The Faint

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More About

• The Faint (Band)
• Natalie Portman
• Omaha
• Punk Rock
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

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When The Faint first began making records, the synth-happy band couldn't escape comparisons to New Wave, punk rock, and the 1980s. No journalist wrote about them without mentioning the Reagan era and the band's similarity to Depeche Mode and friends. The Faint was, and is, ticked off about this pervasive typecasting. But unfortunately for them, it's very difficult not to make the '80s connection. The heavy synthesizers, the robotic vocals, the anti-establishment punk-rock sensibility set to New Wave-style electronica--there's no denying this hybrid sound rose from the ashes of a different era. After breaking with longtime label Saddle Creek, the Omaha-based band put out its first album in four years, Fasciinatiion, on its own label, blank.wav. The disc sounds suspiciously similar to the band's earlier work, which will be just fine with fans. The Faint's pulsing, manic live shows are an orgiastic spectacle of bodies in motion and bright background visuals. Close your eyes, ignore the snotty hipsters who flock to see the band, and it's as though you're in another decade. Just don't tell the band I said that. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head opens. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 528-3151. www.showboxonline.com. $22 (all-ages). 8 p.m. SARA BRICKNER
Tue., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., 2008