Ambassador
Care Vale

Care Vale is the second album for American band Ambassador who debuted with the fine Belly of the Whale a few years ago. This new one has a good-looking cover, not as cool as the predecessor but similar in many ways. The band has undergone some slight changes in the line-up and they recorded the album live at a different studio compared with the previous album.

In terms of style they are similar to what they did on the previous album, no dramatic move away from that. They are post-punk, dark rock, shoegaze or whatever else similar genre style you would like to label them with. They are in that region with modern and heavy sound, a bit dark as well. Good vocals and good variation are found on this album that is also very sensible in terms of playing time, there should be very little risk of growing bored with this album. I also think the sound is really strong, they have taken a step forward in every regard if you compare this album with the debut.

I think this is a great album, there isn’t really much to be complaining about. If you want to be picky you might lift the fact that the album doesn’t have an outstanding standout song – but it doesn’t really need it as the tracks are very good in their own right, none would be better or worse than the other tracks on the album. Some might also argue that it might be slightly less accessible than some albums, it may need a little bit more from you as a listener, that is not a problem to me as it usually just means that the album has more depth and longevity when it isn’t immediately gratifying.

I like this one, it presses the right buttons and it is a really good step forwards compared with the debut album that I also liked. Fans of this band will certainly not be disappointed, and I doubt so many others will be either. It is an album that I can recommend and point out that it will be worth your while to check it out.

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