MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: TUNS

This is the supergroup that comes straight from our hearts and dreams, three of the most fun, creative rock folks in the country from the past two-plus decades.  All with Halifax ties and long-time friends, TUNS is named after the Technical University of Nova Scotia, and features Chris Murphy (Sloan), Matt Murphy (Super Friendz, Flashing Lights) and Mike O'Neill (Inbreds).  These guys revel in hook-filled, sweet-sounding guitar rock, with lots of Beatles and Who moments, while retaining just the right amount of indie cred.  In other words, the 20-year-old record nerd inside me is jumping with joy.  Actually, so is the 55-year-old record fan.  This stuff, unlike me, never gets old.

You wanna rock?  Well, how about Mind Over Matter, with its insistent bass line, machine gun rhythm guitar, and those awesome early Beatles answering harmonies ("Do-you-know/do-you-know?").  While the sound is joyous and all-important, the lyrics are a big part of the fun too, these folks love a great couplet:  "The sun is up, the rain is gone, why you feeling so put-upon?" starts To Your Satisfaction.  And what can you say about the sentimental message of opener Back Among Friends, as great a homage to pop music, their own music, and their friendship as can be:  "Maybe we're riding our luck/but from the first chord that we ever struck/rough and a little too tough/it's been easy and natural, off the cuff."

At nine tracks and 28 minutes, this is over way too fast but lets hope that means more songs left over for more albums.  I can't remember an album I love start to finish more that this in years.