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Mumbles – Two Clouds

Posted in 1990, 1990s, drowning pool, ethereal, mumbles, post-punk on July 1, 2025 by Frankie Teardrop

I think I’ve been meaning to post this album for… I dunno, five years now? How time flies…

Here we have the lone album from US-based band Mumbles, released in 1990. While Mumbles may not be a name that comes to mind immediately, the band is essentially a continuation of experimental/ethereal post-punk band Drowning Pool, whose esoteric, yet driving sound spanned four LPs and several cassette releases. Three of the four Drowning Pool members are present on this album, including members Adam Elesh and Brett Smith, who were also in Landscape of Sound, a previous project we’ve featured here before as well. New to the fold is vocalist Kelly Ray.

Either way, this is an excellent album, perfect for these hazy summer nights. It should feel right at home if you like Drowning Pool’s excellent, deeply engaging and emotive discography. It was originally released on Italian label Viva Records, who not only released several Drowning Pool releases, but who were also responsible for the excellent Viva Los Angeles compilations, which featured many like-minded “desert goth” (as I like to call it), bands. Despite being released exclusively on CD, some copies of Two Clouds, like the one I picked up, are housed in a oversized, 10”-inspired sleeve, perhaps as a nod to like-minded label Independent Project Records. Pretty cool!

Mumbles – Two Clouds
1. Blue Vishnu
2. Pipe & Dream
3. Johnny Go
4. Hearthmaker
5. Mother Harvest
6. Diamond
7. Utah Smith
8. Star Crossed
9. Lullaby Blue
10. White Out
11. Nuit Blanche
12. Two Clouds
13. American Gothic

*download it here*

Drowning Pool- Satori LP

Posted in 1980s, 1987, drowning pool, los angeles, post-punk, US on November 5, 2018 by Frankie Teardrop

Are y’all down with the sickness?

If so, this one is a request for the 1987 comp. from Drowning Pool, the nu metal bandthe post-punk band from Los Angeles, California. The band were also featured on the Ultraviolet compilation I posted last time around, so the name should certainly sound familiar… You may also recognize the band via their debut single under the name Landscape of Sound, which has also been featured here previously.

This particular double LP is a compilation of sorts, collecting a series of rare tracks alongside centerpieces from their four major LPs. This LP may have been shared in the past, but certainly at a low bitrate according to all sources I could find. As such, it’s an excellent introduction point AND a solid record to fill in the gaps, even if you have their other LPs in your collection. This record was released in 1987 via Nate Starkman and Son, an offshoot of Independent Project Records. It’s actually some small mystery they weren’t officially on IPR, as the sound and style and location all line up. They would have certainly been a welcome addition to the roster.

For those unfamiliar with Drowning Pool, there’s lots to love here across the post-punk spectrum. On paper, the band come off like a much more sinister and experimental take on Dead Can Dance, with tribal passages and ethereal soundscapes nestled among pure post-punk fury and avant-ghetto chaos. I’m also reminded of In the Nursery’s earlier, more primitive records. Of course, apt comparisons could also be made to local scene bands Autumnfair and Savage Republic, as the band no doubt ran in similar circles.

Soon after this LP was released, Drowning Pool changed their name to Mumbles and released one LP before disbanding. If you like what you hear here, you’d do well to seek out the band’s LPs, which are all rather affordable and all worth pouring over in great detail. For those who like to check on these things, the band keep an active social media presence, so you can check in on them for some old photos, details, stories, and more. Otherwise, here’s all the info:

Drowning Pool- Satori LP
1. Petit Malfacteur
2. Ritual Regeneration/Toy Soldiers*
3. Ruts
4. Nierika
5. Festival Of Healing
6. Fired From Within
7. Uncork The Mind
8. Game Room
9. You Are My Rescue
10. Weaving Petals
11. Muted Streak
12. Master Bebra
13. Ghirlandaio’s Apprentice/Macaulay Call*

*ripped as one track

*download it here*

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Also seems fitting to post a band from LA, as I’ll be landing there tomorrow to kick off a tour with Public Memory, who I’m playing synths with these days. Perhaps we’ll cross paths? Check here for full list of west coast dates, and come say hi if you’re in town!

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Various Artists- Ultraviolet LP

Posted in 1980s, 1989, abecedarians, california, drowning pool, post-punk, US on October 15, 2018 by Frankie Teardrop

Fresh off the needle, here’s an updated rip of a favorite US post-punk compilation from ’89, released on Sketch Records. Ultraviolet collects nine tracks of California-based post-punk and new wave tracks, several of the bands who were seldom heard from again. The first two bands are likely the most well-known of the lot, as both Abecedarians and Drowning Pool (not the nu metal band of the same name, mind you) have respectable cult followings. Abecedarians of course, have been covered here before a handful of times (and have their debut 12” release on Factory Records), and Drowning Pool’s body of work is incredibly enjoyable, in line with many of the other bands from the time period (Red Temple Spirits, Savage Republic, etc.).

The most notable standout, and one of the best reasons to own this compilation is for the track “Eleven Is Waiting” by Homeland. Not only is the song an absolute corker, an five-minute post-punk workout with haunting melodies, a chorus-drenched bass line, flutes, and a tempo that changes tempos near its close, it’s also a curious footnote to the Brian Jonestown Massacre story, as Homeland was singer Anton Newcombe’s first project. The band released one excellent demo cassette in 1989, which has since been reissued on CD-r, as has a slew of unreleased work including additional demos and live tracks, all of which likely exist due to the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s indie success over the years.

That all said, here’s the good stuff:

Various Artists- Ultraviolet
1. Laugh At Yourself (Live)- Abecedarians
2. Edith, Hold Out Your Hand- Drowning Pool
3. In Their Eyes- 3D Picnic
4. During Moss- X-1 Whiteman
5. Blue Roses- Electric-Cool-Aide
6. Green Gel- Blue Death Ride ’69
7. Eleven Is Waiting- Homeland
8. Tundra- Man From Missouri
9. Sesso Fantasma- Prison of Socrates

*download it here*

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Landscape of Sound- Live Forever 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, abecedarians, drowning pool, LA, landscape of sound, los angeles, new wave, post-punk on July 23, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a rather obscure new wave/post-punk tinged single from the West Coast. Los Angeles to be exact. While this is the only known release by Landscape of Sound (released in 1983), the band has direct ties to like-minded post-punk band Drowning Pool, who formed soon after this 7” was released. Before the band would become Drowning Pool (who put out some rather excellent and delightfully easy to find LPs in the mid-80s), this single served as a respectable point of entry for Brett Smith and Adam Elesh. The project evolved from a basic partnership to include other Los Angeles area musicians. According to the Drowning Pool biography, the band came together while hanging out at Pier Records (managed by Chris Maneke of Abecedarians, covered here in the past). Maneke would also produce several Drowning Pool recordings.

The real gem on this 7” is the b-side, a rickety, but excellent post-punk track with jangly chorus-heavy guitar and those synth strings we all know and love. Definitely a winner if I’ve ever heard one… The a-side is a little more new wave, reminiscent of the UK synth scene, but with a more organic touch. There’s still a similar vibe running through it, so it’s not a night and day sort of affair. Either way, it’s an excellent single that deserves a listen or twenty, so without any further ado…