The Super Friendz
Play The Game, Not Games
Murderecords

As any good murderecords junkie knows, the Super Friends are an eclectic, young pop-country act from Halifax NS. The recently released jolt-pop gem Play The Game, Not Games (10") is no exception. PTGNG has the flavorful, infectious melodies and kickin' rock attitude that has made the Friendz a great reputation among Canadian indie junkies.

This time around they take you through their folkie tales with lyrics like "it rained so hard that day, the marshal lost his WaaaaAAaay" and cheery happy go lucky, thoughts for the day like "it's only life that brings you down, and nervousness that brings you round" (that is what I heard newayz-ed) (I see what you heard - ed's note) that are guaranteed to grab your attention and make you smile knowingly at your turntable. The friends decided to throw in some spooky guitar sounds on one of their songs, some piano and some nifty squeaks and squawks with their guitars.

In case you are unfamiliar, the friends have a way of making you think you are truckin' along and then hit you with a stunning break in instrumental and a good hearty dose of Matt Murphy's lovely voice. This has a great attention-grabbing affect that would never let you sleep through one of their albums. Lonnie's brilliant drum parts were recorded on 4 track, giving the album a scrappy low-fi sound that compliments the songs with a charismatic taste. In comparison with Mock Up Scale Down I would have to say that PTGNG is the continuation of the same kind of songwriting that made MUSD work, but with a brilliant new twist (or angle if you will) to the recording. PTGNG is a lot noisier, because it has a lot more sounds happening all at once. This makes it very reminiscent of the live shows the Friendz are famous for, the just-for-the-heck-of-it rock attitude that makes the Friendz so witty and spastic on stage will have the same affect on you in your living room.

So don't eat too much sugar before you give PTGNG a spin or you may end up replacing a few pieces of furniture that were fatalities of a dancing frenzy. The Friendz play an Easy Beats cover of the song Sorry with a Creedence Clearwater Revival style, that only the Friendz could pull off on this album. The scrappy sound and speedy pace all work together to make this album one of the most fun to listen to this year. Way to go guyz!

I think they are coming out with a second full length in '97.

Copyright © 1997 Laura Bowman