The Faint

The Faint
The Faint live on tour 2008
Background information
Origin	Omaha, Nebraska
Genres	Indie rock Post-punk revival Dance-punk New Wave
Years active	1995–present
Labels	blank.wav, Saddle Creek
Associated acts	Vverevvolf Grehv Broken Spindles Depressed Buttons
Website	www.thefaint.com
Members
Todd Fink Jacob Thiele Dapose Joel Petersen Clark Baechle
Past members
Conor Oberst Matt Bowen

The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Jacob Thiele, Dapose, Joel Petersen and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes, with whom the Faint toured in 2005). He quit shortly after the band was formed,^[1] though the Faint continued to share a spot with Bright Eyes on Saddle Creek Records.

Growing up, Fink, Petersen, and Baechle skateboarded in their free time until Fink developed knee problems, which shifted their hobbies towards making music.^[2] The band originally consisted of Clark Baechle, Todd Fink (formerly Todd Baechle), and Joel Petersen. They signed to Saddle Creek Records and released a few singles, but were unable to establish widespread sales. After adding Matt Bowen, the Faint released Media. At the end of 1998 Jacob Thiele joined the band, and shortly thereafter Matt Bowen was replaced by Ethan Jones. They toured the US playing what would become the songs that would comprise the next album, Blank-Wave Arcade which had a more dance and techno influenced sound and was an underground hit.^[3] Before recording the album however, Jones left the band and was replaced on bass guitar by Joel Petersen, who played both bass and guitar on the album. Partway through the creation of Danse Macabre, the Faint added Dapose, a death metal guitarist formerly of LEAD. Their next album, recorded with Mike Mogis and released in 2004, was called Wet from Birth.

In May 2008, the Faint announced that they had split from Saddle Creek and that their fifth studio album would be self released under their own blank.wav imprint. The album, entitled Fasciinatiion, was released on August 5, 2008 in the U.S. The first single from the album is "The Geeks Were Right" which was released on Boys Noize Records. It was also announced that the band would tour North America with British electronic group Ladytron during the spring.^[4]

Since the release of Fasciinatiion, three of the band members, Clark Baechle, Todd Fink and Jacob Thiele have been quietly, with little advertising, performing under the name Depressed Buttons, playing remixes of other artists, and DJing for various small clubs and venues.

Band members

• Todd Fink — vocals, keyboards (1995–present)
• Jacob Thiele — keyboards, backup vocals (1999–present)
• Dapose (Michael Dappen) — guitars (2001–present)
• Joel Petersen — bass (1995–present)
• Clark Baechle — drums, percussion (1995–present)

Former members

• Conor Oberst - guitars (1995)
• Matt Bowen - bass, keyboards (1995–1998)

Discography

Albums

• Sine Sierra (Norman Bailer) (1995 · Lumberjack)
• Media (1998 · Saddle Creek)
• Blank-Wave Arcade (1999 · Saddle Creek)
• Blank-Wave Arcade Remixes (2000 · Saddle Creek)
• Danse Macabre (2001 · Saddle Creek)
• Danse Macabre Remixes (2003 · Astralwerks)
• Wet from Birth (2004 · Saddle Creek) #99 US
• Fasciinatiion (2008 · blank.wav) #46 US

Singles and EPs

• Mote/Dust (2001 · Gold Standard Laboratories)
• Agenda Suicide (2002 · City Slang)
• I Disappear (2004 · Saddle Creek)
• Desperate Guys (2004 · Saddle Creek)
• The Geeks Were Right (2008 · blank.wav)
• Mirror Error (2009 · Boysnoize)

Splits

• Music Me All Over (Split 7") (Norman Bailer) (Rolling Hill Records and Lumberjack Records)
• The Faint/Ex-Action Figures (Split 7") (1999 · Saddle Creek)

Remixes

• Radio 4 - Dance to the Underground (2002 · City Slang)
• Joy Electric - We Are Rock (2002 · BEC Recordings)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Y Control (2004 · Interscope Records / Polydor Records)
• Nine Inch Nails - Meet Your Master (2007)

Compilations

• Nothing Left Fanzine #8 CD Sampler (1998)
  • Song: "Acting: On Campus Television"
• Messages: Modern Synthpop Artists Cover OMD (2001 · Ninthwave)
  • Song: "Enola Gay"
• Saddle Creek 50 (2002 · Saddle Creek)
  • Songs: "Worked Up So Sexual", "Take Me to the Hospital"
• Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA (2003 · Fat Wreck Chords)
  • Song: "Agenda Suicide"
• Lagniappe: A Saddle Creek Benefit for Hurricane Katrina (2005 · Saddle Creek)
  • Song: "Hypnotised"

See also

• Broken Spindles
• Vverevvolf Grehv
• Depressed Buttons

References

1. ^ The Faint // Profile, The Faint, (2005-01-27). Retrieved 2008-05-09.
2. ^ The Faint // Youtube Interview, BeatLawrence Interviews the Faint, (2007-10-21). Retrieved 2008-05-09.
3. ^ Lazy-i // Interview, The Faint: men in black, (2001-08-15). Retrieved 2008-05-09.
4. ^ "Ladytron and the Faint to Tour Together". idiomag. 2009-02-12. http://www.idiomag.com/peek/64480/ladytron. Retrieved 2009-02-13. 

External links

• The Faint on FreeIndie
• The Faint at Cargo
• Drop Kick The Faint

Interviews

• Interview with The Faint on Shockhound.com
• Under The Starry Nitez!
• Interview at wenn's rockt! WebTV
• Lazy-i Interview: November 1999
• Lazy-i Interview: August 2001
• Lazy-i Interview: April 2003
• Lazy-i.com Column on American Recordings
• The Faint beatLawrence.com video interview
• Interview with The Faint at Short and Sweet NYC on 8/12/08
• Interview with The Faint: October 2008
• 2008 The Faint Interview at Bandega.com