Minibill

While the baby born "new wave" is now old enough to buy a drink, it's a genre that has neither garnered much respect nor aged well. The flat, robotic phrasing of lead singers and the electronic blorts and bleeps emitted from synthesizer acts like Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and A Flock of Seagulls instantly conjure up the Big '80s. But now a new new wave is emerging with twenty-something bands that aim to pay homage to, as well as to further evolve, the music into a more contemporary sound. The Faint, a quintet from the unlikely musical breeding ground of Omaha, is at the forefront of this movement with its latest release, Danse Macabre (Saddle Creek). In marrying new wave with a darker gothic sensibility, they manage to sound both retro and forward at the same time. Suicide, paralysis, violence and dronelike jobs are fit topics for their Aldous Huxleyfied world, which, if it were a movie, would definitely be filmed in black and white by a German director.

KEEP THE HOUSTON PRESS FREE... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Bob Ruggiero has been writing about music, books, visual arts and entertainment for the Houston Press since 1997, with an emphasis on classic rock. He used to have an incredible and luxurious mullet in college as well. He is the author of the band biography Slippin’ Out of Darkness: The Story of WAR.
Contact: Bob Ruggiero