Who Said New Wave Was Dead
The Faint set to release their fifth studio album.
When The Faint got together in 1995, they actually went by the name Norman Bailer and the band included Conor Oberst, who left the band shortly after it was formed. However, before Oberst left, the band released their debut album on Lumberjack Records, Sine Sierra. The three remaining members of the band, Todd Fink (formerly Todd Baechle), Joel Peterson and Clark Baechle recruited Matt Bowen, and recorded their second effort, Media. While touring in support of the album, Bowen left the band and was replaced by Jacob Thiele.
Thiele’s influence is one of the main reasons that Blank-Wave Arcade had a more dance/techno sound. Critics liked the album’s mixture of 80’s new wave and experimental techniques. The songs were catchy and inventive. Instead of being content with the standard new wave technique of using cheesy electronic keyboard tones, The Faint threw in a smattering of perfectly timed analog noise and random sound effects.
The final piece of the puzzle came during the recording of Danse Macabre, when The Faint added former death metal guitarist Dapose. Danse Macabre enjoyed the same critical and commercial success as Blank-Wave Arcade. Lyrically, Dance Macabre is obsessed with sex much like its predecessor. However, there are variances as some songs explore darker material such as suicide. Also, much like Blank-Wave Arcade, the album was catchy and had a tendency to induce dancing.
Three years after Danse Macabre, it was time for round four and The Faint released Wet from Birth. After the warm critical reception of their last two albums, the mediocre reviews for Wet from Birth had to be a disappointment. Critics complained that the album was overproduced and used too much of the static and analog noise that they utilized so effectively on their previous two releases. It seemed as if The Faint was simply trying too hard.
The Faint’s latest effort, Fasciination, tones things back a bit from the overproduced jumble that was Wet from Birth. The tracks make you dance, much like Blank-Wave Arcade and Danse Macabre, and effectively utilize distortion and strategically placed noise. There are a couple tracks that seem to be drowning in a sea of the same distortion that makes other numbers work so well, but thankfully these instances seem to be few.
Overall Recommendation: If you were disappointed by Wet from Birth, The Faint’s newest release will be refreshing in its change to form. Prepare to dance.
Posted by Cory Roop on Aug 04, 2008 @ 12:00 am
