Ambulance for Angeles review

Ambulance for Angeles
Viper Creek Club
Reviewed 11.12.07
Organized chaos. That is essentially what makes up the foundations the latest effort from Ambulance For Angeles, entitled "Viper Creek Club". This piano driven indie-rock band delivered something I certainly didn't expect with this EP, but after a few listens I found myself enjoying it more and more. The elements making up the music are virtually the same as most other prominent indie bands, but are arranged in a much different manner. It seems that most bands described as "piano driven" tend to be generic rock bands that happen to incorporate pianos. In this case, though, the songs on Viper Creek Club, with the exception of "Sweaters for Spring", really are carried almost solely by the piano/keyboard tracks. The melodic, yet chaotic tracks seem to blend together into one cohesive unit. The only thing it leaves the listener wanting is more.

However, musical construction aside, the most prominently impressive aspect of Viper Creek Club is the pure passion with which each song is created. From start to finish it delivers a solid twenty three or so minutes of passionate (both musically and lyrically) rock, drawing the listener into their own little world where they are left to explore the emotions and driving forces behind the music. Melodically, each song is kept fairly simple, as they certainly do not have the need to overcompensate for a lack of content. Of the five songs on the album overall, I actually tended to gravitate towards the two musically simpler tracks. The more basic guitar, piano, and backing vocals provide a perfect strengthening background for the leading vocals, which were a bit perplexing at first, but slowly grew on me. The vocals on songs like "Sweaters for Spring" and "My Embroidered Tusks" contain a certain wavery quality, almost reminiscent of (dare I say) early Conor Oberst. Songs with this emotional style of vocals and the addition of an almost campfire-esque guitar, mixed with their style of lyrics, create an almost irreproducible overall sound that will likely carry Ambulance For Angeles as they continue to grow as a band. On top of that, once paired with the more rocky, piano driven songs, it creates an even more interesting juxtaposition of sounds and helps create a truly cohesive (although unfortunately short) EP.

Songs to keep an ear on: "Sweaters for Spring" & "When We Were Showgirls"

Reviewed By: Brian Anderson