Rocktrospectiva: The Brilliant Modern Soft-Rock "I Fell Alive" Turns 10

Released on 3 April 2020 "I Feel Alive" was the fourth studio album by Canadian indie pop band Tops. Since their debut in 2012, the Montreal band have honed a particular and deeply satisfying sound where jangling indie-pop is told to calm down by sophisticated soft rock. The album spawned four singles "I Feel Alive", "Witching Hour", "Colder & Closer" & "Direct Sunlight".

 

The production on this fourth album was somewhat cleaner than on earlier ones, the new keyboardist Marta Cikojevic adds some timbral breadth, but there is no need to for them to deviate very far from where they started. Singer Jane Penny has a wide expressive range, with glassy Chromatics-style ethereality giving way to Stevie Nicks-ish; David Carriere’s choppy but ringing guitar tone recalls Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

 

This sound was brought to bear on their strongest songs yet, the opener "Direct Sunlight" was a bright beam of white disco, with a hopping bassline and extended flute solo to evoke the near-deranged exultation of romantic love. Next up, was the brilliant "I Feel Alive", and euphoric and vibrant tune, "Pirouette", casual sex has become a nightmarish, alienating drag. Carriere’s voice is added into the mix for a duet on the verses here, suggesting neither party is having the best time. "Ballads & Sad Movies", we’re into numbed breakup woe.

But the mood rallies again on the magnificent synthpop of "Colder & Closer", and perhaps the best and certainly the most straightforwardly joyous song here, "Drowning in Paradise". Throughout, the tunes are as softly, strongly gorgeous as the dreamboats Penny seems to be batting her eyes at or crying over Polaroids of. Tops are now up there with Phoenix as the masters of modern soft rock – just don’t go changing.

 

Finally "OK Fine Whatever" with certain reminiscence of "Witching Hour", then to decreased with "Looking To Remember"  and even more with the heartbreaker "Too Much" to close a brilliant and so recomendable album back then.

Thanks their expresive and chromatic style in Penny's vocals, the songs here earned a lot, without left away the good complex work along with the band, smooth and beautiful melodies, shinning but sleepy at once to warped the listener in fines and ethereal melodies, reflecting the band's style with tunes full of passion, energy, honesty between shyness and relentless at once, but with vivid fresh sound that convinced us back then, that this was their finest album in their career so far. 

I Feel Alive Track List:

1. Direct Sunlight

2. I Feel Alive

3. Piruouette

4. Ballads & Sad Movies

5. Colder & Closer

6. Witching Hour

7. Take Down

8. Drowning In Paradise

9. OK Fine Whatever

10. Looking To Remember

11. Too Much