The Faint Explained

The Faint
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Omaha, Nebraska
Genre:Indie rock, post-punk revival, dance-punk, new wave
Years Active:1995 - present
Label:Blank.wav, Saddle Creek, Astralwerks
Associated Acts:Vverevvolf Grehv, Broken Spindles, Depressed Buttons, Digital Leather, TIT, Reptar
Current Members:Todd Fink
Graham Ulicny
Dapose
Clark Baechle
Past Members:Conor Oberst
Matt Bowen
Joel Petersen
Jacob Thiele (deceased)

The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Graham Ulicny, Dapose 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.

History

The band originally consisted of Clark Baechle, Todd Fink (formerly Todd Baechle), and Joel Petersen. Growing up, Fink, Petersen, and Baechle skateboarded in their free time, until Fink developed knee problems, which shifted their hobbies towards making music.[2] 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 U.S., 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. Conor Oberst claimed in an August 2020 interview with Pitchfork Magazine that The Faint were offered a major label record deal, but turned it down out of loyalty and commitment to Saddle Creek, which at the time was still a collaborative project between members of The Faint, Cursive and Bright Eyes.[4]

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 label, blank.wav. The album, entitled Fasciinatiion, was released on August 5, 2008, in the U.S. The first single from the album was "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.[5]

Since the release of Fasciinatiion, two of the band members, Clark Baechle and Todd Fink 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.

The band performed an original song "Teach Me Teacher" on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! in the third-season episode "School", which originally aired September 19, 2010.[6]

On October 30, 2012, Saddle Creek Records released a deluxe edition of Danse Macabre with the original album remastered, bonus and unreleased tracks, and a DVD of archival footage, live projections from that era's tour dates, and live footage.[7] The band announced that it would play Danse Macabre in its entirety along with fan favorites during a tour of 24 cities across North America.[8]

In 2016, Graham Ulicny (of Reptar) replaced Jacob Thiele on keyboards.[9] Thiele died on February 13, 2020.[10]

Members

Current members

Former members

Timeline

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BarData = bar:Fink text:"Todd Fink" bar:Oberst text:"Conor Oberst" bar:Petersen text:"Joel Petersen" bar:Dapose text:"Dapose" bar:Bowen text:"Matt Bowen" bar:Jones text:"Ethan Jones" bar:Thiele text:"Jacob Thiele" bar:Ulicny text:"Graham Ulicny" bar:Baechle text:"Clark Baechle"

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bar:Fink from:01/01/1995 till:end color:vocals bar:Fink from:01/01/1995 till:01/09/1995 color:keys width:3 bar:Fink from:01/09/1995 till:end color:keys width:7 bar:Fink from:01/09/1995 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Baechle from:01/01/1995 till:end color:drums bar:Oberst from:01/01/1995 till:01/09/1995 color:guitar bar:Oberst from:01/01/1995 till:01/09/1995 color:vocals width:3 bar:Bowen from:01/01/1995 till:01/12/1998 color:bass bar:Bowen from:01/01/1995 till:01/12/1998 color:keys width:3 bar:Petersen from:01/01/1995 till:01/06/1999 color:guitar bar:Petersen from:01/06/1999 till:01/06/2008 color:guitar width:3 bar:Petersen from:01/06/1999 till:01/06/2008 color:bass bar:Jones from:01/12/1998 till:01/06/1999 color:bass bar:Thiele from:01/11/1998 till:01/06/2016 color:keys bar:Thiele from:01/11/1998 till:01/06/2016 color:vocals width:3 bar:Dapose from:01/04/2001 till:end color:guitar bar:Ulicny from:01/06/2016 till:end color:keys bar:Ulicny from:01/06/2016 till:end color:vocals width:3

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

YearAlbum details
[11]

[12]
1995Sine Sierra (as Norman Bailer)
  • Released: 1995
1998 Media
1999 Blank-Wave Arcade
  • Released: November 1, 1999
  • Label: Saddle Creek
  • Format: CD, LP
2001 Danse Macabre
  • Released: August 21, 2001
  • Label: Saddle Creek
  • Format: CD, LP
2004 Wet from Birth
  • Released: September 14, 2004
  • Label: Saddle Creek
  • Format: CD, LP
999
2008 Fasciinatiion
  • Released: August 5, 2008
  • Label: blank.wav
  • Format: CD, 2-LP
466
2014 Doom Abuse
  • Released: April 8, 2014
  • Label: SQE Music
  • Format: CD, 2-LP
19930
2019 Egowerk
  • Released: March 15, 2019
  • Label: Saddle Creek
  • Format: CD, LP
26

