posted 12-12-2000 02:13 AM               

I've been downloading songs from Glen's site like crazy, and I'm totally crazy about his music. He's the former lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket, an excellent band, and his solo stuff is a lot more haunting and personal in a way that kind of reminds me of Richard Shindell, but a lot better.

You can bet your bippy I'll be reviewing this disc as soon as it comes in the mail. I'll be ordering it this week.

posted 12-12-2000 03:23 AM               

Of course, I too am quite fond of Toad -- their last album, Coil, was one of their best, and I was bummed that they never quite seemed to hit the heights they hit with "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean" with their later work. I remember seeing them in concert once in New York City, near the Ed Sullivan Theater. Hootie and the Blowfish were at the height of their popularity and doing a spot on the Letterman show, and apparently they'd opened for Toad once upon a time. So they stopped by and did a few songs with Toad, and I remember wondering how Toad must've felt, watching this band that had opened for them sell bajillions of records. Of course, Toad was still selling millions of records, if not bajillions, so maybe it's just a matter of perspective, particularly now that Glen is apparently booking his own shows and Hootie hasn't been heard from in I don't know how long.

posted 01-05-2001 12:25 PM               

The website has a note from Glen on 12/30 saying he'd received word that the first batch of CDs had been completed and were shipping.

posted 01-17-2001 03:08 AM               

Although popular interpretation of copyright law is currently in a state of flux, it is still technically illegal to make unauthorized copies of recorded material, this album included, 'n stuff.

posted 02-07-2001 12:11 AM               

quote:

---

She was as desperate as a salesman
At a company that’s folding
But they haven’t told the staff yet
That they’re bankrupt and backordered
And they’re funneling the pensions
To the CEO’s back pocket
So in one week they’ll have nothing left

I miss you girl, I hope you’re fine
Good luck, love
Or goodbye

---

Abulum as a whole is fairly downbeat; “Train Wreck” isn’t the most uplifting of songs, and neither are “Maya” or “Back on My Feet.” But they’re great songs with great messages, a nice counterpoint to the maudlin early 90s depression-rock I grew up on. They’re also broken up by fun sing-with-your-friends-on-a-road-trip songs like “Men Just Leave” and “Fred Meyers.” A great croonable selection from “Men:”

quote:

---

There’s a place in the desert where the men all meet
Park their vans in the shade
Talk about Kerouac and the works of the beats
Let their dogs play together
They drink beer and they sing
They’ve all got a secret treasure
The wallet picture in their pocket
Of the kids they never see

One and one end up to be three
Don’t need to have love, don’t need to be sweet
When the air gets heavy and it’s hard to breathe
Women get stuck, men just leave

---

Great stuff. Unfortunate, but great stuff, and it’s nice for Phillips to be calling attention to single moms.

posted 02-07-2001 03:22 AM               

First off, it doesn't sound like Toad, musically. I mean, it sounds like Glen, so if you primarily associate Toad with Glen's voice, it sounds like Toad -- but Toad was much more of a rock band, and its quieter or slower songs usually had more instrumentation than anything on Abulum. This is in many places a quiet album, with very spare production. There's a haunting quality to songs like "Back on My Feet" or "Train Wreck," and everything on the album seems to have a stripped-down feel. I think it fits the tone of the lyrics and very effectively sets the mood for the stories Glen tells -- you connect with them on a gut level. (The "story-song" feel of stuff like "Drive By" and "Train Wreck" helps contribute to this.)

posted 06-15-2001 12:23 AM               

I have no such problems on the bus, though.