The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996

--taken from: SPIN

Undoubtedly, 1996 was the year of Weird Alternative. Representing the final period before underground rock’s post-grunge bubble totally burst, the hits of 1996 shook out like loose change. Veteran oddballs like Luscious Jackson and Butthole Surfers scored unlikely crossovers, while future cult favorites like Eels and Nada Surf enjoyed their sole brushes with the mainstream. The success of No Doubt, 311, and Sublime presaged ska’s stupefying breakout the following year, while the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers primed big beat as the sound of the future (for about 18 months). Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam all flopped gloriously trying to follow up ’94 blockbusters, while Oasis and Smashing Pumpkins threatened to expand their ’95 success into total world domination. It was utter chaos, and it was hilariously beautiful.

Like the similarly freewheeling MTV sequel channel that launched in ’96, alt-rock was destined to crash. Tellingly, the Alternative Nation music-video program was canceled in ’97, the same year that Puff Daddy and Will Smith brought hip-hop to unprecedented commercial heights, and Hanson, the Spice Girls, and Backstreet Boys kicked off the teen-pop explosion that would carry the music industry’s boom years into the 21st century. But if there were relatively few survivors from ’96 alt-rock, that just makes the year all the more special in retrospect, as the only time in history when even Primitive Radio Gods were allowed to become contemporary radio gods. Come get all mixed up with us one more time.

92. Sloan, “The Good in Everyone”

Even as alt-rock scaled the Hot 100, power-pop acts couldn’t find a foothold — not even a band with four top-notch songwriters, well on their way to icon status in their native Canada. After two Geffen efforts that failed to land, Sloan gathered their breath and dropped One Chord to Another on their own Murderecords label. “The Good in Everyone” is the first blast: a dense defensive pose studded with handclaps and a strangled solo. On the verses, Andrew Scott provides massive cymbal sustain; Patrick Pentland sings the title like he’s got his hands over his ears.

--taken from: SPIN

TUNS: TUNS Album Review

--taken from: Paste Magazine

by Kurt Suchman

The term “supergroup” can be the cause of ecstasy or anguish when applied to one’s favorite musicians. Sometimes differing musicians can reinvent themselves or find a new route to follow, as is the case with supergroups from the Eric Clapton/Ginger Baker collaboration Cream to the recent chart-topping partnership between Skrillex and Diplo, Jack Ü. Far too often, however, supergroups become a gimmick as opposed to a band worthy of listening to—does Hollywood Vampires ring a bell?

TUNS is a Canadian supergroup that unites the indie rock stylings of Sloan’s Chris Murphy, The Inbreds’ Mike O’Neil, and Super Friendz’s Matt Murphy. As three established veterans to the ‘90s Halifax underground scene, TUNS comes together to make indie-indebted power pop without any gimmicky pretenses. On their self-titled debut album, TUNS has achieved what all supergroups should aspire to by making an album that sounds familiar to recognized fans while still fresh enough to garner a new following. But TUNS blows the term “supergroup” out of the water by tapping into the strengths of each individual musician for a one-of-a-kind mixture of talent.

There is classic indie sound that permeates the entirety of TUNS. While the bands that make up TUNS rose to prominence for their angsty indie rock alongside acts such as Guided by Voices and Pavement, the members of TUNS have matured since their ‘90s heydays. The result is a jangly, upbeat style of power pop with a slight edge that makes for a sound foreign to the band members’ past discography, but that perfectly encapsulates the underground energy of TUNS with a newfound sense of optimism. Though songs across the album’s nine tracks have a jaunty college rock guitar groove reminiscent of R.E.M., there is just enough modern flair to go along with the nostalgia that makes TUNS recall more present-day ‘90s nostalgia acts including Courtney Barnett and Mac Demarco.

Over time, the members of TUNS have been able to turn their own talents into specialized talents on their new project. All the songs sound like something unlike the discography of any of its past members. Album highlight “Mind Over Matter” is slightly grungy, but has a cheerful exuberance akin to acts going as far back as Cheap Trick. The songs only get brighter from there, even on drearily titled tracks such as “Lonely Life” that find the band all finding what’s good even in the worst of times. Even on the lovelorn country-esque haze of “Look Who’s Back In Town Again,” TUNS greets life’s cut downs with a mature and cheery disposition that stands proud even in the album’s dreariest moments.

