Customer Reviews

New English Ep

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this is definitely the best album i have heard in 2006. Great combination of dream pop and alittle bit soft jazz.
Highlight track:
arbuckle's swan song
heavy lifting
country gentleman

highly recommand!!

ambulances excellent debut LP showed their superiority to all the overhyped nyc bands like strokes interpol and radio 4. coming out of brooklyn about 5 years ago, ambulance utilized classic rock and country & western songforms played in unexpected and seductive psychedelic and pop/jazz arrangements.
this ep, a teaser for their sophomore LP due later in the year, shows theyve gotten even better as song-writers and performers. 3 tracks here, the title song, arbuckle's swan song, and country gentleman, are probably the best songs theyve recorded to date. if you liked the poppy acoustic moments on the 1st LP like 'ophilia' you will LOVE new english & country gentlemen. and arbuckles swan song is the best ambulance song to date imo, at least as effective as stay where you are and heavy lifting. but arbuckle is also in an unexpected soul/pop vein, think steely dan or doobie brothers when michael macdonald was in those bands. its the best composition & arrangement ambulance has offered to date. arbuckle would be perfect for boz scaggs or mark eitzel to record. If you know boz's sublime harbor lights or we're all alone, arbuckle's mood is a similar wistful late night saloon loneliness. arbuckle, like stay where you are before it, shows that ambulance is among the most sophisticated of the newer alternative bands. as much as the strokes or yeah yeah yeahs have released good songs & exciting performances, the best ambulance songs & recordings are simply superior and more evolved than their more famous nyc counterparts in every way. heavy lifting was 1 of the best tunes on the 1st LP and this more gentle acoustic demo is every bit as effective. straight a's was on the UK import LP & it also ranks with the best ambulance songs, a very gentle & hypnotic pop-rock tune, almost early 70s in vibe & style.
the sugar pill demo is nice but cant match the other superb compositions on this stunning EP. In total I think this EP is better than the ambulance debut LP, especially arbuckle demonstrating a new level of achievement for the band. If LP #2 is anything like this, it will surely be one of the most important rock Lps of 2006. If you liked the 1st LP this EP will blow you away. BUY IT!!





New English (new song) Listen Listen Listen
2. Arbuckle (new song) Listen Listen Listen
3. Fearless (Pink Floyd cover) Listen Listen Listen
4. Heavy Lifting (original 8 track acoustic demo) Listen Listen Listen
5. Sugar Pill (original demo) Listen Listen Listen
6. Country Gentleman (from the Startime International compilation) Listen Listen Listen
7. Straight A's (hidden UK Lp track)

Meaning five of the seven songs on this EP were already previously released, just not officially. If you've been following Ambulance since their 2004 self-titled debut, you've probably seen most of these songs floating around somewhere on the internet. The only truly new songs on here are the first two, "New English" and "Arbuckle's Swan Song", both of which are very good.

While it's disappointing that we've been waiting almost exactly two years for a release with all new material, every song on here does deserve to see the light of day. "Country Gentleman" in my opinion is arguably their best song to date. I just think they should've kept their older unreleased material and their new stuff separate. I do know in addition to a couple other unreleased songs, there were a few b-sides that were only released on a couple of singles that would've been nice to see make it on this EP as well.

A nice release though however you choose to look at it. Definitely worth the purchase.

My favourites are "New English" and "Country Gentleman", but they're all excellent, to be honest. Buy it!

This feels like a toss-off, a space-filler until the band has enough material for a full LP. Live version of "Fearless" doesn't add much to the original. Rest of the cuts are largely forgettable. Nothing here measures up to "Michigan" or "Sugar Pill" from the previous full-length album.