Exclaim! praises: "Andrews, the ‘alternative Phil Spector’, and brainchild behind the much heralded group Failure, who arguably are the genesis of the chromatic processed guitar sound (currently perpetuated by former member Troy Van Leeuwen, who took it to A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age), and whom also earned accolades worldwide and gained great support by the likes of other left-field dark rockers such as Tool."
Since producing and mixing Fantastic Planet, a new career opened up for Ken, as bands and artists found themselves drawn to his aural sensibilities. Easily segueing into his second calling as a producer/mixer, Ken has worked for numerous acts—including Beck, Pete Yorn, Tenacious D, A Perfect Circle, Jimmy Eat World, Mae, and Blink-182.
In 2000, Ken continued as a recording artist with his first solo project, ON (Epic Records), and later with the band Year of the Rabbit (Elektra). “I enjoy making records. Whether I’m helping other artists enhance their vision as a producer or mixer, or writing and recording my own stuff as an artist; I find both worlds to benefit each other, as I invariably pick up skills and techniques from the artists I produce and vice versa. I find wearing both hats equally satisfying creatively.”
Now, Ken returns to the scene with his first solo release as Ken Andrews. “I’m very excited about this album [Secrets of the Lost Satellite]. I’ve had the opportunity to ask various people I’ve worked with over the years to come in and collaborate with me this time. I brought in two of my oldest musical cohorts, Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, IMA Robot) and Jordon Zadorozny (Blinker the Star, Abbey) to co-produce the new album with me. Justin’s accomplished career as a top L.A. studio bassist (Tori Amos, Air, Garbage, The Mars Volta) and his experience as Beck’s live musical director and bassist has prepared him well for the tasks of producer. His main concept for this record, and the driving force as to why this album is decidedly different from my previous solo work, was to bring in a live band to overdub as a unit, on top of my fairly finished and detailed demos. The band consisted mostly of Beck’s current live group, whom I had met when I was hired by Beck to contribute to the Nacho Libre Soundtrack (Brian Lebarton, Matt Mahaffey, Matt Sherrod, and Justin Stanley). We all got together for a two-day recording session, which was one of the most exciting of my life. These guys are so tuned in to each other. Listening to them come up with ideas, and in some cases completely transforming my songs—was a huge rush for me. While the basic structures and all the vocals stayed the same, the songs became injected with a live, undulating quality, that enhanced the basic feel I was going for, but took it far beyond what I thought was possible.”
“The creative process has been very liberating and free flowing. I finally have taken the pressure off of myself, in terms of playing most of the instruments, and really used my skills as the songwriter and overall auteur of the album to my advantage,” he explains.
“Write Your Story”, a track Ken co-wrote with Jordon Zadorozny, strays from what is heard on past Failure, ON, and Rabbit releases. Somewhere in the musical vein of Air and The Doves, the dreamy undertones of the song echo alongside luxuriant vocals.
“Jordon and I have worked together a lot in the past, except with the underlying roles reversed (I was producing him in the past). We both, play, sing, engineer, and produce, so we tend to get into the nitty-gritty of things real quick. Jordon is one of the very few people I’m completely comfortable writing with for my own album. He and I share a writing sensibility that we don’t talk about, it just happens. Plus, he completely understands my musical history and what I was trying to achieve on this album. His role was primarily co-producer, but he played quite a few instruments on various songs, and he co-wrote probably my favorite song on the album, “Write Your Story.”
“Secret Things”, one of the album’s standout tracks, combines tripped-out strings with a synth-bass groove creating a demanding, viscerally appeal. Live instruments (drums, piano, and guitar) mingle with electronic elements. Strong, hooky vocals keep the song on course. “In Your Way”, another stylistically dynamic track pulls the listener into an eerie, enticing space/dream world.
