Faunts
{{Short description|Canadian electronic rock band}}
{{lead too short|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist|
| name = Faunts
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| genre = Electronic rock, space rock, post-rock, dream pop
| years_active = 2000–present
| label = Kinsella Recordings
| associated_acts = DVAS, Mark Templeton, Duplekita
| current_members = Steven Batke
Tim Batke
Paul Arnusch
| past_members = Joel Hitchcock
Rob Batke
Scott Gallant
}}
Faunts is an electronic rock band, formed in 2000 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, by Paul Arnusch and brothers Steven and Tim Batke. Faunts creates ambient music by arranging electronic beats with rock music, synthesizers, and drums. In 2009 the band was described as "slow-motion shoegazers reborn as purveyors of luminous and deeply affecting electronic pop."{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12701-feel-love-thinking-of/|title=Faunts Feel. Love. Thinking. Of.|author=Stuart Berman |publisher=Condé Nast|work=Pitchfork |date=February 23, 2009}}
History
Faunts was formed in the fall of 2000 by musicians Paul Arnusch, Steven Batke, and Tim Batke. Their debut album, High Expectations/Low Results, was released in 2003 by Friendly Fire Recordings and was met with a positive reception.{{cite web|url=http://www.lifewithoutpants.com/the-gospel-of-faunts-according-to-matthew-an-interview-with-rob-batke |title=The Gospel of 'Faunts' According to Matthew |date=24 February 2009 |publisher=Life Without Pants}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r801936|pure_url=yes}} Album Review Allmusic.]
In 2005, the band began writing their first EP, M4. Faunts desired to have their music crafted to accompany short films for the Film and Video Arts Society.
{{cite web|url=http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=4650 |title=Faunts dream up a soundtrack for M4 |author=Tara Zurowski |work=Vue Weekly |edition=570|date=September 20, 2006|url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221162623/http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=4650 | archivedate=2009-02-21}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2008/02/faunts-drop-new-ep-album-2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207162648/http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2008/02/faunts-drop-new-ep-album-2008 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 7, 2008 |title=Faunts Drop New EP, Album in 2008 |publisher=XLR8R |date=February 6, 2008 |author=Tomas Palermo }}
Keyboardist Joel Hitchcock and mixer Rob Batke joined the band, and Dave Swanson and Nathan Seattler assisted with writing the album's lyrics. M4 released in 2006 and achieved notoriety when the song "M4, Pt. II" was featured in the final credits of BioWare's 2007 video game Mass Effect.{{cite web|url=http://www.soundcheckmagazine.com/reviews/album-reviews/1660-review-faunts-feellovethinkingof |title=Review: Faunts - Feel.Love.Thinking.Of. | date=2009|author=Michael Schmitt|publisher=Soundcheck Magazine | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825155818/http://www.soundcheckmagazine.com/reviews/album-reviews/1660-review-faunts-feellovethinkingof|archivedate=2009-08-25}}
{{cite web
|url = http://www.seemagazine.com/Issues/2006/0921/mus2.htm
|title = See Magazine preview of M4
|date =
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070228210629/http://www.seemagazine.com/Issues/2006/0921/mus2.htm
|archive-date = 2007-02-28
}}
This raised the band's profile and "a sizeable new audience was exposed to Faunts’ moody, subdued melodies."
{{cite web|url=http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/682813/BioWare_Has_A_Mass_Effect_On_Local_Edmonton_Band_Faunts.html |title=BioWare Has A 'Mass Effect' On Local Edmonton Band 'Faunts'|publisher=G4tv|date=February 13, 2008 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122092507/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/682813/BioWare_Has_A_Mass_Effect_On_Local_Edmonton_Band_Faunts.html | archivedate=2008-11-22}}
On November 18, 2008, Faunts released a remix album titled Faunts Remixed, featuring remixes by acts such as Mark Templeton and DVAS.{{cite web | url=http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid2=804&fid1=34804&csid1=127 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717001456/http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid2=804&fid1=34804&csid1=127 | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 17, 2012 | title=Faunts Faunts Remixed | publisher=Exclaim! | date=November 14, 2008 | author=Cam Lindsay }} This was followed by their second full studio album, Feel.Love.Thinking.Of, which was released on February 17, 2009 and is the result of songwriting over the course of touring across America. The song "Das Malefitz" was featured during the final credits of Mass Effect 3.
