The Two Tens – Volume

The Two Tens are a duo from Loas Angeles, California, they are comprised of vocalist and guitarist Adam Bones and drummer Rikki Styxx. They take their cue from sixties garage rock and seventies punk rock and they have combined these two genre’s perfectly to create their debut album, Volume. I have previously encountered Rikki Styxx when she was drumming for The Dollyrots, she puts every ounce of her being into drumming, when she’s behind a drum kit you just know that there is nothing else she would rather be doing. Her counterpart Adam Bones somehow manages to make the kind of noise it usually takes two guitarists and bass player to convey, together they bring an enthusiasm and vibrancy that is sadly absent from many bands recordings.

The album makes a frantic start with Scene and this sets the template for much of the album, they play high energy garage influenced rock played with reckless abandon, but for me they are at their best on the tracks Sweet As Pie and I Can’t Win, these are slices of sweet innocent sixties pop that sound like they’ve been spiked with amphetamines. However, Volume‘s finest moment is Can’t Pull Through, this is as good a song as you’ll hear this year, a wonderful bouncy frantic buzzsaw guitar number that captures the essence of everything that made The Ramones so wonderful. Breathe closes the album, it starts as downbeat acoustic number and you start to wonder if The Two Tens have finally run out of energy, of course they haven’t, at the half way mark a bone crunching drum beat and brutal guitar riff ensure that Volume finishes in fine noisy style

The Two Tens bring a relentless and frantic energy to this album, as a result Volume is a close to perfect blend of the swagger of sixties garage rock and the energy of early punk rock. It will be one of life’s mysteries how two people can make such a fully rounded and frenetic sound. However they do it I just hope they continue to do so, as few bands will make as finer debut album as Volume. They are currently on an extensive US tour and after hearing this album I’d recommend catching them live, the tour dates can be found here

Volume is available from the usual sources or can be ordered as download, CD or Vinyl directly from the band here