Preview and Giveaway: Dance-Punk Pioneers the Faint to Storm BMH

By Harry Gustafson
 
the faint

Photo by Bill Stizmann

It takes something special for a band to pass the 20 year mark; sure, there might be varying amounts of luck involved, but at the end of the day, it takes appeal, a knack for entertaining, and ultimately skill. On top of that, if you can influence an entire subgenre, then you’ve got what it takes to stick around. The Faint are one of those bands that have stayed the course since their beginnings in Omaha, NB as Norman Bailer, before changing their name after their first album. 

Among their discography include some truly bona fide classics, including Blank Wave Arcade and Danse Macabre, the latter of which has a truly A+ title. Released on Saddle Creek, these albums cemented their status as dance-punk pioneers, paving the way for this subgenre that reached its peak in the early 2000s. Both albums also received the full remix treatment, and make no mistake, that was the true test of an album’s staying power back in those days (c.f. Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm and Death From Above 1979’s You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, classics in their own right, but who’s trails were blazed by the Faint’s willingness to pick up the pace of rock music following the balladeering, post-Vedder acoustic drudgery of the late 90s). 

These days, the band consists of founding members Todd Fink (vocals) and Clark Baechle (drums), as well as Graham Ulicny (keyboards) and Michael “Dapose” Dappen (guitar and bass). With over two decades of life as a band, the Faint are fresh off the heels of Egowerk, their seventh studio release. This album finds them pushing further into heavy synthpop textures, carrying a torch passed down from predecessors like Depeche Mode. It’s great to hear them 24 years on still pushing their sound to wider directions. Where they were once towing the line between catchy new wave revival and stop-start, noisy post-hardcore, they’ve developed into texture-heavy hitmakers with an ear for rich production techniques. “Child Asleep,” the album’s leadoff single and opening track, has a low end line that has potential to be a wall-shaker live. You can watch the song’s video below.

The band will swing through Boston on their tour on Saturday 7/27, visiting Brighton Music Hall, a space that will no doubt allow their maximum energy live show to thrive. Attendees should have plenty of room to jump around (as we do in Boston) and move to the driving grooves. 

OH AND BY THE WAY! Allston Pudding is giving away TWO FREE TICKETS to this gig, so enter ASAP for your chance to see some living legends in action! Details below.