Broken Spindles

Joel Peterson, founding bassist of Omaha, Nebraska’s The Faint, launched Broken Spindles as his lo-fi electronic solo vehicle. Conceived initially to score a friend’s film, the endeavor materialized as an eleven-track self-titled album issued by Tigerstyle Records in 2002. That collection merged electro, emo, Faint-style new wave, and incidental music, all sharpened by an aggressive yet retro-kitschy sensibility. With no vocals present, intensity arose from swift dynamic surges and the dialogue between Peterson’s array of keyboards and analog instruments such as glockenspiel and dulcimer, captured by engineer Mike Mogis at Presto! Recording Studios. A fall 2002 tour followed, during which Peterson performed behind a large screen displaying a film he had made to accompany the music. He resurfaced with Fulfilled/Complete in spring 2004. Whereas the first two albums were tracked in professional facilities, Inside/Absent from 2005 was recorded and mixed inside Peterson’s own home.