Customer Reviews

Shifting Skin

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

I have recently discovered the great works of Ken Andrews. I have purchased both Magnified and Fantastic Planet by Failure which is a great introduction to his music and then also decided to take a listen to Year of the Rabbit which is just as amazing as Failure and is in the same vain of that style of music. On his solo project before Year of the Rabbit is different although not in a bad way. It is more synth driven than guitar driven yes but the great songwriting is just as good as anything he has ever done. The only cd by On you can purchase here is Shifting Skin which is the first On cd but there is another On cd called Make Believe that was released on On Records you can purchase it on cdbaby.com though along with another Year of the Rabbit EP called Hunted. I have not heard either one of these yet but if they are like everything else I have bought by Ken Andrews it will be fantastic. I suggest if you love music to give at least one of these cd's a try and I can almost assure you will not be disappointed by any of them.

I'll keep this short and simple. I bought this album because I love FAILURE ... "Shifting Skin" is one delightful album that provides increasing enjoyment the more times that you spin it. (So, spin away!) Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, that I have played this album for has rushed out and bought it, no matter what type of music that they enjoy. I'd say that was a ringing endorsement.

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.

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

this was my first introduction to Ken Andrews. this and Make Believe. I am just recently getting into Failure purchasing Fantastic Planet. i know people say about Shifting Skin is "well i'm a big Failure fan so this sucks" and thats fine. Apparently people fear change, especially when coming from some great rock. Ken didnt fear change, which is great cause i think ON has a refreshing sound and shouldnt be passed up.

This album should have broken Ken Andrews into the mainstream. It did not unfortunately, but we still have the music. slingshot changed my life/......

If you dig this record, check out On's "other" record which was never released. You may have to "SEARCH" for it, but if obtained, results will not dissapoint. IT is called "Make Beleive".

I found this CD at my local library and decided to give it a try.

"Shifting Skin" is much better than expected, it has alot of catchy tunes that are well constructed. Although the music has an electronic flavor, it does'nt overpower the acoustic elements of the songs. This is much better than 90% of the "popular" music that is clogging the airwaves.

Give it a try.

Ok, I, like many others, came into this thinking of Failure and rock. That was not the case and I laughed when I heard a few songs the first time- c'mon, it sounds so chipper. I gave it a good try, and the songs grew on me, as all music must. Buying the cd was a vote of confidence to Ken Andrews, and I do not regret it. It's one of those cds to have when you're not really in the mood for anything else. Half of the songs sound like the belong in movies somewhere, I'm debating going into the film industry with a screenplay just to get them on there, so my mind might rest in peace. I didn't find it to be as dark as some people put it, rather, opposite. However it's easy to like and easy to listen to, easy to hum when it gets stuck in your head.
It's the one and only album by On, but we expect some more good stuff from Ken Andrews in the future. Year of the Rabbit sounds just peachy to me.

I knew I was gonna warm up to this album - it's all Ken after all. Although it seems somewhat one-dimensional at times (Greg Edwards' ...drone is blatantly absent) I found myself being drawn into it the more I played it. Ken still has some haunting guitars and melodies that burrow into the mind, but I'm not as impressed with this as with his work with Failure - song themes are mostly love songs and the lyrics are often emotionally - not poetically - inspired. The pop song format somehow works well here, and I would still rank it above most of the drivel on commercial radio these days.