Wow, just wow. Four songs is all it will take to remind fans how much they’ve missed The Faint. Four songs is also all it will take to convince you that an EP is deserving of a spot on your best of 2012 list. If you were one of the lucky one thousand to have gotten your hands on this tour only 12 inch, then consider yourself, um, lucky?
Anyway, it’s brilliant. Over four years without any new material from the Faint is a crime but Evil Voices manages to make the wait worth it. Opener “Evil Voices” combines the more pop infused singles off Fasciination and Wet From Birth with that dark electronic magic that made Danse Macabre such a classic. “This is is IS/Pain/” is sonic ecstasy and goes further down the electronic rabbit hole. It sounds the least like any other song from The Faint thus far and a bold step towards the future (And sure to get the Faint back in dance fans good graces).
The latter half features “Unseen Hand” which has been the opening song on the bands current Danse Macabre anniversary tour. It’s The Faint for the 21st Century and a hypnotic reminder of why The Faint is so great. Ending with the mostly instrumental “Circuit Jerk”, which on its’ own doesn’t do too much but within the context of the EP is a fitting closer. Vocalist Todd Fink is on fire as always but it’s guitarist Dapose who really brings it on the EP with lines that continually stand out and drive the songs.
Welcome back The Faint, now don’t make us wait another 4 years for new material.
Grade: A
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaJzHfHr2Og]