‘Ambulance’ by The Amazing (Album)

The Amazing: the group continue their loosely structured pilgrimage into the dark haze

Christoffer Gunrup leads his group on another meandering journey into the musical darkness and just about manages to escape intact

Swedish band The Amazing, made up of members of Dungen and Granada, have returned. Led by inscrutable frontman and chief songwriter Chistoffer Gunrup, it’s up to the listener to decipher much of the meaning lying within the music as the group continue their loosely structured pilgrimage into the dark haze.

The album’s eight tracks eschew traditional structure, beacons of melody are interspersed amongst the murky instrumental digressions. The title track starts the album with a burst of burnished guitar and keys before reaching a plateau. Blair Drager begins as a doomy trip before eventually metamorphosing into something more kaleidoscopic. Through City Lights plods along, never gathering pace nor quite dropping off the edge.

Perfect Day For Shrimp heralds the end of Ambulance, a ripple of percussion threatens to lift the song out of its detached landscape but then fades away to leave Gunrup’s voice and an acoustic guitar. A sense of gloom permeates throughout; a feeling that all of the searching may be for nothing. If it wasn’t for moments like the bursting guitar on Tracks, then this mood may be too much. Thankfully, there’s a glimmer of light to ensure this is a welcome addition to the band’s catalogue.

Verdict: A journey rich with mood

Duncan Haskell

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