Thankfully, TUNS is a supergroup that is much greater than the sum of its parts. As opposed to a group of musicians looking to reclaim their past successes, the members of TUNS make the music they know how to without any hang ups on their prior careers. In the end, TUNS holds up just as strongly to any of the member’s legendary bands, and they are making their own legend along the way.

--taken from: Paste Magazine

New music reviews: It’s all killer, no filler with Tuns

--taken from: The Record

by Michael Barclay

"Tuns" (Royal Mountain)

If the term Halifax Pop Explosion means anything to you, then this is the album you've been waiting for. Chris Murphy of Sloan, Matt Murphy (no relation) of Super Friendz and Flashing Lights, and Mike O'Neill of the Inbreds have teamed up to make a power trio that is even more than the sum of its parts. You know how when your favourites get together and make a so-called supergroup and 99 times out of 100 the end result is an inevitable disappointment and compromise? (See: Case/lang/veirs.) This is the one per cent you can get behind.

Attention magnet Chris Murphy is more than content to leave his bass behind and stay behind the drum kit here, letting equally natural rock star Matt Murphy handle all guitar parts (and rock kicks on stage). Of the three, Murphy has been the most musically dormant in recent years: here, he sounds pent up and unleashed, playing with the same vigour and excitement he did on his earliest records. O'Neill, whose bass playing in the duo that was the Inbreds was innovative and inspiring, has since, on his solo records, switched to guitar and played it relatively straight. Here, he's back on bass, playing intricate and melodic lines that suit the power trio format perfectly: Paul McCartney meets John Entwistle. All three share lead vocals, although you wouldn't necessarily know that: these musical brothers share a similar vocal timbre, which makes the three-part harmonies even richer.

All these men can write a great pop song on their own; together, they weave together interlocking hooks and let the lead melodies go to sometimes unexpected places. Practitioners of a concise craft, they also keep it clean and quick: nine songs in less than half an hour, with nary a wasted note. As the old adage goes: All killer, no filler. The production is rooted in late '60s Beatles and early glam stomp, with the directness and energy of early Jam records; it sounds timeless and raw, much like the performances themselves.

It's hard to imagine a better straight-up rock record being released this year. Tuns o' fun. No surprises, though — total pros, that's what they're here for.

Stream: "Back Among Friends," "Lonely Life," "Mind Your Manners"

--taken from: The Record

LINER NOTES: How TUNS made the perfect ’90s indie rock album for 2016

--taken from: CHARTattack

CanRock legends from Sloan, The Super Friendz, and The Inbreds just wanted to make a band with their buddies.

by Cam Lindsay

Liner Notes is a close up look at a great new album you may have missed. This time, the three members of TUNS discuss how a long-standing friendship evolved into a band.

The members of TUNS don’t like being referred to as a “supergroup,” but they don’t really have a say in the matter. They put the idea out there before anyone.

“I guess in a way we signed off on it because it’s in our bio,” admits bassist/singer Mike O’Neill. The temptation to refer to TUNS as a supergroup is strong considering their lineage. All three members played a pivotal role in Canadian indie rock’s magnificent run during the 1990s: O’Neill as a member of The Inbreds, Matt Murphy as a member of The Super Friendz and The Flashing Lights, and Chris Murphy as a member of the still-active Sloan.

Chris says he won’t be using the term to describe TUNS, but he does understand why it will forever stick to the band. “I think it’d be fun to see Captain Kirk, Captain Picard and Luke Skywalker in the same room,” he says. “I can’t think of a better example.” To which Matt chimes in with the perfect Canadian parallel: “The Littlest Hobo, Bruno Gerussi and Louis Del Grande.”

Some might not think of TUNS as a new band, but don’t let their respective histories fool you. Their first performance was in October 2015 playing Hayden’s Dream Serenade at Massey Hall, only one month after announcing the band existed. And now, less than a year later, they are releasing their self-titled debut album. Anyone familiar with O’Neill and the two Murphys should know what to expect: sharply written rock songs with a heavy focus on classic pop melodies. Like in Sloan and the Super Friendz, each member writes and sings – three songs apiece – evoking some familiarity from their previous work, but also a newfangled sound borne from this fresh take.
At the office of their Toronto-based record label Royal Mountain Records, we got all three members to sit down and reflect on their decades-old friendship and their newfound venture.

TUNS self-titled album is out August 26 on Royal Mountain Records.


Cam Lindsay (Chart Attack): The first photo you guys put out there was one from 20 years or so ago. How far back does the idea for this band go?

Matt Murphy: Chris was always trying to get me to leave my band and start a new band with him. At one point – when Sloan had an early crisis.

