Shifting Skin

Writer, performer, producer, engineer, and mixer Ken Andrews, doing business under the name On, turns out a densely arranged set of synthesized hard rock on Shifting Skin. He has an attraction for mixing the sound of acoustic guitar with highly artificial, industrial-sounding electronic signals, as he does on the lead-off track, "C'mon Collapse," and elsewhere. Underneath the noisy production, however, he writes conventional pop/rock sounds and sings lyrics of romantic discord in a husky baritone. Epic Records may hope it has another Trent Reznor in this one-man band, but On is less extreme, musically and lyrically, than Nine Inch Nails, while aping some of its sound. That will make the record a challenging sell to the hardcore audience that likes NIN, while pop/rock fans may be put off by its roughness. Still, if the label emphasizes ballads like the title track and "Building..." it may score a breakthrough, especially if the artist can add the hat of effective music video performer to his many other jobs.