Ambulance Ltd takes the road to comeback

By John Benson

The group took a sabbatical after a New Year’s Eve 2005 show.

Interesting indie bands fall into obscurity seemingly every day, but here’s a story about a group that is attempting resurrection.

As a purveyor of shoe-gazing guitar rock, Ambulance Ltd was one of the most underrated and underappreciated acts with its 2004 debut album, “LP.” While gaining some critical acclaim after touring with the likes of R.E.M., The Killers, Placebo and Guided By Voices, the New York City-based outfit appeared to be at a crossroads at the end of 2005.

After a New Year’s Eve 2005 show, the group took a sabbatical. Singer-guitarist Marcus Congleton relocated to Los Angeles to write some solo material. Eventually, he hooked up with Velvet Underground founding member John Cale, who produced 15 tracks.

“It was pretty cool, and we did a lot of stuff,” said Congleton, calling from his New York City home.

“So I just inquired to see if he still produces records, and it just happened when I was in Los Angeles, he got back to me about doing some stuff. So we met up and did a bunch of songs.”

Though Congleton characterizes the Cale material as sounding similar to Ambulance Ltd, he’s thinking the songs will eventually be released as a solo project. The reason is while he was recording with Cale, Congleton was also busy writing the next Ambulance Ltd album, which has more of an electronic feel.

“A lot of the influences are different, and it’s a little simpler and a little less guitar rock,” Congleton said. “There are plenty of heavy guitars in it, but it’s a little bit more. … We’ve been checking out stuff like Kraftwerk and music that’s a little bit more rhythmic and spacious. It’s not quite as dense as some of the old stuff.”

He added, “The songs are dance-y, but I think they have a little bit more of a sci-fi element.”

New tracks currently in the mix for the sophomore Ambulance Ltd album are “Ivy,” “Jesus” and “Easy.” Fans attending the band’s Sunday show at Club Caf in Pittsburgh can expect to hear a few new songs; however, the eventual release of the album is uncertain.

Even though fate appeared to smile on Ambulance Ltd with a new lineup — Congleton (singer, guitarist), Ezra Oklan (drums), Ian Fenger (guitar), Xander McMahon (keyboards) and Jeremy Kay (bass) — the act’s current label, TVT Records, just filed for Chapter 11. That means whatever momentum Congleton and his band mates felt has now been squashed.

“We don’t know how that’s going to play out with them and what it’s going to mean for us until some court dates happen,” Congleton said.

Though the album’s future release date remains uncertain, Congleton said die-hard fans can finally stop freaking out about whether Ambulance Ltd would return from hiatus.