Abandoned Pools is the project of Tommy Walter, either best known as the former bassist of Eels (circa 1996-1997) or the guy who wrote the theme songs for Clone High. Walter has bounced around over the past fifteen years or so. First with the eclectic pop-rock project Tely which dissolved before it really got started. (fortunately Walter repurposed most of the material for his first Abandoned Pools record “Humanistic”.)

The early major-label Abandoned Pools stuff was a lot of thick, crunchy alternative rock. Almost too thick for the songs Walter was writing. His third record under the moniker (Abandoned Pools isn’t really a band these days, but rather a pseudonym for Walter himself) “Sublime Currency” found him back on an independent and back in the territory of sweet electronic-tinged pop-rock. “Somnambulist” completes the cycle and sounds like the would-be follow-up to the original Tely LP.

Walter is blessed with an angelic falsetto and a knack for putting together arrangements that complement his pop sensibilities. “Pep Talk” fittingly has plenty of pep. “Focus” twists and twirls around a single hypnotic drum loop. “Somnambulist” is about as far removed from Abandoned Pools’s alt-rock origins, but fans of Walter’s early career will appreciate it as yet another strong entry into his already fine catalogue.