From The Lions Mouth

By the sound they mean 80s sound right. The singers style is right in line with some of the popular alternative sounding singers from that decade. The instrumentals have a little range but still very in line with the alternative sounding singers from the 80s. If you told me this was a spinoff band from joy division I’d believe it. Still pretty decent just not amazing. 6.6/10

Every time I see something written about The Sound, there's an incredulity as to why the band wasn't as successful as some of their peers. Well, I'll tell you why. They simply got overshadowed by showier, more talented bands working in the same vein of a crowded genre. Long term, international success was fleeting for all but the best of these bands. Musically, this is perfectly serviceable early 80s post-punk that I would have happily consumed in my teens. But this is also the band I would have probably forgotten about until they started turning up in my Spotify recommends 40 years later. So what's the weak spot? There are several. Chiefly, this album really lacks darkness, a certain edge. Adrian Borland's vocals are mostly flat and lacking in charisma. That, combined with lackluster lyrics and fairly restrained instrumentation, results in a listenable but unmemorable collection of songs. That said, I don't have a problem with The Sound per se. I love listening to this genre of music and I enjoyed getting a chance to hear this today. I would have loved to review the band's earlier album, Jeopardy, which has a more intense and angular sound. The difference between the two albums is almost shocking. Fave Songs: Fatal Flaw, New Dark Age, Winning, The Fire, Skeletons

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Winning, Sense of purpose, Skeletons, The fire, New dark age

I've only discovered this band a couple of years ago. Like their 1980 album better than this one, but From The Lions Mouth also delivers! Great band, and (what's in a name) great sound.

Good post-punk. Also enjoyed their first LP, 'Jeopardy'.

Not Jeopardy? Daring

Whoever chose this is on my wavelength, never heard it before but it’s amazing.

What an incredible LP. I already knew Winning well, it's one of those songs that shows up on any “best of new wave” list, but this entire album is on that level. Tracks like Skeletons and Fatal Flaw go just as deep, and Silent Air is quietly stunning. What I love most here is the forward bass. Michael Bailey doesn’t just underpin the songs, he often drives them, his plectrum-bright tone giving the music that unmistakable wave signature. Pair that with Adrian Borland’s lyrics. Lines like “There’s a Devil in me trying to show his face / There’s a God in me wants to put me in my place” create an ominous atmosphere that hangs over the whole record. Few albums capture personal struggle and fractured identity this powerfully. Pretty sure this guy has "voices". A lot of people here compare The Sound to Joy Division, but I don’t hear it. Musically they remind me more of The Cure, especially in the interplay of bass and guitar, while Borland’s voice has more in common with The Gun Club than Ian Curtis. This is melodic, very British, and lyrically some of the strongest work of the post-punk era. From the Lions Mouth is heavily underappreciated, but a class album.

The album is a masterpiece. Flawless from start to finish And that is the reason i select it as my pick,as im the recommender of this album I was between to post Jeopardy their debut album. More known cos of i cant escape myself.. And The Waterboys - This is the Sea. But went with this one cos speaks to me more The melodies and the lyrics are pure genious as Andrian Borland knew how to put them together. Especially if u knew how Andrian struggled wirh everything in his short pass of this planet. And all songs are still related to today life we living The bass is a killer and from that era is in the same level of Hookie from Joy Division and Simon Gallup from the Cure I love how brilliant all the songs are build from the intro to verse, to chorus, bridge, and outro, and Chorus usually has the climax of the song. And all songs has brilliant outro. Favorite song by far is Winning.. Its really important songs. Lyrics says everything u need to know about it Love how played live and how gives the feeling that in the end u will figure all out Fatal flow comes next with Silent air, New dark age, Skeletons and the fire follows And i know very well how many bands used as patern the melody of Silent Air to their songs at that post-punk era Brilliant they put New Dark age era and closer. The definision of this album is so simple to me : "Im so happy to feel sad again.." This album and this band is the most underrated album and band of all times. 5...a masterpiece.. Ps. 1.The cover is amazing from the 1872 painting Daniel in the Lion's Den by Briton Rivière 2.Dont know why they didnt add to the album the track "Hothouse" from the album sessions

Echo and the Bunnymen but without being extremely fucking annoying in places.

This is nice, definitely stands up well to other music of the time. Wasn't familiar with it before. 4 stars.

