The Faint - Blank-wave Arcade

Imagine the Blank-wave Arcade--the color of night-time neon. Its' interior, an unlikely one night stand of high-tech and punk rock ethics. Lonely and desolate, its' supercollision pop rushes at you like images from a Berlin Blade Runner or Mad Max.

Their music, stark and uncompromising, is filled with electronic surges, darkwave brushstrokes, confessionals and come-ons. The Faint combine rock instruments (guitar, bass) with "now" electronic elements (synths, drum machines) to create melodic, melancholic post-modern music-- but not without hope. Their music is haunting, yet danceable--an aesthete's memory of tainted pop music. BAND_MEMBERS: Todd Baechle Jacob Thiele Clark Baechle Joel Petersen Album Description

CD Tastes Great!

I had my doubts when my friend first told me that this CD was not only a good listen but, after you saved it to your computer, the compact disk itself was quite tasty. I just assumed my friend, who worked for several years as a black market asbestos remover, was merely having another "glitch" in his thought pattern. Well, so there I was one lonely Friday night consuming copious amounts of adult beverages. My playlist was on random and, suddenly, "worked up so sexual" come resonating through my PC speakers. It was at this moment that my friend's words and unorthodox choice of adjective fired off in my head like an M80.

The next thing I knew, as if by primitive impulse, I was cranking the oven on and PAMing the cooking sheet. Now, this was my first time cooking a compact disk so I can't really tell you how such things are normally done but I can share my experience with you. Once the oven reached 450'F I inserted the CD (sans-case, of course) and let it marinate about 8 minutes or until the corners reached a golden brown. Towards the end, I threw in two English muffin halves and let them toast for about two minutes. Sandwich the disk between the English muffins, throw on a slice of cheese and you have yourself a nice breakfast snack. "Blank-wave Arcade" had a more meticulous, sophisticated taste to it. I compare it to a bold eggs Benedict.

I am not certain what factors determine a CD's taste (i.e. band, label, genre), however, I have recently purchased Wolf Parade's "Apologies to the Queen Mary" and I am thinking about trying it toasted with Maple syrup to bring out it's ethnic flavor. Look for that review in the near future.

Reece
March 10, 2006

80's British New Wave Meets Nebraskan Emo

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. December 3, 2005

Black Wave Arcade - The Faint

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. August 31, 2005

God bless The Faint

This is my favorite release by The Faint. It's loaded with poppy synth beats and it makes you want to dance all night. January 9, 2005

:)

This is by far the best Faint release, ever. All the songs work together to bring a theme to the album.
Call Call is my favorite song on the CD, with Casual Sex coming in at a close second.
Sexual undertones fill this CD and the synths just make it all come together. Beautifully written.
BUY IT.
November 24, 2004

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