The Faint

Blank-Wave Arcade (Deluxe Edition)

Image of The Faint - Blank-Wave Arcade (Deluxe Edition)
Record Label
Saddle Creek

About this item

The Faint do it their way.

Before Electroclash and the wave of 00's Dance-rock there was The Faint, emerging in the late 1990s in Omaha, Nebraska - a place known more for stoic practicality than synth-punk. In that unlikely setting of beige restraint, they pioneered a sound that combined the melodic essence of new wave, the raw edge of post-punk, and the robotic futurism of Detroit electro. Breaking free from indie rock’s humble comfort, they arrived armed with synths, dark eyeliner, and a raw, frenetic energy that dared audiences to actually feel something real, something primal. The late ’90s and early 2000s indie scene was primed for a shock, and The Faint delivered - not just as a band, but as an invitation to cast off coolness, to sweat, to move, and to live fully in the moment.

The distinctive, synth-driven sound that brought The Faint to wide acclaim first surfaced on 1999's 'Blank-Wave Arcade'. The album was raw and daring, striking its own chord between early synth-pop pioneers (The Human League, New Order) and more recent heroes like Fugazi and Sonic Youth. The band's blend of new wave, post-punk and the DIY spirit of the independent music they were a part of was trailblazing, and when the new millennium dawned that sound took hold of the zeitgeist, launching the band to new critical commercial peaks with the release of their follow up 'Danse Macabre' and 2004's 'Wet From Birth'.

Twenty-five years removed from its release, The Faint are returning to announce a reissue of 'Blank-Wave Arcade'. The reissue includes the original release - meticulously remastered for vinyl from the original tapes by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound - a new remix from the band, remixes from the era, live tracks, and a rarity previously only available on an out of print 7”. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Sex Is Personal
2. Call Call
3. Victim Convenience
4. The Passives
5. Worked Up So Sexual
6. Cars Pass In Cold Blood
7. Casual Sex
8. In Concert
9. Sealed Human
10. Cars Pass In Cold Blood (Recordist Remix)
11. Worked Up So Sexual (The Laces Remix)
12. The Passives (AJ/DJ Remix)
13. In Concert (The New Gender Remix)
14. Call Call (Transistor3 Remix)
15. Sealed Human (][’m Remix)
16. Sex Is Personal (The Faint 2024 Remix)
17. Brokers, Priests, And Analysts
18. Cars Pass In Cold Blood (Live)
19. In Concert (The New Gender Remix (Live))
20. Call Call (Live)

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