Artist: The FaintAlbum: FasciinationLabel: blank.wav

Well over 10 years ago, an unassuming band from Nebraska dropped its traditional rock sound, former band member Conor Oberst, and its original name of Norman Bailer and re-emerged as The Faint. In the decade since, The Faint became a trendsetter in the industry and pioneered synthesizer-driven, new-wave sensibilities that are apparent throughout contemporary indie music.

The Faint first burst into the national scene with its acclaimed 1999 album, Blank Wave Arcade, a 25-minute long, nine-song LP of songs mostly about sex. Its New Order-style electro riffs combined with crunchy guitars and a hint of pop sensibility culminated in a collection of dance music that forced even the most stoic hipsters to nod their heads with the beat. 2001’s Danse Macabre and 2004’s Wet From Birth followed suit, churning out dance-floor anthems at record speed.

After a long four-year hiatus, the Faint finally returned with its fifth studio album, Fasciination. Coming after a split with former label Saddle Creek earlier this year, the album is the first in the band’s 10-year history to be written, recorded, produced, art directed and released entirely by the band itself.

The opening track on the album, entitled “Get Seduced,” is an uptempo number about the ridiculousness of tabloid media culture. It contains all the classic elements of a Faint single: infectious keyboard riffs, a catchy chorus and raunchy lyrics. The second track, “The Geeks Were Right,” also doubles as the first single from the album. In its chorus, singer Todd Fink claims he’s seen the future; from a listener’s perspective, it sounds a lot like 2004.

Despite excellent efforts on tracks like “Forever Growing Centipedes” and “Machine in the Ghost,” the remainder of the album often falls flat with an overwhelmingly forgettable sound. The patronizing recycling of old material sound that makes up tracks like “Battle Hymn for the Children” quickly cancels out the redeeming qualities of tracks like “Psycho.”

Ultimately, the album falls short of expectation. Although the Faint may be single-handedly responsible for the fact that, in indie music, keyboards are considered cool, the band seems to have fallen flat into the same-old, same-old while many of its contemporaries, like Cut Copy and Chromeo, took their dance-punk and electropop inspiration and ran with it.