Walter soon began working with a singer-songwriter who went by E and drummer Butch Norton as The Eels. After a promising debut, Walter left the band due to differences with E. He formed a short-lived band, Tely, who released a CD that was distributed on the internet. He was also in the touring band for the Ken Andrews solo project ON, though in the end the band saw little touring. Later he went on to form Abandoned Pools and recorded a solo album, Humanistic, in 2001. Humanistic actually features a couple of songs that were once performed by Tely, like "Start Over."
In 2002 they performed the theme song for the short-lived MTV animated series Clone High. Many of their songs can be heard in the background during the show.
Walter teamed up with drummer Bryan Head and guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme in 2004 to record "Armed to the Teeth," the follow up to Humanistic. In June of 2005, they released an EP, consisting of a few songs from the new album along with b-sides and demos, called The Reverb EP. This was followed by the full album in September 2005.
In January of 2006, Walter wrote in his blog that Universal Records had stopped promoting the album. However, he has included several song snippets on his MySpace and has said he is writing songs for a new album.
In March of 2010, Walter announced via Twitter that he would enter the studio to work on a third Abandoned Pools album after five years of hiatus.
In mid-May 2011, via the Abandoned Pools' MySpace page, two new songs, "Marigold" and "In Silence" from the upcoming album, "Sublime Currency" were made available for streaming and download, or iTunes, as well as a full length demo of the first album, "Humanistic." The third studio album was expected to be released in late 2011, but is now due out sometime in 2012. On Friday, January 27, 2012, the Abandoned Pools' Facebook page posted: "Announcement coming on Monday." (January 30th)
Blood
Abandoned Pools Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It sways so easily
We're smiling all the time
This world just isn't mine
We watch it burn
And we never learn
This can't be what you're waiting for
We eat our young
This can't be what you're waiting for
Just take it easy on yourself
Forget all the stupid things we say
I know you beat up on yourself
I know it's in your blood
You say what no one understands
The seeds are in your hands
The branches break your bones
I can't just leave you alone
And watch you squirm
And I can't bring myself to look
I rip the pages from the book
And watch it burn
In "Blood" by Abandoned Pools, the singer observes the happy family tree swaying easily and tells us he and those around him smile all the time but that they know that this world is not theirs. The world is burning, and people never learn. The singer believes that this can't be what we're waiting for, staring into the sun while we eat our young. The singer tells us to take it easy on ourselves, forget the stupid things we say and beat up on ourselves. We all have it in our blood. We say things that no one else understands, and these words are the seeds that we hold. The branches of the family tree can break our bones, and observers like the singer can't watch us squirm, but ripping the pages from the book or burying our heads in the sand are not the solution. Instead, it's about finding that inner strength, finding that courage to rise up from underneath the pain.
"Blood" by Abandoned Pools is a song that speaks to the inner struggles of people, as we try to find our own place amidst the chaos of the world. It’s a song that calls upon us to be mindful of the words we say and to be compassionate to ourselves as we try to navigate our own rocky existence. The song is a call to action, reminding us that even amidst the darkness that can sometimes surround us, we can find hope and strength, we can rise above our struggles, and we can make a difference in this world. As such, "Blood" is a song that speaks to all of us who have felt lost and alone, and who have struggled to find our way.
Line by Line Meaning
I see the happy the family tree
I witness a picture perfect family structure
It sways so easily
That structure could be easily swayed or destroyed
We're smiling all the time
Despite appearances, we are not truly happy
This world just isn't mine
We don't feel like we belong in this world
We watch it burn
We observe the world falling apart
And we never learn
Humanity repeats the same mistakes
This can't be what you're waiting for
Surely this is not what you wished for
Staring into the sun
We stare at the chaos directly
We eat our young
We destroy the future by our own actions
This can't be what you're waiting for
Surely you didn't hope for this outcome
Just take it easy on yourself
Be kind to yourself in times of trouble
Forget all the stupid things we say
Don't let our thoughtless words bring you down
I know you beat up on yourself
I understand you're too hard on yourself
I know it's in your blood
It's deeply ingrained in who you are
You say what no one understands
You speak of things others cannot comprehend
The seeds are in your hands
You hold the power to shape the future
The branches break your bones
Your own ambitions can put a strain on your well-being
I can't just leave you alone
I can't stand idly by while you suffer
And watch you squirm
And see you struggle in pain
And I can't bring myself to look
I'm unable to face this reality
I rip the pages from the book
I try to remove the source of my distress
And watch it burn
But it doesn't solve the underlying issue
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
detectivekornfed
One of my forever favorite songs from Abandoned Pools. More people should know of this band / Tommy.
Mike Porten
I remember when this album came out, there were commercials and everything for it. With the advertising and how good the music is, I don't know how Abandoned Pools didn't take off.
Jasonnn
When the second record came out, I had to buy a used promo at a record store.
Taylor Bullard
Completely underrated band and album. No idea how this slipped through the fingers of mainstream rock.
Shannon Scott
Man, I used to play Sonic Adventure 2 Battle to this whole album. This song is hitting me with that nostalgia!
Halo 3 Rat
I swear the remedy reminds me of shadow the hedgehog
tiny
As someone who grew up with sa2b i can absolutely see myself playing it to this that is if i had a gamecube still
Edgar Poe
Dude i played Banjo-Kazooie to this album lol nostalgia big time
JasperHarper
Funny to see this comment, I just discovered AP today and for some reason I thought of SA2 of all things.
sadistic sturgeon
It's songs like this that give me a false sense of nostalgia even though I completely missed out on this time period. I'd give anything just to live a year back then just so I'd be able to live with this stuff