Ian Bel - Fake Factory

Ian's debut album is a conceptual look at a future where the media is entirely controlled by the son of the devil under the Fake Factory label, and anyone who wants a career in the spotlight has to submit to him. Through the 13 tracks the mechanisms of fame and celebrity are torn open to reveal the darkness behind the scenes, leaving the open question of whether it's a price worth paying.

When we spoke to Ian at a recent gig he mentioned Bauhaus in his influences and you can definitely hear that Gothic / New Wave crossover, only cut with the harder edge of Numan and The Damned. It's not that simple though - there are also unexpected indie-esque grooves, stinging keys and rock flourishes. A perfect example is 'Sin', a slow, mean ballad that blends the of sleazy edge of INXS with the cynical darkness of Depeche Mode circa Violator. Fake Factory changes constantly, never falling into any particular category - 'Teenage Vision' rocks like The Mission, 'Devils Daughter' has a Siouxsie-ish twist and the moody, solo piano driven 'Rose' has a touch of the Velvet Underground about it.

This limited edition also comes with a solid second disc marked B-Sides that's just as broad and changeable, and well worth a listen. Lyrically it feels like the character from the first disc has stored some personal feeelings away from the chaos of the industry, and forms an interesting balance with the main album

Fake Factory is a tricky album to sum up because it sets itself a huge challenge and pretty much succeeds across the board. It's dark, oddball, as melodic as it is dissonant, diverse and never obvious. Consider that Ian also wrote a book of the same title to accompany the album and complete the story, and you can see that it's not meant to be understood in one easy listen. Definitely worth a go if you like darker material that requires you to think for yourself.