Fake Blood is the latest incarnation of producer/DJ Theo Keating (a.k.a. Touché).
Active since the mid-90s, Keating has been involved with The Wiseguys and The Black Ghosts, and produced tracks for the likes of Underworld, The Kills, Noah And The Whale, Unkle and more.
In 2008 Fake Blood released the single “Mars” to much critical acclaim and considering the heft of Keating’s résumé, Fake Blood’s long awaited debut album, Cells, is an unexpected disappointment.
Cells offers bits and pieces of hardcore techno, old-world Kraftwerk robotics, and clichéd clubbing crescendos, without ever really breaking new ground.
More than anything else, Cells suffers from a lack of aesthetic focus. The album title, the dripping blood motif, and the Oldfield-esque eeriness of the lead single “Yes/No” all establish an atmosphere that quickly dissipates in the face of an array of familiar electro clichés.
There are, however, some quality tracks: “London” opens with a building cello sample before launching into a lush string arrangement.
“Airbrushed” provides legitimate flashbacks to Daft Punk, while “Soft Machine” proves to be the most pop-accessible track on the album.
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That being said, it is a mystery why “All In A Blink” got the nod as the second single; the track is dominated by bland vocals that could stop a dance floor dead.
During the promotion of record the band announced that “the enemy is nostalgia.” And, in the case of Cells, that proves all too true.
