Search - On. :: Shifting Skin

New Directions

Jesse Hart | Lynnwood, WA United States | 04/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Often times an artist's inner voice is subsumed by the roaring engine of his band, preventing them from exploring interesting new directions with their music due to the theme and scope of the band they're in. Occasionally we see successful bands travel off the beaten path (to failure, as with Smashing Pumpkins, or relative success, like the Goo Goo Dolls), but more often than not, that artist's voice is never given an audience.For Ken Andrews, the time to hear his "new direction" came at the collapse of Failure, the commercially unsuccessful but underground champion band that epitomized "word of mouth" music. Finding himself with a lot of time to do what he wanted on his own, he opted to put together a synth pop solo project called "ON" and put out a new sound of his own devising. He called in notable worthies like Matt Mahaffey of Self to assist on a few tracks, and put together an album radically different from his days in Failure."Shifting Skin" is a fantastic experiment in modern synth rock, combining Ken's distinctive vocals with catchy instrumental riffs and the classic space rock elements that made Failure so unique. The album is an easy listen, evoking low-level emotions throughout and making itself comforting and lulling--a far cry from the angst-ridden drone of Failure. The title track is a catchy groove with cross-over potential, while "C'mon Collapse" is an upbeat melody unlike anything we've heard from Ken since the Replicants days. The album was born to be a commercial success, but unfortunately no one seemed to catch on due to poor media management, and it sank into obscurity.The follow-up album, "Make Believe," was an independent release that you can't even find on Amazon. Details on it are available at kenandrews.com in the News section."

Nick must buy this

matt | antarctica, send a jacket please | 07/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"nick if you dont buy this you are a fool. this is some high quality stuff, i tell you."

A good alternative to cheesy 80's synth

Josh Thomas | san francisco, CA | 12/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"even though one of the worst moments in my (musical) life was when failure broke up, the members of that awesome band have gone on to make some great music, and in ken andrews's case, on. on is one of the best post-band projects i've ever heard. they are like an ultra modern, ultra rockified version of depeche mode, with some emo and alternative touches. as far as current records go, I can't keep this one out of my player. this is totally one of the most original cds i've heard recently...song ratings:c'mon collapse-5/5: one of the best songs here. ken magnificently mixes alternative with synth, making a great post modern all around rock song. recommended.slingshot-3.5/5: this one is acoustic based, although winds up being an all-out synth-y thriller. more depeche mode influenced, if you like their stuff.soluble words-4/5: very cool, i love ken's vocals on this one, this is the single from the record. the drum n' bass background goes great with the keyboards. absolutely AWESOME live. gotta check this one out.if i get to feel you-5/5: the best song here. ken has an entrancing vocal which is backed up by awesome beats. this one cannot be skipped over. a must-listen.shifting skin-3.5/5: weird. that's all i have to say. this is way more quiet and pretty different from the rest of the album. not many keyboards or anything.perfect imposter-5/5: stunning. great effects backed by gorgeous bass-y drums and programming. this is a close second to if i get to feel you. excellent.avalanche-4/5: depeche mode is a definite big influence on this song. loads of synth and keyboards as well as some pretty creepy guitar effects. pretty good, maintains the theme of the album.feel at home-4.5/5: a very emotional song, only in a creepy sort of way. this one is pretty dark, the kind of music that you'd find in a messed up, twisted horror movie. not goth at all, but possibly the kind of music you'd (...) someone to (hey, that's what it reminds me of!). paper thin soul-3/5: fairly industrial, neo 80's song. i don't know if i like this one all that much, it kind of surprised me when i put it on the first time, but then it lost its effect. building...-5/5: this is a great song, emotional like feel at home, but warmer. a good one to fall asleep to, perhaps. everyone i know who has this cd likes this song...i think it's great.pick up-4.5/5: dark, disturbing, yet excellently produced...sums up the album as a whole basically. it also has some awesome drum effects with the best synth of the album.overall this album is brilliantly produced, and i feel is a good alternative to the synth sounds of the 80's (although doesn't really compare) for the (whatever this is...) 2000s. ken andrews made a rock album worth buying and enjoying, and is just another kick in the throat of all cheesy mtv pop music. buy it if you feel you need some depeche mode."