Ten Kens - Ten Kens
They aren't afraid to mess with the formula but when they are their loudest, they are at their best.
Canadian troupe Ten Kens are fairly unheard of around this isle, but the Toronto outfit hope to be making a splash in a new pond with their self-titled debut album. Surrounding themselves in the same musical sound space as bands such as Liars and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ten Kens have finely honed onto their own blend of garage rock with their own hand-built wall of sound thanks to Broken Social Scene producer Colin Stewart.
'Bearfight' opens the album, with scores of reverb and tons of raucous energy; this sets the pace for the entire record - loud and intense but with a cool undercurrent of melody, and a distant echo of Arcade Fire. These boys were certainly paying attention during rock classes. There are occasions when they break up the sound thrash with some acoustic twanging on 'Downcome Home', the semi-spoken word 'Alternate Biker' and the quite bonkers 'Spanish Fly'. There all serve up as evidence that they aren't afraid to mess with the formula but when they are their loudest, they are at their best. It's exceptional that only four members can make such a sound; the fret work and drumming are intense throughout and the epic 'Refined' is where it all comes together (bound to sound mountainous live).
The main let down from 'Ten Kens' is that, although all the tracks are well executed, there isn't enough to make you want to come back for more. Dan Workman's vocals are rarely the main focus on the album and the lyrics are truly cryptic - it all leads to a fairly user unfriendly album, which is a shame as there are a lot more surprises on offer here than in most of the other rock albums this month. With some fine tuning from the four-piece, they could be on to a winner - maybe the Canadian TV On The Radio.
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