Ken Andrews - Secrets of the Lost Satellite

Besides his cult status as a go-to guy for nuggets of dark pop production, Ken Andrews also continues to amaze with his own leisure time endeavours. Releasing albums under the monikers of On and Year of the Rabbit while sound engineering for the likes of A Perfect Circle, Beck and Chris Cornell, his former band Failure was also a much overlooked moment in the halcyon days of alternative rock. With Secrets of the Lost Satellite, Andrews has carved out a solid amalgam of hooks and atmospherics that is both awkward and inviting. Forging a fragile alliance between synthesizer and guitar, the terrain he walks on is more Numan than Nirvana but it still rings true with the air of the strange that made Failure so fascinating. While the twist and turn of Up or Down might appear the most instantly palatable of the songs on offer, it is the deep and luscious industrial grooves found elsewhere (see Does Anybody Know) that really hammer home the quality of Andrews' unique style of writing. This is an indie release well worth tracking down. [Dave Kerr]