Chris Murphy: Right before the Super Friendz made Mock Up, Scale Down, so December '94, Sloan was basically like, “That’s it.” So basically I came sniffing around Matt like, “I just left my wife.” And he was like, “Dude, we’re just about to record! Sorry.” But it was fun to tour with Super Friendz.

Mike O’Neill: One thing I’d like to tell you about that black and white photo is that Chris and Matt are standing kind of close to me because I was wearing a Chicago Police Force jacket that my sister helped me pick out. It was this black leather jacket with giant buttons and shoulder flares, vents in the back. It was kind of a gross jacket. Like, a lot of jackets. So these guys moved in close to block the jacket so you couldn’t see how gross it was.

CM: Nooooo…

MM: We are mean! [Laughs]

MO: But they were helping me out. The idea was that they moved in so that my shoulders were covered and you couldn’t see how ridiculous my jacket was.

CM: That’s news to me. We were nice!

MO: You were nice about it.

MM: It was really Chris’s energy that put it together. When was it, at my birthday?

CM: You mean on the recent side? Well, I always mentioned how we backed Mike to give him a band. Matt, Charles Austin (The Super Friendz) and I were his backing band, which was a lot of fun. That was like three years ago at The Great Hall. This was kind of my dream. These guys are heavyweight players and singers and writers. I just thought it was a fun idea, and we could do more than just jam. I feel like we’ve done a lot. We haven’t played many shows but we’ve made a record, we’ve done it. I don’t want to stop doing it, but I’m happy we’ve done this much.

MM: I thought the first way you’d pitch it is CSN but no Y. Three singers across the front, maybe even just with acoustics, hitting their own catalogue but also other stuff. That didn’t move me too much. But I saw these guys sing “Dream” by The Everly Brothers together at my birthday one year and it was amazing. So once we did that with him, we nailed down a date to get this thing started.

But it was Mike’s mom who really got the band together.

MO: Kind of. My dad passed away in 2011 and my mom lives by herself in Oshawa, and here’s her address. No… I visit her a lot, every three months. And I started doing things around the house. As I recall, Chris said, “Next time you’re at home, why don’t we get together and jam.” And that’s how it started. So, in my mind, if I hadn’t been coming home so often it wouldn’t have occurred to me. And then what started happening was every time I came home it was to practice or play with these guys. I think there was one time where I came home and I didn’t tell Chris about it because I knew that if I did he’d say, “Well, what day? We could do it on Tuesday and Wednesday.” So I didn’t tell him anything and went home to help my mom secretly.

CM: Well, now the secret’s on her.

The last thing I wanted to ask you about that photo was did you crop anyone out of it to get it to look like that?

CM: No, but I have gone through other photos to find the three of us and I have comically cut people out.

MM: But not necessarily their limbs. So a lot of hands show up.

CM: No, we’re the only three people in that picture and I think it’s '98 at my 30th birthday. Sloan played at Palais Royale for the live record and Super Friendz opened up.

MM: I thought that photo was in Halifax.

CM: No, it’s at Queen and Bathurst. So we were looking at Pizza Pizza, which is in the background.

Do you think this band is more special now at this point in your lives than it would have been, say, in 1998?

CM: Maybe we would have been more part of the zeitgeist, whereas now we’re not really party of a scene or a story. I guess we’re just sort of trading on our pedigree in some ways. But it’s a giant shoulder shrug about how we’re being received. I’m into people hearing our record and liking it, but it doesn’t really matter. I think what would have been different then is our own expectations of what we can do with it. But our expectations at this point are pretty realistic.

MM: They’re fulfilled already.

CM: We’ve got our record on vinyl. Everything else is gravy.

MO: I can only speak for myself, but I think that I would have battled insecurities if I had been in a band with these guys in the mid-'90s. I would have been so distracted by whether I was worthy of being in the band or if I was holding my own in it or having delusions that I’m kind of in charge of this thing secretly. All of that interior dialogue would have led to unhappiness. And I think the opportunity coincides with me being the right age for it. So I’m glad I’m not missing the opportunity. The most boring thing you can say is, “Well, it’s just really fun.” Like who gives a fuck?

CM: That’s what I was just gonna say.

MO: I’m basically saying that’s how it feels. The way I would describe it is, right now, if I was playing a solo show and I made a mistake, everyone would know even if they couldn’t hear because they’d read it off my face. But if I have a mistake in this band – which I do – I just smile or laugh. That’s my unconscious reaction to it.

