The Faint: Fasciinatiion

The Faint: Fasciinatiion Omaha, Nebraska's The Faint release their fifth studio album, Fasciinatiion. The album is the first record released on their new label, Blank.wav. The album sees the Faint going back to their synthesizer-based new wave sound after the much more guitar-based dance punk experimented with on 2004's Wet From Birth. Fasciinatiion mixes elements of Danse Macabre and Blank-Wave Arcade. The music is generally dancy and there is a certain element of glitch-pop mixed in. I feel like the band writes many more songs in major keys on this record than in their previous efforts. "Psycho" is possibly the closest the band has ever come to writing a typical "pop song". They try to dress it up with random bleeps and blips in the background, but at its core "Psycho" is a maniacal pop tune. For the many fans who felt like Wet From Birth was a let down after Danse Macabre, Fasciinatiion is ready to expand in the natural direction the band was heading after Danse Macabre. Fasciinatiion is not quite an instant classic, but it will definitely be pleasing to any Faint fans' ear. Rating: 7.3/10 MP3: The Faint "Psycho" Buy: iTunes, Insound