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From the Lions Mouth is the second studio album by English post-punk band the Sound, released in November 1981 on record label Korova. Following the release of their previous album Jeopardy, keyboardist Belinda "Bi" Marshall left the group and was replaced by Colvin "Max" Mayers. For their new album, the Sound worked with producer Hugh Jones, as well as co-producing the album themselves. The album's sound was more polished than previous efforts. Like Jeopardy, From the Lions Mouth was critically acclaimed but failed to capture the attention of the public, with the band's fanbase limited to a cult following. One single, "Sense of Purpose (What Are We Going to Do)", was released. The album cover artwork was taken from the 1872 painting Daniel in the Lion's Den by Briton Rivière. NME compared the album's bleak nature to Joy Division's Closer.[3] Despite The Sound being posited as a gloomy band, AllMusic wrote, "snake-charming opener 'Winning' is like a dash of cold water in the faces of all the bands that were wallowing and withering away at the weeping well [...] The Sound were not mopes. They had their problems with life, but rather than just vent or escape from them, they confront them and ask questions and attempt to sort it all out."
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
Yah, good one 4 3
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
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.
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
Post-punk, gothic rock. Ni fu ni fa. Rollo. Un 2.