Customer Reviews

Blank-wave Arcade

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was turned on to The Faint by an online pal who described their sound as "Duran Duran making out with Joy Divison." Well, after a description like that, I had to check them out for myself; my two great musical loves being gothic rock and 80s New Wave. What a rich, dark musical experience was in store for me. The insistent synth-pulse, the chilly-yet-emotional vocal delivery, the random bursts of electronic noise... My favorite tracks on the album are "Worked Up So Sexual" and "Cars Pass In Cold Blood," but the whole album is completely fantastic, and never fails to set my feet dancing. The sing-along intro of "The Passives" is irresistible, too. Overall, a great retro album which has great relevance for today--Oh, and it's really dark stuff, too!

The Faint play a brilliant brand of 80's synth rock with a modern edge. Of course, there are heavy influences from seminal new-wave bands like Joy Division, Duran Duran, and New Order. But the general ambience and style of "Blank-wave Arcade" reeks of things more modern as well. It's hard to place a finger on it. But the appeal and talent behind this band isn't simply a one-trick pony. And although (as stated) there are definite influences apparent, this isn't simply an 80's throwback. It's the revival (and progression) of a style of music making that was perhaps more prominent amongst new-wave groups. It is as if the music was able to fester for 20 years or so and emerge as something completely new and different. Their lyrics are often dark and brooding. But without malice. There is almost a sense of innocence in the lyrical perspective of the otherwise grim sequences unfolded. And much of it is very dancable. But it makes one want to dance with emotion and not just for dancing's sake. The music literally moves you. This is an excellent album for anyone who enjoys music that is simultaneously light as a feather and deep as an ocean. It's a rare thing, this is definitely worth a listen.

This cd is awesome. Much better than their first, which I advise everyone to stay away from. Nothing will top the third release, Danse Macabre, unless of course their 4th album does so. Blank Wave Arcade did not disappoint me at all, just pair this album with Danse Mabacre and you will be set.

This entire album has so much energy that it makes you want to run around and jump up and down! If you like the 80's but thought it was too corny at times, then you'll like this album, because it takes the great electronic/synthesizer sounds out of the decade but adds good lyrics! All of the songs have such a catchy beat to them. AND, all of the tracks on this album are super unique, some of them are immediately catchy tunes, some are more experimental...but all are quality. OH! And I love the lyrics....an excerpt: "How she moves, how she walks. They all patiently await while the heat from in their pockets could burn marks into their legs." (Talking about the job of a stripper). Very creative stuff.

My favorites are the first three tracks, which are brilliantly put together...the album flows wonderfully. Track 8, "In Concert," is really good too. The only song that I don't enjoy very much is the last track, which is just too screechy-high sounding for me. But overall, this album has to be one of my best purchases. It's one of those cd's that stays in my car and gets turned up really loud as I drive like a maniac down the freeways of L.A. Yah, it's a good L.A. driving cd. But maybe that's just me.

I would like to take this moment to applaud Saddlecreek Records for making my music listening experience jump to a whole new level.

this album was plopped into my player the moment i unwrapped the plastic wrap, and has stayed there since. it is more energetic than i had ever imagined and i could not wait for one song to be over and to be able to hear the next, but at the same time i wanted each song to last a lifetime. a half hour of pure delight, you will start out lazing in a chair and end up on your feet.

I found The Faint after reading a local review that likened them to a sort of cross between New Order and Fugazi...being intrigued by that combination, I picked up this record and I have honestly not been so floored by a band in a long, long time...this album is very short, but it is a 26 minute surgically precise distillation of all that was right and good about New Wave and synthpop. Electronics meet raw passion and energy, sexuality collides with technology like in Ballard's novel _Crash_. Perfect pop hooks laced with It would be really hard for me to compare them to other bands to give you and idea of what they sound like, but suffice to say that these gentlemen probably have the best record collection in the world and I'm sure it includes Wire, OMD, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, Roxy Music, Ultravox, Gary Numan... Listening to The Faint I can't help but wonder if this is the beginning of a new genre, not necessarily a New Wave revivalist sort of thing, but something new fusing somewhat Emo sensibilities with jagged, raw electronics and an appreciation for the exciting music that was happening during the 1980s...the genre's name is in the title as far as I'm concerned, let's hope The Faint spearhead this Blank Wave movement and that other bands become inspired by this devastatingly good album. They're also amazing live, the set is short but you won't mind after they knock you to the floor.

What can I say...I am perhaps a bit biased being Nebraskan myself. I never really saw what the commotion was about with Bright Eyes, The Faint has far superior creativity and musicianship. But that's just my opinion. Blank Wave Arcade I wouldn't reccomend for new listeners, but it's an excellent album nonetheless. All the tracks you can hear the influences of The Cure, Duran Duran, OMD, and New Order; but Cars Pass In Cold Blood sounds like a Depeche Mode throwback (I bet Dave Gahan would have loved to have corroborated!) and it happens to be my favorite track on the album.

Danse Macabre is a superior album, and Wet from Birth is their most accessable to date, but that doesn't mean BWA should be overlooked. It has some of my favorite songs on it (can I say again Cars Pass In Cold Blood is my favorite song by The Faint?) and you'll definitly catching yourself singing "oh oh, oh oh o-ah o-ah" for hours straight after a good listen.

I love this album. It's pretty short, but then what album by The Faint isn't? Electronic indie that you just want to dance to. It isn't as dark as the latest two albums but this isn't a bad thing. I just think it has some great tracks. They are good song writers too, verses and choruses never stay the same, they are always changed in some way.

While the buzz surrounding this release has enthusiastically linked it to new wave classics from 20 years back, in reality it owes just as much to Six Finger Satellite and Brainiac. True, The Faint's deliriously catchy keyboard hooks and drum patterns beckon for dance floor participation like so many early OMD or Depeche Mode tracks. But at every turn this record subverts that initial intent by replacing the beat with random bursts of electronic dissonance. Take their catchiest tune, "Worked Up So Sexual" - after a frenetic and irresistible initial verse chorus verse section the band supplies a hint of what's to come with some buried erratic bleeps and bloops. Sure enough, next time around they pull out the drum track foundation, laying bare the atonal noodling and effectively bringing the 90 mph pace to a stop in less than a second.

Which is not to imply that these moments are less than satisfying developments ... just that those looking for easy to digest nostalgia will likely come away disappointed. Their vocal enthusiasm and the extreme catchiness of the keyboards certainly open the door, but it's the bursts of sonic surprise that bring enjoyment to the subsequent listens. Add on the constant barrage of sexual references in the lyrics and it results in a warped collage of tension and release in an extremely beguiling wrapper.

While perusing a local musical section last fortnight, I discovered a whimsical band called The Faint. And faint I became as I listened to the four gentlemen's delightful melodies. The album conjured up images of a young Marlon Brando screaming "Stella!" This cinematic moment stands out for me as much as the words "so sexual." To quote a man named T.S. Eliot, "I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled" to better dance my woes away. I think there can be no doubt that T.S. Eliot was listening to "Call, call" when he penned the line "Like a patient etherised upon a table" in the menacing poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Kudos, young troubadors, for the revelation that stirs memories of a young Ginsberg crossed with Soft Cell and a strong-jawed Steve McQueen.