Abandoned Pool’s second album finds their music taken in a slightly different direction from the first, with the finely produced, pop-emo sound functioning as a starting off point for only a slightly above average disc. Not the most ground breaking or memorable, the album has some highlight tracks submerged in a disc of mediocrity. This blend creates an album that is very listener friendly, but also not something for posterity. With only small dosages of typical emo wailing, the tracks don’t stray too far from radio-friendly emo sounds, but also aren’t overly cliché, though they hover over produced guitar chords and adolescent, needy lyrics.
The disc gets off to a decent start with “Lethal Killers,” a very radio friendly song in which lead singer Tommy Walter does his best emo wail to the background of a guitar and drum heavy pop sound. The disc continues on with “Rabble” which displays a slightly more unique sound for the band with slightly discordant melodies, wailing vocals, and yearning lyrics.
The tone on the disc picks up with high musical energy on “The Catalyst” and extremely high vocal tracking on “Tighter Noose,” an element that adds a new layer to the track. The more cheerful energy continues through the middle of the disc, running through a few of the mediocre central tracks and culminating with the title track. “Armed to the Teeth” is a semi-political track that feels like its bite may have been removed for the airwaves.
The disc continues its second half with one of the most interesting tracks on the disc, “Sooner or Later,” which turns up the musical level one notch to somewhat set it apart from the rest of the album’s and genre’s sound. The final few tracks depart from the more radio-pop emo sounds and also give the lead vocalist a chance to sing with only momentary wails. These tracks culminate in the final track “Goodbye Song” which is an amazing blend of unique musical qualities that really sets it apart from the rest of the disc.
While much of the disc is very radio-friendly, “goes down smooth” emo-pop, more than a few moments on the album set it apart from the rest. While not the most memorable disc of the genre, the closing tracks really keen listeners into the potential the band has, making it set slightly apart from its peers. For the band and within the genre, the disc demonstrates what could be a really great future discography. |