Deep thoughts and dance music aren't a likely pair, but Omaha, NE, new-wavers The Faint [ tickets ] attempt to mesh mechanical dance rhythms with deep philosophies about life and the future on "Fasciinatiion," the group's fifth full-length release. Four years since the group's previous record, "Fasciinatiion" marks The Faint's DIY debut on their newly established Blank.Wav label.

In an effort to develop a cohesive theme or message, The Faint focus heavily on social and political issues. One of the most expressive tracks is the awkward and wobbly "A Battle Hymn for Children," during which vocalist Todd Fink chants, "In the name of peace/we make war." Subject matter, however, is just about the only thing that seems remotely human about "Fasciinatiion"; the music itself sounds otherworldly, like the soundtrack of a B-grade space flick. Fuzzy blips, anxious synths and new-wave electronic hums dominate these 13 dance floor-ready tracks. Every noise is distorted--voices sound like a cryptic '80s attempt at computers of the future, and the instrumentation could have been lifted from an Atari or Nintendo game--making it all extremely retro-minded.

The album's biggest downfall is that the music is nothing especially new, and sometimes the lyrics are downright campy. "Fish in a Womb" stands out as one of the oddest selections and carries some of the strangest thoughts within the album. "There's a slice in my neck/it's been there since before I was born/I was breathing like a fish in a womb," Fink declares amid ominous, lackadaisical moving beats and laser zaps.

Despite its lack of innovation, "Fasciinatiion" isn't a total loss. The quintet want to make mature statements, but they are better when they lighten up a bit. One of the album highlights is "The Geeks Were Right," an indie-rock-flavored tune about taking an elevator into the future and finding out that girls like egghead dudes with software brains. Surely, they can't be serious about that? Whether they are sincere or not, unfortunately, kooky blips and bleeps usually make it difficult to take any of their philosophical thoughts to heart.