Rating:   19 Ratings     12345  

The Faint Wet From Birth Saddle Creek

      Much has changed since 2001 when The Faint released their third album Danse Macabre. That album delivered a brash mix of industrial dance music and maniacal punk rock that left fans in a frenzy. Upon its release critics showered it with praise and their sound immediately spread like wild fire. In fact it was so good, it was remixed by Astralwerks and released in 2003, virtually gaining itself a second radio life and entire new audience. So now it’s 2004 and fans of The Faint have been crying out for new material. Thankfully the band heard the pleas of their fans and decided to form a recording and artwork studio called “The Orifice.” In the beginning “The Orifice” was nothing more than a warehouse full of broken washing machines, but what became of the dilapidated space was a haven for this small town group to write and record their next genre-defying works of art.

      What derived from the time spent in the studio is Wet From Birth. “Meatier, meaner and bulging at the seams with pent-up energy, Wet From Birth is The Faint sounding resolute in a brave new world.” (Press Release) The expressions of sound from the latest album are a culmination of electronic, punk, dance, reggae and undoubtedly indie. The latest release from the group has been said to be more song-oriented. “The title actually comes from the song “Birth” that I (Todd Baechle) wrote about myself being born. Wet From Birth is also a play on the phrase “wet behind the ears” which is usually said of people who are naïve or immature”.

      The album starts off with a ”Desperate Guys,” a song featuring a flagrant violin solo that morphs into Todd Baechle’s distinctive vocals. The song has a trance like beat that uses effects such as echo’s, repeating verses, and complete pauses in sound, to add the dance effect of the track. Next is “How Could I forget.” It’s pumping rock that blends harmonic vocals and involved electronic additives to mesh a sound that is absolute delicious chaos. Track three “I Disappear” has a sound crammed with dance-infused rock, which is hard-core, hard-hitting and full of bass. It starts off with a boisterous bass riff that leads into an impeccably-timed conjunction of keyboards incorporated with a beat that is hypnotic and entrancing. “Southern Belles in London Sing” is my favorite of the album and also what I consider to be an enigma track. It begins with quiet and angelic sounds of strings that quickly explodes into a rapid orchestra of sound. It’s beautiful, immaculate, and sounds righteous in nature. The last track “Birth” is interesting yet at the same time the message seems too obvious and self-explanatory for the general theme or direction of the album. The preceding tracks leave you wondering or pondering the message to be conveyed, and this one undoubtedly leaves nothing to the imagination. With lyrics such as “In the beginning there was semen, in a deep mound of flesh” it unmistakably takes one through the process of child birth. Following with ever so apparent lyrics such as “I should have noticed the beauty and not how it hurt, wet like a cherry in the bloodbath of birth” leaves nothing to the mind power of ones own perceptibility.

      Ok, so Electro, Synth-Pop music, really isn’t what I prefer to listen to, but The Faint is so multi-faceted it can’t be grouped into just one genre of sound. And yeah, the album is quite short, barely squeaking over 34 minutes, but overall the music is fervent and meticulous in detail, and what is lacking in length is made up in design. The fact is the record is dynamic, energetic, and the sound is high-powered. It’s a vital, eruptive album that stands uniquely on its own. Ultimately Wet From Birth is not an album I would necessarily venture out to purchase, but then once I began listening to it, it’s one I necessarily believe I need to own. Does that make sense? If not, go out and buy it, and judge for yourself.

-Christine Beals 09/26/04