"Abulum" is the debut solo album from Glen Phillips, former lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket. One of my favorite bands, Toad unfortunately split up in 1998 after their 6th album, "Coil". At that point, Glen went solo and the remaining 3 members formed a band called Lapdog (bassist Dean Dinning has since left the band however to purse voice-over work).
"Abulum" has the distinctive voice and thought-provoking lyrics of Toad, but it otherwise feels very different. The songs are upbeat and the instrumentation is less dense. Whereas Toad albums sounds like "band albums", "Abulum" sounds like a "singer-songwriter album". This not to say that "Abulum" is just Glen singing and strumming a guitar. There's more instrumentation than that. However, "Abulum" sounds more like the work of an individual artist rather than a collective group.
"Abulum" can at times sound rather dark. This is probably due in part to the recent passing of Glen's father, David, to whom the album is dedicated. Nowhere is this more apparent than in "Darkest Hour" where Glen contemplates death with passionate singing and moving lyrics:
When I close my eyes
I hope to find you, hope to find you
When I leave my body
I want to be ready, willing like you were
I sat beside you then
I felt the warmth as it left your hands
There are songs about other depressing topics such as relationship problems (Professional Victim, Men Just Leave, Back On My Feet), despair (It Takes Time), and loneliness (My Own Town). The latter has some of the album's most chilling lyrics:
I'm wondering if I should learn how to fly
A police helicopter would be a good way to die
I'd be a fireball come crashing, leaving nothing but ashes
A bald spot on the globe like nothing ever had happened here
There's also a few songs that manage to be amusing despite their subjects. "Men Just Leave" is an upbeat tune about guys that bail on their parenting responsibilities. Then there's "Drive By" which is a surprisingly humorous tune about a kid and his dad who go for a drive-by shooting of the neighbor's dog. Lastly, "Fred Meyers" (the album's first single) is a snappy tune about living in a department store in a post-apocalyptic world.
"Abulum" is a great album. Give it a listen if you want to hear what Glen Phillips sounds like without the rest of Toad the Wet Sprocket. I think you'll find it's different but very good. He definitely hasn't lost his touch for writing great songs. I also highly recommend seeing him live. I've seen him twice now and they were both great concerts.
If you want to check on some of the other Toad veterans, check out Lapdog.
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