Fainting Spell

So, last week, I mentioned a concert I went to. For those who were curious, it was The Faint, playing at the Ogden Theatre. I'd never heard of them before my boyfriend introduced me to their music, but I definitely like their sound. They have a sort of new wave vibe; a touch of synth pop in a heavy base of indie rock. I particularly like their 2008 album, Fasciinatiion, if you're looking to check out their music yourself.

I'm tempted to write two versions of my review here. As it unfortunately worked out, my boyfriend -- the one who wanted to go see the band in the first place -- was out of town for work when concert night finally rolled around. What had been planned as a group of four ended up being a group of three instead. And just so he doesn't feel extra miserable about having to miss the show, I almost want to post a "meh, they were alright" review.

But that wasn't the case. The truth is, they gave a really fun, energetic performance. Their high-octane drummer kept a frenetic pace from beginning to end. Their enthusiastic keyboard player spent as much time dancing wildly on his corner of the stage as playing his instrument. Their bass player (and sometime guitarist) was always front and center in the sound mix, for a powerful pulse you could feel all through your body. And their vocalist moved around through a wild light and fog show that kept the eyes as engaged as the ears.

Basically, they rocked.

There was also an intriguing opening act, Robert DeLong, a one man band who moved around from instrument to instrument as he moved from song to song. Most unusual was the way he generated vocal distortion effects by weaving around a Wii remote, and another moment where he played a synth solo on an XBox controller. Definitely entertaining, and a performer whose music I plan to seek out now.

The Faint's new tour has just begun (as they pointed out several times, telling the audience how this was "the first time" they were performing a given song live). So if you like their music (or sample it and like what you hear), you might want to check if they're coming to your town. It was a very reasonably priced ticket, and a great evening's entertainment.