The Faint, with openers Out Hud, cristened the new Black Cat last Thursday, Sept. 13. Doors opened later than normal because Black Cat staff was still in the process of moving from their previous location a few doors down. The new location is the former Cage, a nightclub popularized by its Goth-themed nights. The building adapts to the Black Cat relatively well; the venue is still be divided into the popular Red Room bar and the stage area where bands play. The stage area is larger, but wider and not as long, which allows for better viewing.
Opener Out Hud is comprised of members of the band !!! (You can try to pronounce the name, but it’s doubtful that you will hear a consensus. Common ways to refer to the band are “Pow Pow Pow,” “Click Click Click” and “Check Check Check.”) Similar to !!! in their long-windedness, Out Hud played a set consisting of one song. Highlights included dancing by the back-up keyboardist, who tended to favor the dance stylings of Nelly. By the end of the song, the band had left the stage to dance with the audience.
The Faint then came on in front of a crowd that would normally be too hip to dance. Not fitting neatly into any descriptors of music, The Faint have been called emo, electronic, gothic and industrial. On their first album, 1998’s Media, the band sounded like almost all indie-rock of the time?heavily influenced by bands such as Sonic Youth and Archers of Loaf. The music was quality, but there wasn’t anything especially distinctive about it. Between Media and the Faint’s second release, 2000’s Blank Wave Arcade, members of The Faint hung up their guitars in exchange for synthesizers. The band, reticent to be labeled as “retro,” developed a sound reminiscent of New Wave bands of the early ‘80s, themselves also new to synthesizers. Adding a full-time keyboardist and a death-metal inspired guitarist, The Faint started recording theme-inspired records. The sex-themed Blank Wave Arcade was followed by the gothic Danse Macabre, issued this past August.
In a recent interview with Naughty Secretary Club, when asked why they changed styles, vocalist Todd Baechle answered, “Hardcore was at a standstill, and indie-rock was?to me, the stuff that was coming out was just like different versions of Superchunk, and that indie kind of guitar style. And were were like, ‘This is the kind of music we’re used to, so we should try not to play it.’”
The results have been successful. Currently ranked No. 6 on the CMJ Top 200 Radio Chart, there is an audience for music linked to Devo and Duran Duran. The crowd at the Black Cat was receptive to the we-are-stylish-and-dress-in-all-black band, and when Baechle told the crowd not to be “too cool to dance,” the crowd complied. The Faint played a mix of songs off Blank Wave Arcade and the newer, even dancier Danse Macabre. The set ended with the amazing “Worked Up So Sexual.” The song is very literally worked up exceedingly sexual, talking about strippers turning the cranks of the guys who watch them. Yes, if you go see The Faint you are dancing to songs titled “Sex is Personal” and “Casual Sex.” And yes, you may be embarrassed. But if it makes you feel better, the songs actually have pretty acute social commentary. But for me, leave the commentary aside. I just wanna dance.
