Customer Reviews

Media

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Between their dissonant tones and impressionistic lyrics, The Faint's first album cannot be compared to anything called pop that has arisen in the past decade. What attracts them to me is thier strong 80's flavor and nerve tingling imagry. If you only buy one Faint album, this is not the one to get, but if you like them enough to listen to either of their other discs more than once, I encourage you to check Media out. Read the lyrics at poetry readings...

Unfortunately, the Internet allows for anyone and everyone to have an opinion, especially, in this case, those who intend to mislead you. Yes, this CD by the faint has an emo sound. But when i think of emo i think of a bunch of half-men singing about falling in love, out of love, in love with themselves,etc. It may sound similar but, like the other Faint CD's, Media has fantastic lyrics about interesting topics (e.g.,As The Doctor Talks). If you can appreciate songs for their content then buy this CD. If you need to be force fed constant hooks like you do on your "alternative" station, Blink 182 has a new album out.

Also its a little discouraging for people who say they like the album to question why they changed their style in the following releases. I can only imagine the kind of monotony you must enjoy. All their albums are great because they are intelligent and always creativly relevent. I like the Smiths but dammit if I don't know what ninety percent of their songs will sound like.

(Someone also mentioned the sound quality wasn't great; shame on the Faint for letting you know just what they will sound like in person)

I was so surprised when I heard Some Incriminating Photographs. I couldn't believe it was The Faint. I had to google it to make sure it was them for sure. This is a great album because it captures The Faint as they were trying to discover themselves as artists and you can hear the youthful energy. I think that alot of people are afraid of that kind of honesty in a band...the kind that says we can have a song that sounds like Depeche Mode and a song that sounds like KMFDM...why the heck not? When I went to high school, alot of my friends used to say that KMFDM meant Kill Motherf@#king Depeche Mode, which was not true. They were just too embarrassed to give Depeche Mode a fair try. Little did they know that Depeche Mode was a huge influence on KMFDM since industrial is nothing but synth pop made edgier with heavier beats and guitar rifts. I'm saying this because I notice alot of reviews that sound narrow-minded. I mean, if you really like an artist or music in general, you would take the time to understand and appreciate a point in a band's path to defining themselves. Putting up barriers on what's cool and what's not doesn't help anyone grow as a true lover of music. All kinds of music exist and are there for us to discover and bring into our realm of creativity as a musician or just simply rocking out in our cars while driving around in circles. I'm tired of hearing and reading negative commentary about bands like The Faint who actually can make an album like Media and then find another sound and go into a completely different direction. No sound is any better than the other. It's all good. Take Ministry for example. They used to be synth-pop. Listen to early Ministry...circa Twitch days. Remember Everyday is Halloween? Now compare it to a song on Psalm 69 or The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste. Emo, Punk, Industrial...Indie rock...ehhhh! Yuk! All of these titles are just false labels made to box us in...made by the man. Don't be fooled kiddos. Damn the man. Listen to it for one reason...cause it makes your ears happy.

Ok, the Faint. The Faint are an amazing band. The sound they create is constantly evolving and original. Their music is passionate, fun, and addictive, and in fact, throughout the period I've listened to the Faint, each one of their albums have appealed to me at different levels. However, having recently listened to this album, I can say honestly say that I was thinking of making love to this wonderful peice of music.

And really, it's not about the sound of their music, or their lyrics, because I love it all. I would never dis The Faint's later music for being too manufactured or their early music for being to conventional or emo. The Faint have always had something all of their own. They manage to create dark unconventional melodies and sparatic rythmes while being extremely catchy. However, Media just does it for me.

The Faint's 1998 debut is just great. It is in no way electronic, yet it obtains an electronic feel. Throughout the Faint's later work, like "Danse Macbre" or "Blank Wave Arcade", The Faint create vivid electronic soundscapes. The unsteady balence that the music hangs on is edgy and vibrant. The Music on Media is similar, exept there are no keboards or electronics. With this they pull of an original, great album before they had even started with their electro hybrid sound.

The Music is just great. It's never boring, and the musicianship is most excellent. Media was a great start to an amazing bands career.

Media is completely different from any other album by The Faint. If you are looking for an indie/emo feel, then this is an excellent choice - if you are looking for more of the electronic sound that The Faint puts out now, then this might not be up your alley. For someone buying this after enjoying later Faint CDs, try Some Incriminating Photographs to start with - it is probably the closest to anything they've put out more recently.

The album's got a much more raw feel than the others, and if you appreciate fledgling college alternative music, then it will definitely grow on you.

...This is a great album. No, it is not like any other album The Faint has produced; however, it is definetely a keeper. Although I do prefer Danse Macabre and Wet from Birth, I do like this better than Blankwave Arcade. I could not find any traces of keyboards in the record but they did do some cool stuff with the guitars.
The quality was a little low, but I think that it is this quality which produces the best effect on the album. The only album that I am familiar with that Media sounds like is Brand New's cd You're Favorite Weapon, mostly because, in Media, The Faint incorporated the effect of the background singers actually in the background singing, and not directly into their microphones.
This is definetely a great album. And for some, this might be one which needs to be listened to more than once in order to fully appreciate the style of the album. And for all you pessimists, remember without Media, there would be know Faint today.

This was the first Faint album I purchased and I loved it so much I went out and bought Blank Wave. Media is a great modern rock album with a touch of emo. I was a little disappointed by Blank Wave. I really liked it, but why should they exchange such a great sound as heard on media for a retro sound that is likely to turn them into a laughable 'novelty' act?

Don't get this album if you're looking for retro. Get it if you like good rock music like Desaparicidos or Cursive.

Listening to this album after you've heard The Faint's more recent releases will completely convince you that their change of sound was warranted. If they'd continued on in this direction they'd have become just another obscure emo band churning out mediocre, self-absorbed pop for college students too unrepentantly normal to seek out more unusual musical fare. Both this original sound and their current sound are "generic" in the sense that they adhere strictly to genre definitions, but since New Wave is a far more musically interesting genre than emo, fans of their contemporary sound will find this album to be a total disappointment.

never before have i become so smitten, so quickly. i love this band. they're completely entrancing.

So you like the Strokes? And you're also raving about Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ? Here's another group for you : THE FAINT !!! Their freshman album is spectacular !!! It contains memorable nu new wave songs like "Some Incriminating Photographs" and "An Allusion Passes THrough the Bar"....if you're a hardcore fan of 80s new wave music here's the next big thing: Nu New Wave...catch it at its birth with "Media"....