Fascinatiion [Digipak] (CD - 2008)

Omaha-based new wave revivalists, the Faint have been kicking around their brand of synth-driven pop punk since the early-`00s when they revamped their musical strategy from their lo-fi indie pop beginnings to a decidedly retro-futurist agenda. Continuing a run of dance-oriented material left off of 2004's WET FROM BIRTH, the Faint have regrouped and started a label (blank.wav), releasing FASCIINATIION, a futurological paean to the glories and pitfalls of technology. Retrofitting their already sleek dance pop with the kind of DSP-driven production flourishes favored by IDM artists, the Faint have pushed their robotic dance pop into ever more dystopian territory. Propelled by a solid rhythm section consisting of bassist Joel Petersen's overdriven sludge and drummer Clark Baechle's muscular electro beats, the album's wired-for-sound pulse never detracts from singer Todd Baechle's wry musings on pop culture and the state of society. On the album's opener, "Get Seduced," Baechle takes to task the media's unhealthy obsession with celebrity trainwrecks, while "The Geeks Were Right" offers a cautionary tale against blind allegiance to the conveniences offered by technology. minimize