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It’s fresh (fresh!) exciting. And so inviting to me.
It was as true in 1984 for Kool and his gang as it is
now for me in Autumn 2008. Recently signed to Fat
Cat Records and boasting the kind of growling pandemonium
traditionally associated with bands like The Walkmen,
Liars and Arcade Fire, Toronto’s bittersweet, spiked
and lysergic alt-folk-rock ‘troupe’, Ten Kens,
arrive not on our shores but in our stores this month,
unleashing their gritty, belligerent and eponymously
titled debut on a public cruelly under-challenged by
the likes of The Feeling and Scouting for Girls. Not
that they are worlds apart by any means, it’s just their
talent for tunes is this time offset not by polished
production credits, comfortable sweaters and a general
sense of bonhomie but by fiercely shredded axe-grinding,
lashings of unnatural reverb and an approach to recording
that is vaguely reminiscent of pushing a drum-kit off
the top of the stairs and listening to it crash to the
floor. It’s slightly crazy, slightly eccentric and it
has clearly seen as much sunlight in the last 12 months
as a student stuck in an airshaft.
And that’s just the way we like it.
Recorded in Montreal at Breakglass Studios (not so much
a challenge as a contractual obligation by the sounds
of it) the album was completed in a gruelling two-week
stint and banged into shape by Colin Stewart (Black
Mountain, Pretty Girls Make Graves). Crud caught up
with guitarist, Dean Tzenos to determine their present
coordinates.
Where are you now and what can you see?
Sitting at a computer, watching a 3D cat talk to a 3D
rabbit.
What was the last thing you ate?
Catch me on any other day and it would have been an
amazing egg medley breakfast. Sadly, today it was a
chalky chocolate flavoured instant breakfast drink.
What was the last thing you loved really quite passionately?
Music…it’s always music.
What’s the next piece of music you intend to buy?
Snowman - The Horse, The Rat And The Swan…on vinyl if
I can find it.
What was the last film you saw?
Seven Samurai. Blew my mind. The Magnificent Seven don’t
seem so magnificent anymore.
Ever had a recurring dream? What is it?
This is pretty crazy actually. I have this recurring
dream/nightmare where I walk down a long flight of stairs
into absolute darkness. Nothing but fear and isolation
await me at the bottom. But here’s the crazy part, when
we recorded our album, I had to walk down that same
flight of stairs into pure darkness to set up a microphone.
It was surreal.
What is the most important thing you’ve ever done?
Making this record, without a doubt. It’s just something
that had to be done and it will hopefully determine
the path for the rest of my life.
Where in the world do you still want to go?
Russia. Would love to bring the noise to the ruskies!
Where or how do you feel most comfortable?
At home in bed. I love sleeping.
Any plans for tomorrow?
I’ll probably be getting drunk. It’s Friday.
‘Ten Kens’ is out now on Fat Cat Records
Relevant sites:
www.myspace.com/tenkens
www.tenkens.com
Alan Sargeant for Crud Magazine 2008©
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