Much has already been written about the Canadian alt-rock scene and its rampant creativity. Arcade Fire may have been responsible for lending the UK mainstream some semblance of quality and integrity over the last couple of years but it's always been the bands on the cusp that have carried the most interest. Wolf Parade, Black Mountain and their glorious ilk have carried the Canadian flag with an impressive and relentless search for creative innovation. Add now to that list, Ten Kens, the twee-sounding, gonzo-rock-playing quartet from Toronto.

Recently signed to Brighton's Fat Cat Records, Ten Kens' eponymous debut is a riotous listen. Drowning everything in reverb they set about constructing an album's worth of gothic prog rock; yet one that's been sprinkled occassionally with colossal pop hooks. On first listen it's like being hit but a Japanese bullet-train; a sensory overload that leaves you feeling more than just a little battered and bruised.

But the sooner you can acclimatise to the fact that the album sounds like it was recorded in a coffin at the bottom of the Pacific the better. For this is actually a superlative record. Bold, brave and yet introspective it walks a fine and distinguished line between the rattle alt-pop of Wolf Parade and the droning rock mess of drug monsters The Warlocks.

Take the ferociously-ending 'Refined' as an example. A gentle, lulling slice of wonky pop, it stumbles around like a strung-out Liars for 2 minutes before relenting to a thunderclap of guitars and drums so stacked with power that I swear you can hear tiles falling off the studio roof in the background. It's immense and offers a perfect snapshot of the creative processes at work in the construction of this record.

For some it may be a little too abstract, but given time and space to breathe it becomes a record that can stand tall amongst so many of its Canadian compadres.

Stephen Jasper

'Ten Kens' is released in 15th September 2008 via Fat Cat Records
www.fat-cat.co.uk