Ambulance LTD “Anecdote” (Best of the Decade)
Although the band was short lived, Brooklyn’s Ambulance LTD managed to release one of my all time favorite songs in 2004. “Anecdote” was a hidden gem on LP—the band’s only full length record—and it was never even officially considered a “single.” Regardless, “Anecdote” is a perfect pop song. It carries a sentiment of loneliness with elegance, and manages an insanely catchy piano hook without ever sounding like top-ten fluff. In short, it is exactly what most of indie rock aspires to be, but never attains: intelligence without pretension and sugar without the toothache. It wasn’t much of a surprise to me to find out that one of the band’s founders was current Dirty Projector Dave Longstreth, whose Midas touch similarly turned this year’s Bitte Orca into gold. I have no idea what part, if any, Longstreth had in “Anecdote,” but regardless, whoever crafted that song knew exactly what they were doing. Ambulance LTD recently re-formed, sans the band’s founders Longstreth and Michael Di Liberto, and I am extremely curious to see if the current incarnation of the band can hold a candle to the old.
Def a great song, a mixtape classic for sure.
here’s more info as to why their new LP (produced by john cale no less) has been held up going under. a shame really as the demos on their myspace sound really good..
This is a great song and is the first one to really grab your attention on the album. To say the song is a hidden gem on the album is an insult. The entire album is a masterpiece and IMO is one of the best albums ever made.
The man who composed/wrote Anecdote is Ambulance’s lead guitarist and singer Marcus Congleton, the only remaining member of the band.
Not sure if this is the same Dave Longstreth as Dirty Projectors. Also read on Wikipedia that there was a guy named in Dave Longstreth in this band, although the Wiki page says he was from Ohio, and the citations listed don’t actually verify this claim.
Can anyone verify that this is the same Longstreth? Makes sense, but could be a coincidence. I can’t find anything on the internet saying that Dave Longstreth from Dirty Proj is from Ohio.
I don’t think it’s the same Longstreth from Dirty Projectors. He plays the guitar left handed and no photos of Ambulance LTD show any lefties.