○○○○○WHEN putting together the classic album In Utero, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain used a broken amp to create the distinctive "brutal" sound employed on the album.
In Utero's producer Steve Albini said: "He had to keep it away from the technicians that they toured with because he was afraid that they were going fix it and then the sound would go away."
And for me, Canadian band Ten Kens' Arcade Fire-meets-Amusement Parks On Fire sound has the same rare, raw "broken amp" quality about it.
The original release that brought Ten Kens record label attention was recorded by the four-piece themselves in a rented townhouse, and this eponymous studio-debut LP has the same feel about it.
From the ramshackle Downcome Home to the raucous singalong The Alternative Biker to the Pixies-esque Worthless And Oversimplified Ideas, Ten Kens is like listening to a live set.
A blistering, assured debut, Ten Kens gets a worthy five out of five.
To coincide with their forthcoming UK tour dates, you can download one of the album tracks, Spanish Fly, for free at http://www.indian.co.uk/myspace/spanish_fly/spanish_fly.mp3
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