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)
The Remedy
Abandoned Pools Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A shot
Your novocaine
My soul's a fuse
Blows away your name
Then you can be the remedy
And I can be the enemy
They you can be the want to be
And I can be the remedy
And he can go to hell for all I care
Say this world is not so shallow
When you can't beg steal or borrow
Save your breath your soul is hollow
And it's all too much to swallow
Take this souvenir
They can't deny you were here
This scar always there
To medicate your fear
The first verse of Abandoned Poolsโ song The Remedy speaks about the desire for relief and escape from pain. The singer of the song speaks about the need for a novocaine shot to numb their pain, while stating that their soul feels explosive and the name of the one causing their pain is blown away. In the pre-chorus, the singer seems to be addressing their pain-causer as a remedy for their hurt. They declare themselves as the enemy while promising the person they speak to a chance to be the hero. They also emphasize their lack of care for anyone else, including the person they are speaking to, who they now want to be their remedy.
The chorus of the song encourages the listener to view the world and our experiences with greater depth, as opposed to just surface level. The second verse appears to be addressed to the same person from the first verse, but with greater intensity. They describe the hollowness of our existence, which they relate to both begging and stealing as well as using novocaine. They then advise the listener to cease their efforts of explaining themselves to the world because the world is apparently unable to handle our full realities. The outro advises the listener to take a souvenir, whether it be the knowledge they have been present, or a physical sign of their presence, such as scars. The souvenirs are then urged to be used to combat fear.
Line by Line Meaning
I could use
I need
A shot
A dose of something to numb my pain
Your novocaine
Your anesthesia, escape, or relief
My soul's a fuse
My inner self is about to explode
Blows away your name
Your memory no longer affects me
Then you can be the remedy
If you want to help me, you can
And I can be the enemy
However, I might become your opponent
And he can go and live as nothing
Another person is irrelevant to us
They you can be the want to be
Maybe you could be the one I desire
And I can be the remedy
I need someone to make me feel better
And he can go to hell for all I care
I do not care about the other person's existence
Say this world is not so shallow
The world is deeper than it seems
When you can't beg steal or borrow
When you can't do anything to get what you want
Save your breath your soul is hollow
Stop wasting your energy, you are empty inside
And it's all too much to swallow
It is overwhelming
Take this souvenir
Take something to remember this moment
They can't deny you were here
You were present and left your mark on this place
This scar always there
This wound will never heal
To medicate your fear
To help you cope with your anxiety
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Thomas Edward Walter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keis921 [Kees]
[Verse 1]
I, I could use
A shot your novacaine
My soul's a fuse
Blows away your name
[Chorus]
Then you can be the remedy
And I can be the enemy
And he can go and live as nothing
Then you can be the wanna be
And I can be the remedy
And he can go to hell for all I care
[Post-Chorus]
Say this world is not so shallow
When you can't beg, steal, or borrow
Save your breath your soul is hollow
When it's all too much to swallow
[Verse 2]
Take this souvenir
They can't deny you were here
This scar always there
To medicate your fear
[Chorus]
Then you can be the remedy
And I can be the enemy
And he can go and live as nothing
Then you can be the wanna be
And I can be the remedy
And he can go to hell for all I care
[Post-Chorus]
Say this world is not so shallow
When you can't beg, steal, or borrow
Save your breath your soul is hollow
When it's all too much to swallow
[Breakdown]
The Remedy
[Chorus]
Then you can be the remedy
And I can be the enemy
And he can go and live as nothing
Then you can be the wanna be
And I can be the remedy
And he can go to hell for all I care
[Post-Chorus]
Say this world is not so shallow
When you can't beg, steal, or borrow
Save your breath your soul is hollow
And it's all too much to swallow
Canuckpirate
Abandoned Pools is probably the most underrated band of all time
coco
Tis The Truth.
Dwight Lives Matter
I know bands much more underrated than this.
Kari
Says at least one person on every video of every lesser known, yet still mainstream, band ever.
Kari
Start Here Not necessarily so, as I can easily deny that as being fact, as can any number of other people. I can also disprove it, to varying degrees. Therefore, I shall dispute such a statement.
Max Hydra
Remove the probably :D
jerm
maybe its because i grew up listening to dad's rock music, but i have a soft spot for angsty early 2000's music like this. as like many other people, i was introduced to abandoned pools through clone high, and i love their music. its nostalgic and has a great feel to it. it also has elements of the songs that is unique to just them, like the weird noises that appear throughout. im gonna appreciate this music for a long time.
Morporkshortman
Hope to god Abandon Pools comes back for the reboot of Clone High!
Kristopher Ryan
If the price is right !
Dhan Dharum
wait! there will be a clone high reboot!?