On November 17, 2012, the band released "Left Here Alone," described by a press release as "an offering of a handful of unreleased yet essential songs that fill in the empty spaces between High Expectations/Low Results and M4 in Faunts' evolutionary map. Listening to this record is like traveling through the band's back catalogue."
{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/faunts-left_here_alone_ep_stream|title=Left Here Alone (EP Stream)|author=Alex Hudson |work=Exclaim! |date=November 18, 2012}}
Between Feel.Love.Thinking.Of and Ostalgia, Tim Batke formed the band Duplekita with fourteen friends from other bands, and Rob Batke left Faunts indefinitely to pursue a solo career under the pseudonym Artisan Loyalist.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kinsellarecordings.com/duplekita/|title=DUPLEKITA|website=KINSELLA RECORDINGS|access-date=2016-03-18}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.artisanloyalist.com/|title=About|website=ARTISAN LOYALIST|access-date=2016-03-18}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/artisanloyalist/posts/965335040198739?comment_id=965830543482522&reply_comment_id=966254880106755&comment_tracking=%257B%2522tn%2522%253A%2522R%2522%257D|title=Any news on the Faunts album that was to... - David Cunnington {{!}} Facebook|website=Facebook.com|access-date=2016-03-18}}
On February 12, 2016, Faunts announced the upcoming release of Ostalgia, "a five-volume compilation of new music." Volume 1, released August 12, 2016, is a five-part song titled "Thirty-Three," the sound of which hearkens back to the band's early work while exploring new musical territory.{{cite web|url=http://www.kinsellarecordings.com/news/2016/2/11/faunts-join-kinsella-recordings|title=Faunts Join Kinsella Recordings |author=Kinsella Recordings | date=2016-02-10 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624184000/http://www.kinsellarecordings.com/news/2016/2/11/faunts-join-kinsella-recordings | archivedate=2016-06-24}}
{{cite web|url=https://fauntsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/ostalgia-volume-1|title=Ostalgia Volume 1 |author=Faunts}} On September 9, 2017, Faunts announced on their Facebook page they were "Busy working on Volume 2 and are planning to release a new single soon."{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/23248634696/photos/a.10151005309769697.447306.23248634696/10155778846419697/?type=3|title=Facebook|website=Facebook.com|accessdate=20 November 2020}}
On August 27, 2019, the band released a new single titled "There Will Be Blood".{{cite web|url=https://fauntsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/there-will-be-blood |title=There Will Be Blood Song Page, Bandcamp}}
Members
=Current=
=Former=
Discography
=Studio albums=
- High Expectations/Low Results (October 18, 2005){{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/852753-Faunts|title=Faunts|publisher=Discogs|date=2015}}
- Feel.Love.Thinking.Of (February 17, 2009)
=EPs=
- M4 (December 11, 2007)
- Left Here Alone (November 17, 2012)
- Ostalgia, Volume 1 (August 12, 2016){{Cite web|url = http://www.kinsellarecordings.com/faunts|title = FAUNTS|website = KINSELLA RECORDINGS|access-date = 2016-03-18}}
=Remix albums=
=Singles=
See also
{{Portal|Music|Canada}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://fauntsmusic.bandcamp.com/ Faunts' Bandcamp page]
- [https://www.kinsellarecordings.com/faunts.html Band bio from Kinsella Recordings]
- [http://www.friendlyfirerecordings.com/Bands/Faunts/faunts.html Band bio from Friendly Fire Recordings]
- [https://fauntsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/there-will-be-blood There Will Be Blood Song Page]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faunts}}
Category:Canadian indie rock groups
Category:Canadian experimental musical groups
Category:Canadian post-rock groups
Category:Canadian dream pop musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 2000
Category:Musical groups from Edmonton