Danse Macabre

Since their first album, Media, the band has progressively been moving towards the new wave genre, and further away from it's post-hardcore and punk origins. Even now, after the release of their fifth album, it is still sounding more experimental and new wave than anything they'd previously made. However, at this point the band was not quite at the balance of electronica and indie rock that I like. The synths were constantly pounding--and don't get me wrong, I do like the sound--but it gets a little obnoxious after a while. At only nine songs, Danse Macabre lasts thirty-five minutes, only thirty-four seconds shorter than their longest album. It's also worth mentioning that this is the only album they've made that doesn't deal with casual sex, strip clubs, erections, the process of birth, or any of the other weird things they normally sing about. With the exception of violence...

Like The Killers, The Bravery, Shiny Toy Guns, HelloGoodbye, and The Sounds, The Faint brings us the vibes of The Cure, New Order, and other 80s new wave bands, with a nice mix of synth driven dance tracks (agenda suicide, glass danse, let the poison spill, your retro career melted, the conductor) and harder, alternative rock tracks. If you like the bands I mentioned, don't hesitate to this CD, their follow-up "Wet From Birth", and the remix CD of this album!

Okay, so The Faint aren't doing anything new or revolutionary, but they have a pretty unique sound and definitely drop the smokin' dance-y tunes we have come to expect from them.
Honestly, this record is loads of fun. It makes you want to dance around the room and sing along like a fool. Plus, their lyrics touch on themes not usually addressed in your usual dance rock fare (see: The Conductor, Ballad of a Paralysed Citizen).
It gets five stars based on its sheer fun quotient.

This CD is incredible. Some songs are good, some songs are incredible. Go and buy this CD right now! The best songs on this cd are:
1. Glass Danse
2. Your retro career melted
3. Agenda Suicide
4. Let the poison spill from your throat
5. Total Job

"Dance Macabre" literally means "Dance of the Dead" and is an achaiac traditon of dancing with the corpse at a funeral; sort of like a final party thing. That being said, the title seems very approprate for the very goth-rock inspired, electronic sound of this album. Mixing morbid themes with dance beats, The Faint definetly have some issues, but those issues make a pretty cool sound.