When you got together for that first practice was the chemistry obvious?

MO: I remember maybe possibly over-preparing a little bit, thinking: “I better bring a few riffs that aren’t right for my precious solo career. So what do I have that is unfinished but is appropriate for the band?” What I was afraid of was even though we know each other, we didn’t know what was going to happen. Ideally what would happen is we would start playing and come up with ideas and there wouldn’t be any homework. Everything would happen in the room. Now fortunately, that is what happened. It really did work out that way.

There was a bit of homework: Chris had a way of divvying up the songs and we were responsible for writing words for the ones that we were gonna sing. And then what we ended up doing, if I’m not giving too much away, we would suggest drum beats to Chris or he would suggest them. They would generally be hits with interesting drum parts and then we would use that as a starting point to inspire riffs on the guitar and bass.

CM: I would just be like, “This is something that I can play or I enjoy playing.” And in my head I was just sort of playing “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears and they’d be honking through whatever until we hit something, and then we’d record it. I couldn’t believe the way in which we could make it up on the spot. I am still in awe of that, and I have to give these guys credit more so than me. I’m there and contributing, I guess, but when we start out, it’s kind of insane. I’ve never done that before. And I brought a stockpile of ideas to the sessions, and they were fine, but the most exciting things were the ones that were made up on the spot.

Was it pretty clear that when the band was formed you would all sing and write songs?

MM: Yeah. The songs were all written very communally. You couldn’t really take them apart and extract something and say this was written by this person or that person. The album was really created all together. We sometimes even sing each other’s lyrics, and we certainly sing each other’s melodies. But in terms of us all singing, we definitely wanted to make sure we all sang an equal amount of lead vocals for sure. So there are nine songs on the record and we sing three each.

I love Mike’s vocals so much on this record, that it reminds me of the Eagles documentary where Glenn Frey says, “Well, when you have Don Henley in the band who else is gonna sing?” And I sort of feel like that about Mike because he has such a beautiful voice that can evoke a lot of emotion. So in the back of my mind I thought, “Well, why didn’t Mike sing all of the songs?”

MO: Oh my God! [Rolls eyes]

MM: That’s just because we’re all fans of each other. I also thought Chris should play all of the bass. [Laughs] No, but I really do just enjoy listening to these guys play.

MO: Matt said something funny to me walking down the street the other day. He said, “Hey, you know who’s a really good bass player? Oh, sorry, I forgot you’re a bass player.” [Laughs] Like, “If you need a bass player… Oh wait, sorry. You play bass.”

You brought in Ian McGettigan to produce the album, which throws Thrush Hermit into this band’s pedigree. He also plays bass. Did you pick him in case it didn’t work out with Mike?

MM: [Laughs] Yeah.

MO: Could be, yeah.

CM: No, we couldn’t get Rick White. Well, we didn’t contact him.

MM: I think the thing about Ian was that we were very comfortable with him. We all know him, there was no “getting to know you” moments. The way we were creating the music was the same with recording it with Ian. It didn’t change any of our dynamic whatsoever.

Is there any competition in this band?

MM: If there is it’s very friendly and inspiring in a way. If someone makes a good melody, then you know your next one has to be on that same level. So it drives you forward, but we’re not keeping score.

CM: When we contributed lyrics, I remember Matt having some trouble and I suggested something and then ten minutes later I heard him sing it. Like, “Fuck, he used it!” That would never happen in Sloan or in my experience before. Everybody is so precious.

MO: I definitely remember when I first heard Matt sing “Back Among Friends” and I thought, “Oh my God, the words are so good. Wow.” I wasn’t even jealous because it was our thing, but I remember thinking everything I did had to be good.

So you came up with 50 songs, then cut it down to 15 and ended up with nine.

MM: We had song things that we whittled down, and then we recorded 12 originals, three that aren’t on the record. It was Royal Mountain that suggested we go with nine.

CM: Yeah, we had 12 and then we started cutting. So if we took off one, we’d have to take off two more. I was insistent that we did an egalitarian split. Even though there is one song that I wrote the lyrics for, which Matt and I sing together.

MM: But my vocal is a few DBs lower.

CM: Whatever. I think the way things are going, short records are better.

MM: At the time I couldn’t believe we weren’t putting 12 songs on the record. But now that it’s nine, I think it’s very refreshing. We’re not bothering anyone longer than we have to.

When I mention TUNS to people, I say it sounds like the guys from the Inbreds, Sloan and the Super Friendz, but it also sounds like a new band.

