Based in
Toronto, Ten Kens were discovered by Fat Cat Records and became the first and
only Canadian act signed to the famed UK indie label, the same label made
famous for discovering and launching the careers of such international
sensations as Sigur Ros, Animal Collective, No Age, and Frightened Rabbit.
After a
successful UK winter tour supporting A Place To Bury Strangers, Ten Kens eagerly signed with famed
Canadian label Last Gang Records (Metric, The New Pornographers, Death From
Above 1979) and
immediately headed into the studio to record the much anticipated follow-up to
their critically acclaimed 2008 debut.
The origins
of the band are rooted in 2003.
Building on a shared musical affinity, the band jammed and rehearsed as
a three piece utilizing several different drummers for the first year, before
deciding to rent a townhouse to write and record an album entirely by
themselves. From start to finish, that process took over a year. Once recorded, the fruit of their labours
was burnt to disc and circulated, and following a spate of label interest
culminating in their signing to FatCat, they decided to flesh out the line-up
and set about recording their debut album proper, with renowned Canadian
producer/engineer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer) at the helm.
In 2010, Ten Kens are very much informed by a collective
drive and ambition that firmly places them in the realm of their
contemporaries, recalling the likes of Black Mountain, Sonic Youth and Arcade
Fire. The new album was recorded over a very intense four-month period. It is
the range of contrasts which make ‘For Posterity’ such an intriguing listen.
Heavenly vocals appear hauntingly over dark sludgy guitars which then
themselves provide a platform for a surprisingly spiky post-punk riff, or the
prelude to a screaming deluge of noise. Still, whilst the band sought simply to
capture the spirit unique to each song, the band have maintained the ability to
record an album with a sonic narrative, through the widescreen sense of drama
that characterized their self-titled debut. However, whilst the musical intent
of that was to make a tangible body of work, ‘For Posterity’ feels more like a
spirit, haunting the listener with a brooding dread that runs throughout the
album and binds its contrasting musical elements together.
‘For
Posterity’ is set
to be released worldwide August 2010, with North American and European tours
currently in the planning stages.