The Faint make best of bad situations on 'Doom Abuse'

Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of.

Week of 04/18/2014
WHO: The Faint
WHAT: Doom Abuse
SPOT: 199

Abuse of doom hadn't necessarily been a problem for The Faint leading up to the recording of Doom Abuse. Lyrics that playfully splashed in pessimism were an accepted part of the Omaha dance-punks' aesthetic. The group's last release Fasciination mary have been an example of electronic abuse however, as the album stayed away from melodies and swung toward the accepted repetition of burgeoning EDM movement.

Alas, Faint isn't an EDM band, and Fasciination didn't fit the bill. Doom Abuse marks the group's return to a healthy balance between pop-punk bounce and glitch-laden electronica. Imagine The Bravery taking itself less seriously (an unfair comparison, considering Faint predates that group).

Indeed The Faint operates best when not taking itself too seriously. Tracks that could easily get lumped in the emo catch-all run the range of more fun-loving genres instead, from pop-punk ("Help in The Head") to horror punk ("Salt My Doom"). The album's best offering, penultimate track "Unseen Hand," could have come straight from a Misfits remix album.

The Faint doesn't exactly make an attempt to tackle any happy subject matter on Doom Abuse, but it still tends to leaves a happy taste in the listener's mouth. When the group aims for actual emotional impact is when things get tepid. "Damage Control" finds vocalist Todd Fink trying to make up for whatever he did last night, and he kills the album's vibe in the process. "Damage" is fortunately the only track to err in such a way, but it unfortunately closes the record on a weak note.