Tops - Tender Opposites (Vinyl LP, CD)

The first thing that’s striking me about this LP from Montreal’s Tops on the opening track ‘Evening’ is the similarity between the voice of singer Jane to well known British blandpop singer Dido. Not a great foot to get off on to be honest, and this opening track drifts along pretty inoffensively, although the addition of some weird synth noises has led Phil to say it’s a bit X-Files. X-Files meets Dido...tempting or what? Still, apparently this has something to do with Pat Jordache (so says the press release...although I suspect it just means one of these lot plays in his band) and I thought his last album was brilliant so my hopes are still high.

Thankfully on the second track peps up a bit and heads into more of a kind of lo-fi Cyndi Lauper/Friends territory and is dead charming. Proper ‘80s style guitar jangle and snappy synth melodies. As the album goes on it seems to be a mixture of these bouncy ‘80s influenced indie pop and more laid back synthy lounge-pop numbers whose smoothness can err towards blandness in places, sometimes bringing to mind Everything But The Girl, or maybe Saint Etienne at their most chilled. Closer ‘Tops Theme’ takes their bliss-pop aesthetic into laid back surfy instrumental territory to excellent effect to round things off memorably.

It’s never truly irritating, just very safe and predictable at times, and there’s no denying that the delivery is well judged, recalling loads of classic pop without ever sounding enough like anybody specific that it seems like a rip-off, and the melodies are subtle enough to be charming and memorable without grating your nerves or getting lodged in your head. I’m certainly enjoying the more upbeat songs the most but I’d imagine after a hard day’s work at the steel mill this is just the kind of thing I’d want to clean my nails to when I got home.