The Faint - Studio Discography (1998-2008) [FLAC] politux

Omaha, NEs the Faint have gone through countless changes in their relatively short career, but with each shift, both in terms of personnel and style, they have made a distinct new impression and turned more and more heads. Originally called Norman Bailer and featuring current members Clark and Todd Baechle (later he changed his name to Todd Fink, after marrying future Saddle Creek recording artist Orenda Fink of Azure Ray), as well as bassist Joel Peterson, the groups early years were a mix of lo-fi pop and tongue-in-cheek easy listening with a touch of punk rock ideals borrowed from their early skateboarding days. Along with a prepubescent Bright Eyes and a recently formed Cursive, the band was one of the seeds that spawned the explosive Omaha scene as well as a flagship act for the highly regarded Saddle Creek Records.

A very limited cassette release and a few tracks on split 7inches and samplers were the bands only output, but the spark was there, and after adding Matt Bowen to the mix, the Faint proper first came into being around 1998. Media, the groups first full-length, was still a far cry from their later sounds, but the record was a fitting introduction to the band that featured a bevy of conflicting sounds, from new wave-inspired pop to Lullaby for the Working Class-style acoustic dirges. It wasnt the perfect record, but it was an inspired start that gave the band a good idea of what they were, and more importantly were not, striving for. In the wake of Media, the band set out to add something special to their live show, and in the course of the year, Bowen left the band and Jacob Thiele joined up to add the all-too-important keyboard sounds into the mix.

Early 1999 saw the band re-enter the studio with a new agenda, focusing on danceable beats, catchy keyboards, and an 80s-influenced sound that both revered and reinvented the past. The result was Blank-Wave Arcade (Saddle Creek), a pulsating record about sexuality, transportation, and mass consumption that instantly attracted hordes of new fans who were blown away by the groups distinctive new sound. The new material, along with a seizure-inducing D.I.Y. live light show and incorrigible on-stage energy, created a major buzz, and soon the Faint were revered as the second coming of new wave genius. A series of remixes on both a limited-edition LP and a tour to support a CD from Insound furthered the hype, and by the time the Faint entered the studio yet again in early 2001, the buzz had grown to a resounding roar.

In August of 2001, the group released its third LP, Danse Macabre (Saddle Creek), a somewhat darker exploration of the styles hinted at on Blank-Wave Arcade. They also added a guitarist by the name of Dapose (born Mike Dappen), whose death metal past worked perfectly with the gloomy, but still oddly upbeat, sentiments of the new record. The disc was released to instant acclaim and almost immediately became one of the labels best-selling titles. They followed this up with Wet from Birth, which was released in fall 2004. The Faint built their own studio, named Enamel, and formed their own label, Blank.Wav, on which they released their fifth album Fasciinatiion in summer 2008.

Released: 1998-2008
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Indie, Dance-punk, Space Rock
Source: CD
Codec: FLAC
Sample Rate: 44,100 Hz
Bit Rate: ~1,000 kbps
Bits per Sample: 16
Covers: Front

Albums:

Media - 1998

Blank Wave Arcade - 1999

Danse Macabre - 2001

Wet From Birth - 2004

Fasiinatiion - 2008

More Info:

Allmusic Artist Biography