MM: I think I hear all of those things in it. I wouldn’t say it’s a fresh start for any of us. I certainly feel that making it felt like it came together in a unique way. There is something fresh about it. I hope that is down to the way we approached the music. Even though stylistically it’s not going to revolutionize modern music, it will always sound fresh to people. As long as it sounds fresh and vibrant then we’re doing something right. But I do hear those influences, for sure. We’re making up music now, and I’ll say, “I just ripped you off playing that lick there.”

MO: And I’m like, “That’s fine. You have my permission.” One thing that is shocking to Matt too, is that some people can’t tell the difference between our voices. And I think, “Why not? I can.” When I hear Chris sing, it’s hard not to hear that voice you associate with the big songs of Sloan. Like if I heard this guy’s voice doing anything with any instruments I would think of it as Sloan-based. But that’s just Chris’s voice, and he played with Sloan first. It’s an interesting thing. I do think that it’s substantial that even people who know me well can’t tell who is singing what. I find that shocking. But I do find that our voices are in the same range.

CM: But some people can’t tell The Beatles apart. I think it’s fun that we’re a trio because Matt and I have been in four-piece rock groups, and the joke is that Mike was in a two-piece, so he’s come up and we’ve come down. But it is fun to be in a three-piece, and Matt is such a good guitar player that we don’t need a rhythm guitar player. There is so much space when we play live. And when we’re making the record we wanted to make it a bit sparse. For me, certainly the process was different, and I like how sparse the record is. I’m sick of myself, when I write music. I’m fine with my ability, but I’m so tired of my tricks and tropes. But the riffs that these guys come up with are so fun. Sorry, this is boring. But we have so many riffs as a starting point for another record. I’m so excited about them.

MO: That’s how I feel about my next solo record. Because I’ve been working on a solo record, and then this came along.

CM: Umm, we’re talking about this right now. [Laughs]

MM: No, but it’s true. The gratification comes a lot quicker when you have three people working on the same song together. It’s not like it’s not work, it’s just a lot more fun. You see results a lot quicker, and then you can move on to the next one. It doesn’t come easy, but it’s very rewarding. And I agree with what Chris is saying: we’re a three-piece, so that’s fresh because we’ve never done that. We’re writing in this new way that is unique to our past experiences, but at the same time, I do still hear the influences of our past. And if other people do, I understand.

--taken from: CHARTattack

TUNS' Debut Delivers on its East-Coast Indie Rock Pedigree

--taken from: NOW Toronto

by Carla Gillis

Followers of East Coast indie rock have been anticipating this debut self-titled album since last October, when the group made up of Chris Murphy (Sloan) on drums and vocals, Matt Murphy (Super Friendz/the Flashing Lights; unrelated to Chris) on guitar and vocals and Mike O'Neill (the Inbreds) on bass and vocals revealed itself at a surprise show at Massey Hall.

We've been hearing regularly from Chris via long-running power-pop four-piece Sloan and intermittently from O'Neill, who has released a number of solo records and written film soundtracks. Matt, however, has been mostly quiet and greatly missed. It's a thrill, then, that he contributes many of the songs.

His blistering, bright, savvy guitar solos are here in full force - usually coming near a song's end in a blast of elastic flash and dazzle. His familiar voice, too, remains strong, his songs smartly crafted and stacked with harmonies.

Intelligent songwriting is the record's through line. (Chris's Look Who's Back In Town Again is perfectly late-Beatles and exceptionally gorgeous.) Melody is everywhere, tempos are peppy, and the three voices blend in intricate harmonies and sometimes play relay. On Throw It All Away, O'Neill begins, Matt takes over in the chorus, then Chris and O'Neill handle the second verse together.

Occasionally things suffer lyrically, when someone falls back on a rote rhyme ("Rain, rain, go away / come again some other day," Chris sings on Mixed Messages, or "You learn to mind your business / to mind your P's and Q's" on Mind Your Manners), or the songwriters' sentiment seems simplistic or on the nose. See first song Back Among Friends, about, well, how nice it is to be playing music together again.

O'Neill's songs, especially Lonely Life and I Can't Wait Forever, are appreciated for allowing some melancholy to seep in. Matt's Mind Over Matter stands out by digging in a little harder tonally and rhythmically, adding some grit to all the sweetness. And it has such a classic Matt Murphy chorus and guitar licks that our nostalgic hearts go a-flutter.

--taken from: NOW Toronto