On

Following the demise of his former band Failure, singer/writer Ken Andrews put some thought into developing a new musical vision. Abandoning the straight-ahead alt-rock formula, his new project, On, incorporates more electronics like synths and sampled rhythms. Catchy melodies on tracks like "C'mon Collapse," "Building" and "If I Get To Feel You" give the moody tracks some life and make Shifting Skin a solid release. He enlists some help from members of Blinker the Star, Jeff Turzo of God Lives Underwater and even Brad Laner, from long-silent noise-mongers Medicine. This is an album that traverses many fields, showing its roots in both guitar rock and even dark synth pop. The nod his former band Failure made to Depeche Mode by recording "Enjoy The Silence" was recently returned in a spooky Martin Gore remix of On's "Soluble Words." Although the whole sonic package is not unique, Andrews' songwriting skills set Shifting Skin apart from the rest.