Exceptional post-punk LP! Had saved a few tracks from this one years ago, so I appreciated being reminded this exists and giving it a full run-through. Appreciated the darker Joy Division feel paired against a poppier, Cure-like sensibility in the songwriting and lyricism. Could be a bit tighter and more focused overall, but still a solid listen and great addition to the list

Shades of a lot of post-punk music I already liked pretty well. Dark without being gloomy. I wasn't really focused in on the lyrics and my instinct is they might be worth spending more time with. Bump it a point for the main artist's undeniable struggles.

The Sound sound a lot like old school Cure. Interesting listen.

The Sound From The Lion's Mouth - Is it a roar? It'll be a roar, won't it? Well no. What it is us surprisingly unknown early 80s that fits right in with its contemporary stuff, but apparently never got anywhere. Bizarre! I'm glad to have heard it, but it just makes me wonder why nobody else did either.

I liked this at the start, and it grew on me more and more. The final track "New Dark Age" really had me - I love that track. Happy to have heard it.

I hear The Teardrop Explodes; I hear Echo and the Bunnymen. I know the critics all heard Joy Division but that’s probably because they hadn’t heard anything else yet. I knew nothing of this band and feel bad that many don’t. This is post-punk excellence.

Passable post-punk, from one of the (slightly) forgotten bands of the era. Sounds a lot like early U2, with hints of Joy Division and a very English vocal inflection. Good, but not great, and unlikely to make any future edition of the book purely because post-punk (and England in general) is already well represented (and perhaps overly so).

Really good bass driven post-punk album, not unlike The Chameleons. I’ll be returning to this one.

This is a cool postpunk album. It's definitely got a sensitive boy approach like a lot of Morrisey stuff, but this is early enough that it can't have been influenced by the Smiths or anything like that. It sounds like a lot of other things, but I would guess that's because it influenced a lot of things that came after it 4/5

Some quality '80s post-punk from Scotland. A lot of big names get thrown around whenever discussions surrounding post-punk classics come up: Siouxsie and The Banshees, Killing Joke, the Cure, Bauhaus, the list goes on. But even among the less-notable acts, there's high-quality stuff to be found. Enter the Sound: critics loved them but they never did find great commercial success. Even on the same label as Echo and the Bunnymen, it seemed as though nobody cared about them despite being just as good as Joy Division in many respects. From The Lions Mouth feels like a masterclass at times in expertly-crafted post-punk. Perhaps not as flashy as others, but still fantastic songs. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Is post-punk a little over-represented? Perhaps. Could one of the Cure albums be replaced with this? Certainly.

First and foremost, great job recommender for uncovering one of the few early-80s, new wave bands one didn’t know (or doesn’t quite remember). Within just a few songs, it becomes clear that The Sound had to be a well-touted group ticketed for stardom (like Big Country, Icicle Works) that never quite came – and research confirms that take, even so far as claims that this is the best band that never made it. The algos could be clearer that if you like U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen, you'll like The Sound (sorta dumb name). Musically, this is early U2 in sound and spirit (which is generally a good thing, even considering their being somewhat derivative): edgy-ominous vibe, shearing guitars, restrained, suggestively foreboding vocals. It gets sorta near Cure and Joy Division, but not so dark. The synths that add a neon-lit, vaguely noirish mood (one sees shadowy urban landscapes, shimmering rain-slicked streets, trench coats with upturned collars, lots of trench coats). Editors, Interpol and The National are their inheritors. Definitely could go on list proper – just from 1981, it could replace Heaven 17, Soft Cell and the Human League (as well as any of the metal records, of course).

Really cool post-punk. It's got just the right amount of 80s sound that it feels appropriately from the era without sounding like pastiche. I love the cover too.

Hahaha, this has to be a hate pick, right? Ah yes, 80s British post-punk. Now there’s an underrated gem of a genre. Still good though, but it blends in with the dozens of similar albums on the list.

Yah, good one 4 3

Early 80s post punk. Must have been pretty influential at the time and stands up well today. Rating: 3 Playlist track: Winning Date listened: 03/03/25

I have absolutely no idea what this is going to be. The album title is vaguely post punk maybe? But the band name says yacht rock, and the cover says black metal. It's unlikely it's all 3 of those things, especially in 1981 lol. Ok it's gothy post punk. Makes sense. Not too bad tbh, seems like the sort of thing that would have sounded perfect with just a bit better production job. Got a bit long and drawn out towards the end, there isn't much by way of variation, but it's a 3/5.

