The Faint - Blank Wave Arcade (1999) [24.96 FLAC] vinyl

  Genres: Rock, Electronic
  Styles: Dance Punk, Space Rock, Indie, New Wave
  Source: Saddle Creek lbj-28 White vinyl
  Codec: FLAC
  Bit rate: ~ 3,100 kbps
  Bit depth: 24
  Sample rate: 96 kHz

  01 Sex Is Personal 
  02 Call Call 
  03 Worked Up So Sexual 
  04 Cars Pass in Cold Blood 
  05 Casual Sex 
  06 Victim Convenience 
  07 Sealed Human
  08 In Concert 
  09 The Passives 

  Equipment (Not my rip)

  Custom Lenco L-70 (heavy birch plinth, PTP4 top plate) 
  on an isolation sandbox
  Jelco SA-750E tonearm 
  Denon DL-103R cartridge with an aftermarket aluminum Midas body 
  Musical Surroundings Phonomena II pre-amp
  E-Mu 0202 USB ADC
  Audio captured using the e-Mu ASIO driver for Windows

  Review

  The Faint's second album Blank-Wave Arcade delivers more choppy new-wave rhythms, spiky guitars, and acidic, old-school synths, with a little punk-rock attitude thrown in for good measure. While the group has been compared to the usual suspects, like Gary Numan, Devo, and the Cure, there is also a strong resemblance to Blur's new wave/punk fusion -- especially in singer Todd Baechle's staccato, faux-Brit delivery -- and the Normal's fascination with sex and cars pops up on the Faint's angular, uptight songs, especially "Sex Is Personal," "Worked Up So Sexual," and "Cars Pass in Cold Blood." "Victim Convenience" and "The Passives" are dystopian and futuristic, while "Sealed Human" presents a quieter, more interesting version of the band's sound, mixing a drumbeat that sounds like the purr of a touch-tone phone with modem-like synths and processed vocals. Though originality isn't their strong suit, the Faint do display an aggressive, dynamic reinterpretation of their influences, suggesting that their synthetic new wave can be just as entertaining as the real deal