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Bottom of the Hill July 1, 2001 Review by Squid The three founding members of The Faint met at a skateboard park in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 80's, when their pro-skating careers were cut short by injury. (Sound familiar, Grandaddy fans?) They started a band in '94, played straight-forward indie rock, and recorded an album. Soon after this they did a complete 180 (pun intended), decided they were bored with guitars, and took up with synthesizers in a big way. A BIG way. The Faint are now a hybrid new wave outfit that encapsulate a great deal of what was entertaining about the Decade of Excess. There's matching black outfits, dry ice, and dramatic lighting that made Terrence shout, "Bauhaus!" with a delighted look on his face. That ain't it, though, there were sophisticated synth fog that recalled Duran Duran, The Human League, and during one particularly great drumming bit, Adam Ant. The Faint want enthusiastic audience participation, and they certainly got it: many female members of the audience looked like they stepped out of Nagel paintings with their angular haircuts and elaborate outfits. It's impressive to see the culture that clubs like New Wave City have kept alive and kicking. It would be interesting to see The Faint and I Am Spoonbender on the same bill: they're both bands that hold the synthesizer aesthetic dear, but they do it in very different ways. |