Just in time to start the wave of indie-hype at this years Pop Montreal where they will headline a Saturday night showcase, eclectic Toronto rockers Ten Kens will release their self-titled debut tomorrow on one of our favorite bi-Continental labels, FatCat. Ten Kens is the result of more than a year of near-hermetic songwriting toil by founding duo Dean Tzenos (guitar) and Dan Workman (vocals): You know the story – inspired musicians start writing songs, can’t find the proper band to perform the songs, hole themselves up in a bedroom studio and finish writing and recording the entire album themselves.
Lucky for us, these home recordings found their way to FatCat, and subsequently, put these guys in a studio. Recorded at Breakglass Studios in Montreal with producer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer, Pretty Girls Make Graves), the recording also paved the way to enlist full-time bandmates Lee Stringle (drums) and Ryan Rountree (bass). Their press release drops references to the Liars and Black Heart Procession, or predecessors like Sonic Youth and Mudhoney, but I hear a distinct Radiohead flavor on the track “Refined”, especially in the opening melody before it swings back towards the American (or North American) end of the sonic spectrum.
MP3 Download – “Refined”
Ten Kens tracklisting
01. Bear Fight
02. Downcome Home
03. Refined
04. Y’all Come Back Now
05. Spanish Fly
06. The Alternate Biker
07. Prodigal Sum
08. Worthless & Oversimplified Ideas
09. The Whore Of Revelation
10. Your Kids Will Know
11. I Really Hope You Get To Retire
