself after a slow build, the track is instantly memorable. It�s one of those sum-of-the-influences tracks that Ambulance will probably be stuck playing at shows for the rest of its career. It�s exactly the kind of song perfect for an introduction to the band, showcasing all of the member�s talents at once.
Released early last year, the album was widely praised by critics and ended up on several year-end best-of lists but, unfortunately, sales haven�t matched the acclaim.
�We�re not really happy with how it�s sold. No way,� says Congleton. �We�re really hoping to get some new fans with this tour and the video we just did that should be on MTV soon. That�s sort of the idea.
The group is on tour from now through the end of April, when they will be sharing the stage with some legendary acts at the Coachella Festival.
�We�re really excited about that,� says Congleton. �It�s a huge opportunity for us, and we�re excited to see some of the other bands there.�
[FONT=OCR A Extended, Arial, Helvetica, Helv, sans-serif]- OMG[/FONT]
now that i have had a proper listen to them i think their music sounds a bit like my bloody valentine, supergrass and the beatles. i think primitive is still my favourite song, but stay where you are is gorgeous . i also listened to ophelia, heavy lifting, michigan, sugar pill, swim, yoga means union and country gentleman. i'll have to track down young urban and anecdote. does marcus sing on all the tracks? his voice sounds a bit different sometimes. is yoga means union an instrumental song? i'm not sure if my limewire was being dodgy... ambulance ltd. i am getting quite addicted to them.. I have to see if the library has them..that's my new thing. Getting cd's from the library to burn onto my ipod...waay cheaper than buying them!city girl said:thanks for posting that
anyway i
such a cool band