The band consists of Clark Baechle, Todd Fink (formerly known as Todd Baechle), and Joel Petersen. They signed to Saddle Creek Records and released a few singles, but were unable to establish widespread sales, though they were extremely popular in the Omaha-area. After adding Matt Bowen, The Faint released Media, which established them within a small, national community of fans. While touring, Bowen left and was replaced by Jacob Thiele who helped move the next album, Blank-Wave Arcade, towards a more dance and electronica influenced sound. The album was an underground hit. Partway through the creation of the morose Danse Macabre, The Faint added Dapose, a death metal guitarist formerly of LEAD. Danse Macabre was also a critical and commercial success and has helped to establish a wider fanbase for the band. Their 4th album, released in 2004, is called Wet from Birth.
In 2002 bassist Joel Petersen released the first album from his solo project, Broken Spindles, and he has since released two subsequent albums and had a U.S. tour. Guitarist Dapose also has a side-project, Vverevvolf Grehv, releasing his first album in 2008.
On December 12th, 2005, The Faint announced that they have moved out of The Orifice (a rented out warehouse they used to record Wet from Birth) and into ENAMEL, a 100-year-old building where they recorded the tracks for their next album, Fasciinatiion.
1995 | Sine Sierra (Norman Bailer) | Lumberjack
1998 | Media | CD Saddle Creek [LBJ-21]
1999 | The Faint / Ex-Action Figures (split) | 7» Saddle Creek [LBJ-25]
1999 | Blank-Wave Arcade | LP/CD Saddle Creek [LBJ-29]
2000 | Blank-Wave Arcade Remixes | 12»PD Saddle Creek [LBJ-33]
2001 | Danse Macabre | LP/CD Saddle Creek [LBJ-37]
2001 | Mote / Dust | 12»EP Gold Standard Laboratories [GSL 47]
2001 | Agenda Suicide | CDS Fierce Panda [NING 117]
2003 | Danse Macabre Remixes | 3LP/CD Astralwerks [ASC 83269]
2003 | The Conductor | 12»EP Astralwerks [ASC 83862]
2004 | I Disappear | 12»/CDS Saddle Creek [LBJ-66]
2004 | Wet From Birth | LP/CD Saddle Creek [LBJ-67]
2004 | Desperate Guys Saddle Creek
2008 | The Geeks Were Right Blank.wav
2008 | Fasciinatiion Blank.wav
Your Retro Career Melted
The Faint Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From a beat up truck by a rural motel
The manager seen how the truck bed bounced
While dust flew up with a rolling sound
Voices appear from the staff outside
In bulbous text in western style
His manneneck spin to turn his face
Girls pushed girls side to side
To hear a suction sound as limbs realign
The crowd just seemed to multiply
They hear his plastic jaw as the news drops hard
"Your retro career melted"
They couldn't have agreed with the mannequin less
They didn't understand what the mannequin meant
The sound of a barreled gun held to the back
Some plastic clicks as the shell parts pass
Fleshtone shards fly by wild
The fill a plastic bag with the parts inside
The bag got dumped, a town nearby
The reassembled fast as his voice dropped hard:
"Your retro career melted"
The Faint's "Your Retro Career Melted" is a darkly surreal song that tells the story of the downfall of a once-famous mannequin. The song opens with the image of a torso falling out of a truck near a remote motel. The manager, seeing the truck bed bouncing and dust flying up, rushes outside along with the rest of the staff to investigate the commotion. As they gather around the fallen mannequin, they hear his plastic jaw drop the bombshell news: "Your retro career melted."
The scene quickly turns chaotic as the mannequin's plastic body falls apart, sending fleshtone shards flying everywhere. The crowd grows in number, with girls pushing each other to get a closer look and hear the suction sound of limbs being realigned. Eventually, the mannequin is reassembled in a nearby town, and once again drops the haunting phrase: "Your retro career melted."
The lyrics of the song are open to interpretation, but they could be seen as a commentary on the fleeting nature of fame and success. The mannequin, representing a once-popular trend or style, is now outdated and unimportant, relegated to the side of the road. The song also touches on themes of violence, with the image of a gun being held to the mannequin's back and the shattering of its plastic body.
Line by Line Meaning
Recovering slowly, a torso fell
Someone's body falls out of a truck near a rundown motel and is lying motionless on the ground.
From a beat up truck by a rural motel
The body fell from a battered truck that was parked outside a deserted motel.
The manager seen how the truck bed bounced
The manager witnessed how the truck bed shook violently and caused the body to tumble out.
While dust flew up with a rolling sound
Dust rose from the ground in a cloud, accompanied by a rumbling noise as the body hit the dirt.
Voices appear from the staff outside
The motel staff members come out and start talking as they see the body lying there.
In bulbous text in Western style
The dialogue between the staff members is written in large, rounded letters, reminiscent of a Western movie font.
His manneneck spin to turn his face
The body's head rotates on its neck to face the people talking around it.
The bar spills drunks out frame by frame
The people in the bar next door come out one by one, drinks in hand, to see what's going on.
Girls pushed girls side to side
Some girls are shoving others to get a better view of the body.
To hear a suction sound as limbs realign
They want to listen to the gruesome noise of the limbs falling back into place and reconnecting with the torso.
The crowd just seemed to multiply
More and more people gather around, making it hard to see the body at all.
They hear his plastic jaw as the news drops hard
Suddenly, the body's plastic jaw moves to speak and reveals something serious to the onlookers.
"Your retro career melted"
The body speaks, revealing its identity as a failed, outdated performer whose career has come to ruin.
They couldn't have agreed with the mannequin less
The bystanders are not convinced that this is a real person, but a mannequin or prop.
They didn't understand what the mannequin meant
They don't comprehend what the mannequin's words really signify or why it's there.
The sound of a barreled gun held to the back
There is a loud noise that sounds like a gun being cocked against someone's back.
Some plastic clicks as the shell parts pass
However, the clicking noise is made by the plastic pieces of the body moving around, not a real gun.
Fleshtone shards fly by wild
The mannequin's body breaks apart into fleshy-looking shards that fly in all directions.
The fill a plastic bag with the parts inside
Someone gathers up the pieces of the mannequin and puts them in a plastic bag.
The bag got dumped, a town nearby
The bag of disassembled mannequin parts was abandoned in a nearby town.
The reassembled fast as his voice dropped hard:
The mannequin is quickly assembled back together, and its voice once again speaks gravely to those around it.
"Your retro career melted"
The mannequin repeats its announcement of its failed career, using the same words again to emphasize the point.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CLARK BAECHLE, JACOB THIELE, JOEL PETERSEN, MICHAEL DAPPEN, TODD BEACHLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Artsy DC
Anyone who listens to the faint knows good music!!
LucidDream
I love listening to The Faint. Always a blast to drive to also.
LucidDream
Damn, my comment from 12 years ago. Still listening to The Faint.
Nameless
@LucidDream :o
Geavanna Forino
Funny story! I first heard this song when I was 8 years old… my Aunt had this CD…. She played it ONCE… and I remembered this song 15 years later and asked her the name….. I’ve probably played this song 100 times! 😅
kghoyt11
saw them in pomona the other week, such good energy! they still got it
Chris Kort
God damn this song rocks!
Bluelunes
I can hardly believe it's been 5 months since our dialogue began. Where does the time go?
Richard Helvie
Got me through Catholic high school gay doods! Thank you! Brilliance
Jacob Brown
AWESOME DUDE! like it