Music: The Faint

The 1990s are where new wave went to die. The late '70s and early '80s brought about post-punk, one of the most experimental and adventurous eras of rock. Post-punk begat new wave, its more radio friendly sibling. It was a bright, danceable genre that still had artists pushing boundaries and taking chances. Then, it suddenly became uncool to dance to rock music and wear neon colors.

Fast forward to 2004 when the Killers released Hot Fuss and brought the nervous, synthy, neon bright style back and inspired a whole new wave of new wave. Plenty of new bands have the danceable, slightly synthy rock formula down but there's something missing. The majority of neo-new wave artists stick to the blueprint...very few push any boundaries. There are exceptions such as NYC's the Rapture and, especially, Omaha's the Faint.

blank-wave arcade (1999)
Using synthesizers to jarring affect, the Faint aren't afraid to make a racket. They This album's best track, "Worked Up, So Sexual", represents everything the Faint does best. It tackles the topics of relationships and sex with the nervous angst that fits so well with their jerky, sharp guitars. This album makes new wave exciting again with an edge of experimentation and danger.



Danse Macabre (2001)
This album is the Faint doing everything they did before and sleeking it up just enough for the club. Tracks like "The Glass Danse" can't help but make a dancefloor throb with action. Part of the genius here is that the album flies by in a svelte 35 minutes. All the fat has been trimmed (and replaced by noisy synth breakdowns), another Faint trademark.




Wet From Birth (2004)
So how do boundaries stretch on the Faint's 4th album? With a string section opening the first track, "Desperate Guys". It's nervous protagonist worries about how to get a girl, putting the jittery angst of new wave into words. These are new wave tracks more suitable for radio play. Not that the Faint have sold out, the trajectory of the above albums certainly led them here. "I Disappear", featured in the below video, is another standout.



"I Disappear"