Remix albums

YearAlbum details
2000Blank-Wave Arcade Remixes
  • Released: May 29, 2000
  • Labels: Saddle Creek, Blood Of The Young Records –
  • Format: LP
2003Danse Macabre Remixes
  • Released: April 1, 2003

Compilation albums

EPs

YearAlbum details
2016Mote/Dust
2012Evil Voices
  • Released: November 2012
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Format: 12-inch
  • Note: Sold on tour, also available in the deluxe vinyl edition of Doom Abuse
2012This Never Happened
  • Released: 2019
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Format: CD
  • Note: Sold during the 2019 tour

Singles

Retail singles

YearSingleLabelAlbum
2002"Agenda Suicide"Danse Macabre
2003"The Conductor"City Slang
"Agenda Suicide" (remixes)Danse Macabre Remixes
2004"I Disappear"Saddle Creek Wet from Birth
2004"Desperate Guys"Saddle Creek
2008"The Geeks Were Right"Boysnoize Fasciinatiion
2009"Mirror Error"Boysnoize

Promotional singles

YearSingleLabelAlbum
1997Norman Bailer Saddle CreekMedia
2004"Southern Belles In London Sing"Saddle CreekWet From Birth

Splits

Remixes

Compilation appearances

Other projects

Vverevvolf Grehv

Vverevvolf Grehv
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Omaha, Nebraska
Years Active:2007 - present
Label:Relapse Records
Associated Acts:The Faint, Conor Oberst
Current Members:Dapose

Vverevvolf Grehv (pronounced as Werewolf Grave) is the brainchild of Dapose. The music of Vverevvolf Grehv combines the brutality of death metal, the tempos of speed metal and the sonic decimation of noise with the complexities of electronic music genres such as snare rush and IDM. He is influenced by Merzbow’s work, the writings of Howard Bloom, and numerous classical composers.

Albums

Broken Spindles

Broken Spindles
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Omaha, Nebraska
Years Active:2001 - 2011
Label:Saddle Creek
Associated Acts:The Faint, Conor Oberst, The Show Is the Rainbow
Past Members:Joel Petersen

Broken Spindles was a band solely consisting of Joel Petersen of Omaha, Nebraska, who also played bass, guitar and keyboards in The Faint. The music of Broken Spindles ranged from instrumental electronic songs to sparse piano pieces to rock-influenced pop songs. Broken Spindles originally started in 2001 as the soundtrack for a friend's film.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20030810005332/http://www.thefaint.com/profile/ The Faint // Profile
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyycYQfIhjg The Faint // Youtube Interview
  3. http://www.timmcmahan.com/macabre.htm Lazy-i // Interview
  4. Web site: Sodomsky . Sam . The Music That Made Conor Oberst . pitchfork.com. 21 August 2020 . Pitchfork . March 6, 2021.
  5. Web site: Ladytron and the Faint to Tour Together . 2009-02-13 . 2009-02-12 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090219171115/http://idiomag.com/peek/64480/ladytron . February 19, 2009 .
  6. Web site: Teach Me - The Faint - Yo Gaba Gaba . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/L8frUBgyoP4. 2021-12-11 . live. YouTube. 2021-03-06 . 2010-09-10.
  7. Web site: The Faint Danse Macabre (Deluxe Edition) [Remastered] ]. 15 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120825161638/http://saddle-creek.com/store/550 . 25 August 2012 .
  8. Web site: The Faint website . 15 September 2012.
  9. Web site: Frontman Todd Fink Talks 'Refuturizing' The Faint and Touring with Gang of Four' . 19 October 2016 . 21 August 2017.
  10. Web site: Coffey . Kevin . Former member of The Faint, Jacob Thiele, has died. He helped Omaha music get recognized . Omaha.com . 14 February 2020 . The Omaha World-Herald . 14 February 2020 . en.
  11. The Faint. Billboard.
  12. The Faint. Billboard.