The Faint - Fasciinatiion

The Faint return with their Eight full player released on their own blank.wav label. If you’re not familiar with the music of this four piece dance-punk band by name, you most certainly will be by sound. The Faint could be credited with the whole ‘dance / rock / punk’ cross over thing. Bands like The Presets, MGMT, Offend you, Yeah? (the list goes on) all owe a debt to The Faint.

Fame arrived early with the departure of Conor Oberst ( he didn’t even record with the band), and the grabbed plenty of column inches in the press. Citing Death Metal and techno as influences, it’s fair to say that The Faint persued a sound all thier own. A pity then that ‘Fasciinatiion’ won’t sound as original as it should. It’s as if they’ve been beaten to the punchline.

‘Fasciinatiion’ is a great album. The lyrics are sharp and occasionally acidic ( and we all know how I love that) as on ‘I Treat You Wrong’ - ‘I don’t mean to sound like I want a fight, but if you’d see it my way, we could both see it…..right’. The stomping bassline of ‘Mirror Error’ becomes becomes tomorrows earworm when paired with the uplifting chorus - strange in a song about hating your appearance. That’s the beauty of The Faint - if you want some great tracks with thumping beats and an edge, they’re for you. If you’d rather tracks with a little more substance than how to spell dance, the The Faint are for you. Thinking mans electro-punk. One of the best electronic albums of the year, a contender for the top ten for sure.

THINK: If The Presets were Greenday, The Faint are Stiff Little Fingers
READ: Their homepage and great interview
WATCH: The geeks were right Vid
BUY: Fasciinatiion at The Faint.com

The Kills - Midnight Boom

Q:LoFi rock played by a man and woman duo?

A: The White Stripes?

I have a feeling that is all about to change. The Kills released Midnight Boom in mid March, and it’s gonna change everything for them. No Wow, The Kills previous outing was just that, No wow. Midnight Boom is the album we’ve been waiting for - it lives up to the potential we knew existed.

Alison Mossharts vocals are front and centre on this release. While she sounds like Peaches and PJ in parts, her delivery is strong enough to emote sexual tension, angst, pity and loss.

‘Cheap and Cheerful’ has pithy lyrics delivered over a pulsing bassline and for my monet is the flag bearer for the album. Simple catchy rock with punk overtones. ‘Tape song’ starts where ‘Cheap’ lets off, and layers complexity on the bass skeleton. Vocal lines are picked on angular guitar ( I hate me for saying that), but chorus is all fuzz and fury. 

THINK: Peaches of punk, PJof loFi.
READ: Homepage and meh-space
WATCH: Cheap and Cheerful
BUY: Merch & Music 

Ida Maria - Oh My God!

I recently received an email updating the mood of one of my facebook friends. Turns out he was excited. And then I got to thinking……
So this is how we’re feeling round these parts. Hope you’re right there with me. Enjoy.

How I know time travel doesn’t exist.
Because if it did someone would have travelled back and dealt some double barrelled justice to the “Best-Selling Female Pop Artist of All Time”. I’ll leave you with a little thought.

OUTRAGE – REUNION OUTRAGE
(AND THAT’S THE WORST KIND!)

Anyone know of a good T Shirt printer? I want one that reads “TOO MANY REUNIONS”. It seems that every second day there is another exciting announcement that some long since past-it band is getting together again for some of that over priced and over croweded ATM reunioun tour dollar.

When The Police announced their reunion, most folks were mildly excited at the prospect of seeing them live. Granted the $200 price tag meant that I don’t know anyone who’s actually going, but there was no sour taste in your mouth about that.

Everyone is genuinely excited about not being able to afford to see Led Zepplin play again  - but HEY, that’s for charity so good on ya lads. Dave Grohl has held his hand up and said that he is at their beck and call. Good man Dave. Glad to see you’re doing something good, because ‘Echoes , Silence, Patience and Grace’ is AWFUL! Smashing Pumpkins got back together  - nothing too offensive there.

In a recent post I shared the news that Van Halen will reunite minus Michael Anthony. Not surprising really, it looks like Wolfgang ate him. Where we really get a high reading on the sphincter scale is not the Spice Girls (Who cares?) or EMF (WTF?) reuniting but news that The Sex Pistols will not only reunite, but they’re rerecording ‘Anarchy in the UK’ for Guitar Hero III (That’s a video game.) They’re still calling it ‘Anarchy’ though, right?

Refer to my previous post!