ON

"On" is the duo of Naaran Barzilay, guitar and vocals, and Adam Halfi who will fixate you as he plays keys and drums simultaneously! Together they project some wonderful sounds, creative, alive and as "rock" as they are unique.
Naaran Barzilay, vocal, "On"
Seeing them live at Pianos in New York was a treat for me. Their music gave me a feeling of the confidence they had in performing it. I felt a part of their projection from the stage. It was music one could lose yourself in, BUT at no time did I feel a disconnect with the artists.

The set seemed to be a continuous effort from the stage to "give" to the audience a feeling...a feeling that you could choose to invoke yourself as you watched. At times "rock" in a unique form, that never took you far from reality as some do, other times a more relaxed effort to bring some tranquility to the room, and the listeners.

"On"
The CD that "ON" has released is "Box Of Costumes"

The work is just as pleasing to the ear as the duo is live, I loved it.

The title tune paints a picture we are all familiar with, our first encounter with our desire to explore
well, perhaps to explore the loss of innocents. Which Naaran describes so correctly when he calls it a "ring of fire".

"Not Much To Say" is another cut from "Box Of Costumes" ..as several other cuts, the lyrics could stand alone as poetry. "There is a shore over the sea, it is a thin bridge that we are crossing....I'm crossing with you"
...add those beautiful words to a powerfully delivered melodic line, and you have the core of "On".

I have selected this as one of the Top Five CD's I have reviewed this year....http://streetcredmusic.blogspot.com/2012/02/streetcredmusic-top-albums-ive-heard.html - www.streetcredmusic.com

If I were to say, “There is something very beautiful about music,” it would not be a strange or unusual statement. Indeed, when sound becomes organized into a melody, first meeting the air en route to an audience, it often forms with beautiful results. The outcome, at times, in addition to beauty, can be enchanting. Beauty, of course, is a measure of quality, in the sense that it is typically said to define a way of perceiving a pleasing external phenomenon. However, it is enchantment that can boil-down the qualities after the initial pleasure and spread it through a newly disarmed body.

What I am describing is the difference—and also relationship—between acknowledging and feeling. Personally, I often acknowledge beauty, as it is spread all around me. But, the feeling of enchantment—of being filled with delight—is not so pervasive. It is a rare, but priceless feeling. And to that effect, this review will be a homage to these feelings that were brought forth by the beautiful and enchanting music of a band, simply named, ON.

ON is a Brooklyn-based band that formed in 2010, comprising of two members. The first half of the band, Naaran Barzilay plays the guitar, sings, and writes the words. The second half, Adam Halfi, simultaneously plays the drums and keyboard. Their first release, Box of Costumes, is not what you’d expect from a duo. The music is rich and led by a heavy guitar, powerfully reverberating over under- girding drums, and keyboard—often used for strings, electric pianos, and bass. At times the keyboard even overpowers the strength of the guitar. The orchestration is thick, leaving very little blank space. Naaran’s vocals enter inside equally as rich. His distinct voice asserts itself as being larger than life. ON, in short, is much larger than two.

ON describes Box Of Costumes, as being “an intuitive musical exploration”. To me, this means we must feel each song’s meaning when the only perception we’ve had is the fact that there is music. If you are willing to explore this sensual place of sound, you will quickly become surrounded by Naaran’s passionate and powerful vocals that lead you through melodies into “a sequence of vivid images of beauty”, each one recalling beauty at its moment of discovery, while simultaneously erecting a new place to discover beauty.

For me, as stated earlier, the music moves beyond beauty to the point where a tension within me is released. I do not mean to imply that prior to listening to On I am depressed and then afterwards I feel better, rather, during a close listen, I find the tension between my internal and external realities recede as if thre was never a conflict between the two. Somehow while listening to ON, internal and external has no other meaning then to compliment each other. Now, of course, we must explore this possibility.

The album opens with the title track, “Box Of Costumes,” where a soft impassioned guitar riff welcomes listeners. It repeats and repeats almost as if it is trying to lure us in. Naaran’s voice enters, the guitar plays underneath with a light electric piano, “Her private room/ she walks you in”, and in this private place we follow. After we enter the room we move into another secret, “her box of costumes”. It is here “she keeps the colors”, to be exact, our image is a dress made of “green silk with lace of flowers”. Beyond being a box of costumes waiting to be worn, this is a box of desires waiting to be put into motion.

Once this is revealed, the music intensifies, as does the passion. Indeed, now that we are in the closet there are no more secrets, and feelings are allowed to run free. The music is still melodic, but it now springs wild led by a heavy guitar, the riff almost imposing, as the drums too begin to bounce. To state simply, the music sounds unrestrained. In an atmosphere like this the inner child, that sits suppressed in the subconscious now comes forth and leers from the eyes of the woman leading the way into this place of - THE HIVE NYC by Jason Yellen