Album Review: Fake Blood - Cells

Former Wiseguy Theo Keating, now operating under the pseudonym Fake Blood, has released Cells, and it's within these walls that big beat is superseded by further exploration of 4/4 sonic possibilities.

Opener and standout, Yes/No, releases the potential energy as simple keys skip around thumping beats and thoughtful builds. Second offering, Airbrushed, then does for disco house what Yes/No does for big room electro; it offers auditory cues of a sonic legacy while displaying an artist with an air of dance intelligentsia. Phantom Power then takes a harder style and rolls it around a crackle-rich drum sample that serves as a reminder of earlier works. Flute-laden monster, End Of Days, makes way for All In The Blink, a track that is happy, cheesy and leftfield to the rest of the release. Yet by this token it is given purpose by lightening the air before the main course is served, with Let It Go getting back to basics with a collagen injection of rasping bass and shout-out vocals.

Experiments with sounds beyond the norm abound and this exercise is validated by the gothic pop of Soft Machine. Melancholy steam-punk vocals are layered within retro moments of deft electronic production that hark back to a time of VHS and big hair. Cells has the ability to rev the heart rate and yet also demands to be taken seriously as a well thought-out collection of themes and moods. DJs will find this hard to mix out if they get too into the tracks and the lay listener will discover cool blended with depth that is often a rare jewel to uncover.