Secrets of the Lost Satellite is expected in stores on March 13, 2007 courtesy of Dinosaur Fight Records. “I think people are going to hear things that they are used to hearing from me on this album, but they are also going to hear things that I haven’t really done in the past,” explains Ken.
A three-week promotional headline tour is slated to coincide with the anticipated release. This tour will be Ken’s first return to the live scene since touring with Year of the Rabbit in 2003.
Secret Things
Ken Andrews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
was it something you should not have said
was it something i needed to hear now
did it come from that place in your head
the place where nothing gets out
the secret things i want to find out
would you come here and lend me your book
can't read past the place where it ends up
the place where nobody has looked
the place where nothing gets out
the secret things i want to find out
did you want to look somewhat upset when
i overheard thoughts you let slip
from the shadows of time spent apart girl
i'm onto your paranoid tricks
the place where nothing gets out
the secret things i want to find out
you can't hide what lies in doubt
the secret things i'm going to find out
These lyrics are describing a situation where the singer is trying to uncover the secrets of their partner. The first verse suggests that the partner may have said something they shouldn't have, or something that the singer needed to hear. The singer is curious about what is going on in their partner's head, particularly the "place where nothing gets out" - where their secrets are kept. The singer wants to find out what these "secret things" are.
The second verse asks the partner to come closer and share more about themselves. The singer notes that they "can't read past the place where it ends up," suggesting that their partner is hiding something. The bridge of the song suggests that the partner has been trying to hide their true feelings, but the singer is onto their "paranoid tricks." In the final chorus, the singer is determined to find out what secrets their partner is keeping, believing that "the secret things" will finally be brought to light.
The song's theme of trying to uncover secrets in a relationship may be relatable to many listeners. It is a common desire to want to know everything about your partner, but it can also be challenging to navigate the boundaries of privacy in a relationship. The repeated use of the phrase "the place where nothing gets out" emphasizes the difficulty of accessing someone's innermost thoughts and feelings. Overall, the lyrics of "Secret Things" suggest both a yearning for closeness and a fear of being kept in the dark.
Line by Line Meaning
was it something you said with your eyes shut
Did you accidentally reveal something by saying it with your eyes closed?
was it something you should not have said
Did you say something that you shouldn't have shared with me?
was it something i needed to hear now
Did you say something that I needed to hear at this moment?
did it come from that place in your head
Did you say it because you've been thinking about it for a while?
the place where nothing gets out
There's a part of your mind that keeps secrets hidden from others.
the secret things i want to find out
I want to know what's kept hidden in your mind.
would you come here and let down your hair girl
Will you come closer and be yourself with me?
would you come here and lend me your book
Can I borrow something that's important to you and see a part of who you are?
can't read past the place where it ends up
I can't understand what happens in your mind after a certain point.
the place where nobody has looked
There are secrets kept that no one has discovered yet.
did you want to look somewhat upset when
Did you intend to look bothered when I overheard you?
i overheard thoughts you let slip
I heard something you revealed unintentionally.
from the shadows of time spent apart girl
These thoughts were kept hidden while we were apart from each other.
i'm onto your paranoid tricks
I've caught on to the ways you try to hide things from me.
you can't hide what lies in doubt
I won't be deceived by things you're unsure about and try to hide.
the secret things i'm going to find out
I will discover what's kept hidden in your mind.
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Humans Etcetera
Ken Andrews voice is epic - beautiful - cold - and badass all at the same time. I love it.
Morgan Clarke
i love this song because it makes you think of many things like wanting to lose control and just let go
Sarah Hopkins
I found this song from the club scene in the roommate
Maxigorzi
Хорошее, живое звучание, цепляет, а это для сегодняшней музыки редкость.
Maxigorzi
Здорово! Музыка, которая цепляет.
MavalocKing5050
Amazing song!!!!
Maria Sael
Great song !
Ana Reis-Guttorm
perfeita
Pat Pande
god this song is awesome!
Sofia ExXs
instrumental version would be also amaziing for this song ! ;)