Humanistic (album)
| Humanistic | ||||
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| Studio album by Abandoned Pools | ||||
| Released | September 25, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2001 at Q Division in Boston, Tommy's apartment in Los Angeles, and Space Slacker International in Silverlake | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, industrial rock | |||
| Length | 45:50 | |||
| Label | Extasy, Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade, Tommy Walter | |||
| Abandoned Pools chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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| PopMatters | favorable |
Humanistic is the debut album by Abandoned Pools. It was released in September 2001 through Extasy International. Though two songs were co-written by Pete Pagonis, the album is considered a solo work of Tommy Walter's in which he used new material, as well as several songs he'd worked on beforehand in both Tely and Metromax, to compose, record, and release.
The album features a contrast of dark, gloomy, and sometimes aggressive songs such as "The Remedy" and "Blood" and more serene, upbeat tracks like "Start Over" and "Sunny Day." Elements of industrial rock are evident in various ways; keyboard is used in light melody of the ironically dark-lyric-themed "Ruin Your Life" as well as the raging chorus of "Fluorescein," and ambiguous, non-sung vocal recordings are featured in various tracks. Synth effects are also utilized in various songs. Four tracks include backing vocals by Angie Hart of Frente!. Hart's harmony style alongside Walter's somewhat androgynous voice creates a unique vocal chemistry. This album was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and Matt Silva, ad was mastered by Gavin Lurssen
While Humanistic was released in September 2001, the majority of promotion took place from early to mid-2002; indeed, the album and its singles did not begin to chart until March 2002 and commonly peaked around May. Leah Randi and Bryan Head filled out the ranks of bassist and drummer for the album's tour support. They had several successful tours, going across the country and headlining with acts such as Garbage and Lenny Kravitz.
A music video was produced for the lead single, "The Remedy," and saw substantial airplay on MTV2. "Mercy Kiss" and "Monster" were second and third video/single releases; however, the latter consisted of tour footage and was released long after the others via MTV's website. "Start Over" was also included on the National Lampoon's Van Wilder soundtrack in March 2002.
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