The Faint
Wet from Birth
/saddle creek; 2004/





more info:
www.thefaint.com

A couple of months ago, in between late May and early August I basically spent my nights drinking, dancing and playing with whoever asked me to. It felt nice, and i turn out to be a much better dancer than i expected. I went on this crazy "great dance songs" hunt in order to make the whole thing last, but still, when august came i kept on drinking but didn't feel like dancing anymore, although i remember dancing to 70s soul in order to make a friend smile.

The Faint sound "uber-cool" as Californians say. The music is insanely catchy, you could dance to it all night, even if you're one of these "dancing is for fags" neurotic heterosexuals. It sounds like the pop songs of the 22nd century, the kind of music that would suit sci-fi movies of the past and the clubs of tomorrow, the kind of music that sets new pop standards.

It reminds me of Toxic, which is the funniest pop song ever, with more guts and crazier instrumentations. Violins all around, tigerbeat6 keyboards, massive bass lines, and half-bored, half-frantic delivery. The album starts with three of this year's best songs. "Desperate Guys" sounds bare, drums and bass, with a violin pasted here and there cause i knew you knew i liked you i knew you knew it but i figured desperate guys never had a chance with you. It's simple but very efficient. "How Could I Forget" is an unbelievable song, the kind of tracks you can't help but fall for insanely, despite the violins and all the pop warning signals. "I Disappear"is an unleashed post-punk assault, bass, keyboards, handclaps and a disco beat treading over your conceptions of what is "ok" and what is 'lame". I'll stop there, since the rest of the album is just as good as its opening. It's exhilarating and brilliant and catchier than thousand pop hits.

Wet from Birth is one of this year's most unpretentiously ambitious records, and easily one of the best. You will dance to these songs and feel like the coolest motherfucker since Shaft. GO LISTEN!

-Barbara H

/sept 15th 2004/