Very post punk very new wave very British I liked this more than a lot of the smiths so I guess it’s pretty good.

The is would be great to drive around Vice City to

Old wave

The line between post-punk and new wave always is thin. This was an enjoyable album

Decent alt rock from that era, comparable to echo & the bunnymen... though the songs don't provide an identifiable hook that makes me want to revisit them. The last two tracks, Silent Air & New Dark Age were a bit more interesting, but by the end it just seemed serviceable.

Just some good, listenable goth. Lovely bass.

When Jim Morrison had a singalong with the members of Joy Division, Television and U2.

Enjoyed this one

Nice post punk album by the Sound. Musically somewhere between Joy Division and early U2.

Really enjoyed this, top 80s post punk, should be on the original list.

Interesting rock

Not too bad but not a core memory.

This is the type of British post punk I normally would’ve shit all over on the main list for being too similar to a million other albums on the list but it’s actually kinda unique to the user list. I still don’t fully enjoy listening to it but it’s been long enough since I’ve heard one of these I’m not annoyed by it.

This took me back to gloomy cinder-block dorm rooms at my college in the 80s, where friends in gloomy moods in gloomy clothes would be listening to gloomy music and just couldn't even. I was so jealous, since I could never convey my own gloom as exquisitely, and the likes of Stacy Q's "Two of Hearts" was what I chose when depressed. An extra point for a nostalgic sound, although the gloomy monotone made me skip frequently.

Maybe I'm a bit jaded? Listened to a few too many New Wave bands? Teardrop Explodes? Simple Minds? Fad Gadget? and so many more.. It's ok but not that good. Simple rhythms, guitar, bass, drum and synths.

The Sound is basically the most "good" post-punk band. Not mind-blowing, not amazing, but there isn't a bad moment on here. It's all good. Is "good" good enough? Who knows. 3/5.

May 10, 2025 HL: "Winning", "Fatal Flaw", "Silent Air", "New Dark Age" 3.5 at least The bright synth keeps it separate from the brooding tones of Joy Division and Seventeen Seconds-era Cure. Would fit in like a glove to the book's selection of early 80s material. Maybe one could have bumped Echo & the Bunnymen's debut in favour of this; after all, they'd still have two more albums in the list.

I’d give this a 3-3.5 not bad for post punk which was a genre of music that I overall did not enjoy during the original project. This might be one of the standouts for me.

Pretty nice

I don't know any cultural significance of this band but to me it sounds like a lot of bands of this era but not quite as good. It's a great album but just not as good as others.

A decent post-punk album that just doesn’t offer much to stand out in that scene. Just sounds like a B-tier The Cure album really

It's something that I usually enjoy, but this one didn't catch me.

I thought it was alright, not my cup of tea. I was enjoying that last song, but then it had a hidden track. Can't do that. Can't do it. 3/5

So very straight down middle of the road. Very dull. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

This was good, and a great sound and I can see all the reasons why people revere it. But the two problems are the vocal wasn't distinctive, almost too nice, but too plain. Lyrically it's not great either. So it's good but it's not good enough.

Phew, this list was in dire need of some post-punk. Well spotted! The Sound delivers a fine album with a few highs and even fewer lows. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, though.

Dragged on

It's easy to listen to, it's enjoyable in most of its tracks, it has good musicians. However, I didn't find it transcendent beyond a regular album.

Post-punk, gothic rock. Ni fu ni fa. Rollo. Un 2.

This just sounded old. Not unlistenable but not worthwhile.

New Wave-adjacent. Gothy, but not in a fun way. It's like halfway between Joy Division and The Cure, and not as good as either

I didn't get this at all and it felt like a knock off of other better bands. Nothing unique. Boring

Does this list really need more British post-punk from 1981? Now I guess if you like: The Cure, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen etc etc. then this could be seen as a slept on classic. I however, am not a fan of post-punk, so I don’t really care.

Too many dirges to listen to a second time. Good musicians, though.

From The Lions Mouth is nondescript 80s stuff, vocals could be anyone from about 100 forgettable acts, music is moody and dreary as required by the genre, a forever forgettable 2.