Bringin' home the Canadian bacon...
Ten Kens are from Toronto, there are only four of them and none of them are called Ken. So if there are any girls reading this called Barbie and thinking of inviting them round for a gang-bang - I'm sorry - but you're shit out of luck.
Ten Kens do, however, make pretty good noise. Recently signed to FatCat, their AA side merges indie-folk-punk-rock-emo (yes, this is a genre in itself - haven't you heard?) with Black Sabbath riffage. I know - this sounds a bit odd - but believe me it's true and pretty damn good.
'Bearfight' is the rockier of the two tracks and sounds a bit like something The Killers or Arcade Fire would write if they could write good songs...and had listened to a lot of Black Sabbath. The production can be simply explained: reverb...lots and lots and lots and lots of reverb. How much is lots? Put it this way: when I first listened to it, I thought my ears had popped and spent a good five minutes holding my nose and swallowing to try and sort myself out. I was also, unfortunately, on the tube so this made look like a right tool and pretty much directly contributed to a gaggle of German tourists getting really fucking scared and ditching me at Southwark. And no, I'm not exaggerating. I mean what the hell is there for a gaggle of German tourists to do in Southwark - apart from get mugged?
'Y'all Come Back Now' is a lumbering fuzzed-out country groove with a preaching mystic guitar and a vocal that sounds like it was recorded in a massive Tupperware box. Yep, it's a too-cool-for-school trip that's perfect for the post-club-nightbus-home-comedown, though does meander maybe a little too close to Kula Shaker territory for comfort.
Definitely one to watch this year, Ten Kens' album is due in the autumn (or should that be Fall?) and one that should make it onto everyone's "To Do" list.