In popular music one thing is for certain: old genres never die or completely fade away; they just recycle. On Danse Macabre the Faint lovingly and accurately resurrect all that was memorable/forgettable about the disposable hits of 1980s: repetitive dance beats propelled by sterile drum machines, monotone vocals, spastic outbursts of cacophony, and hypnotic keyboard synthesizer motifs. But don't hold that against them. Like Soft Cell, Human League, Gary Numan, and Kraftwerk, the Faint have the ability to pen strong hooks, most notably in the tracks "Posed to Death," "Let the Poison Spill," and "The Conductor," which would have been monster hits in the dawn of the age of MTV. The lyrics are decadent but not offensive, often spinning surrealistic tales that vaguely detail the seamy side of disco-club life. Proudly wearing their new romantic/new wave heart on their collective sleeve, the Faint offer a campy yet playfully dark collection that is purely an exercise in Reagan-era pop-culture nostalgia.
© Tom Semioli /TiVo