The Faint Danse Macabre

The deluxe edition of The Faint’s 2001 dance-punk classic Danse Macabre offers remastered versions of the disc’s original tracks, along with four non-album sides and two remixes. With its brighter, bolder sound, the reissue adds to the impact of an album already legendary for its throbbing beats, mesmerizing synths, and sci-fi/film noir lyrics. At its start, the Omaha-based group drew on the futuristic strains of The Human League, Soft Cell, Ultravox, and other ‘80s-era icons for inspiration. Danse Macabre proved to be The Faint’s aesthetic breakthrough, fusing a sweat-drenched sense of decadence with a solid commitment to songwriting craft. The seething pulsations of “Agenda Suicide,” the woozy funk robotics of “Total Job,” and the rumbling industrial grandeur of “Ballad of a Paralyzed Citizen” highlight the slightly sinister charm of lead singer Todd Fink. Bonus tracks like the slowly unnerving “Take Me to the Hospital,” the jittery disco workout “Dust,” and the ominous techno remake of Bright Eyes’ “Falling Out of Love at This Volume” add heft to this collection, as do expansive remixes of “The Conductor” and “Glass Danse.”