The Faint - Fasciinatiion

The Faint are set to release their first album in four years ''Fasciinatiion'' through their own, newly-formed label, blank.wav. ''Fasciinatiion'', The Faint's fifth album, is the first in the band's ten-year history to be written, recorded, produced, art directed and released entirely on their own. ''Fasciinatiion'' is an album that draws on many defining facets of The Faint's sound, while remaining completely different from anything else they've put out. A record whose themes include predictions and the future, tabloid culture, the allure of what may never be, childhood lost and more, ''Fasciinatiion'' sounds as if it's been beamed in from a satellite whose sole purpose is observing, and making sense of, the details of every day existence. In certain ways, the album is the most mechanical and precise of the band's work: The vocals sounds less human than ever before; the bass lines are more mangled, keyboards spiral and squeal out of control; electronic pings and stabs invade the melodies; the lyrical anxiety and disdain of previous albums pervades almost every song on ''Fasciinatiion''. Opener ''Get Seduced'' is The Faint at their best, the song's critique of celebrity culture matched with one of the finest choruses they've ever written. First single, ''The Geeks Were Right'', draws on the tenets of futurist literature and sliding, siren-call guitars. ''Fulcrum and Lever'' marries ambient noise with space references, alienation and a stuttering, flexing beat, while ''Mirror Error'' explores identity and consciousness within its perfect, propulsive electro-pop. Closer ''A Battle Hymn for Children'' flinches with nervous rhythms against resentment of the future to be inherited and keyboards that sound like flailing voices (or is it flailing voices that sound like keyboards? On ''Fasciinatiion'', one can never tell). Product Description

Like taking a walk through a harmonized malfunctioning computer

At first listen, I was not impressed with this album. It seemed to me like Todd Fink and crew "dumbed down" the album after their amazing Wet From Birth. But over the weeks I kept finding myself listening to Fasciinatiion. It finally occurred to me that the album isn't dumbed down at all, if anything its much more technical. Gone are the sweeping string sections from Wet From Birth and in are catchy bleeps blips and bloops to keep dragging you in for more. One thing that makes The Faint so great is that are able to do so much with their music, while retaining their signature sound. This is definitely a new direction for the band, and it should be, as they parted from Saddle Creek and their old studio to branch out on their own with blank.wav records and a brand new home to record. November 29, 2008

great inventive album

I'm sorry but this is a great album. It should be a no brainer if you are a fan of The Faint. If you are stuck in these notions of what The Faint "should" be then I urge you to open your mind and be more accepting evolutionary artistic expression. I love how The Faint is experimenting at so many levels while still preserving the essence of what makes them special. The synth work is incredible on this album. Their live show is awesome also BTW. November 14, 2008

Still On Top Of Their Game

Took a couple of listens to really appreciate this new release. Better than the last CD. Some really excellent songs. Can't recommend it enough! October 11, 2008

Not as good as previous releases

I own the rest of The Faint's releases, and I don't think this quite stacks up. I agree with the reviewer who said that it is a letdown. It just doesn't have the same whateveritis that grabs you from their other releases. It's not a bad album by any means - still better than a lot of stuff out there - but it just doesn't live up to the expectations set by their previous work. September 12, 2008

Well the ball finally dropped.

It's been a long, grueling 4 year wait for the follow up to Wet From Birth, and well I must admit this record was nowhere near worth it. All the energy The Faint had on previous releases is pretty much nonexistent here. The tracks on this record move slower and in the long run get boring. Some of the intro's to the song's show great potential like "Machine and the Ghost," which teases you with the same vibe that something off Danse Macabre would, but ultimately tanks the second the song kicks into full gear. "Mirror Error," is about the only song on this record that captures what the Faint are about, but even the worst song off Wet From Birth surpass that. Fans of The Faint I would recommend you pass. If your new to The Faint, I would start off with Blank Wave Arcade and Danse Macabre which are hands down, dance record masterpieces.
September 8, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...