The Gullivers: ‘Ambulance‘

It is remarkable what you can do with reverb. It is more remarkable still what some acts will attempt to get away with by simply applying dense reverb to their instruments.

This trio might be unsigned, but they are certainly in the know when it comes to getting around that icky problem of “no song“. In what now surely counts as a dated contrivance, guitarist/vocalist Mark Byrne forgoes any semblance of consonant sonority and instead elects for snore-worthy swashes of reverb.

In 'Ambulance'. echoes of Pixies and (to a lesser extent) Interpol are latent. However, pathetically simple guitar lines over meandering bass does not add up to the kind of atonal intensity that Interpol have affected and made their own in recent years. Though they share some aesthetical aims, The Gullivers lack the satisfying chug present in much of Interpol’s most captivating work.

'Neptune' is almost indistinguishable from the eponymous opener, but for Emma Ramsey’s drumming. Lest we let the group get away unscathed even in some small way, she stutters over the snare/tambourine combination - Meg White in her most apathetical moments doesn’t sound so literally disinterested. I’m sure Ramsey is far from disinterested, this is merely the effect that the poor choice of beat has on the song.



Self-released through iTunes UK on 19th January 2009.

myspace.com/thegullivers

Written by Richard Wood.