Introducing TOPS : Pop made in Montreal
TOPS are a four-piece band from Montreal, Jane Penny (vocals, keyboard), David Carriere (guitar), Riley Fleck (drums) and Madeline Glowicki (bass). We chat with Jane ahead of their European tour in May 2015.
TOPS are a four-piece band from Montreal, Jane Penny (vocals, keyboard), David Carriere (guitar), Riley Fleck (drums) and Madeline Glowicki (bass). We chat with Jane ahead of their European tour in May 2015.
We started TOPS in the Spring of 2011
David and I had already been playing music for a couple years but it was mostly just fucking around, we would make songs in his room on a computer. I'd just started to get really into synthesizers and David has always played a guitar, we wanted to be in a proper band with instruments instead of computer music so we asked Riley to try jamming with us. He would practice at this loft space we all used like everyday for hours by himself so we figured he'd be pretty good, and we were right! He's great.
A lot of nights we'll be at the studio really late
we've got a little recording and rehearsal room set up at the Arbutus Records Office. Sometimes we'll be walking back down Parc Avenue and I'll have the song we were working on in my head, when it's sounding real good and your excited about the beginning of a new track and it's circling around in your brain, those are a lot of the best moments. That and there have been a lot of really great times at shows.
The first songs I learned
were songs that David wrote with our friend Sean Nicholas Savage. They convinced me to start singing because they'd written a bunch of songs for a girl to sing. Before that, when I was a teenager I got really into playing flute, specifically playing Charlie Parker solos, that was the first music that I really loved playing.
I admire musicians who have a unique voice
and an intellectual inner life that guides the art they make, like Joni Mitchell. I also really like musicians that make really satisfying music to listen to, like J Dilla or Chic or Art of Noise. Sorry I'm not very good at explaining my taste, I just like what I like.
I've been listening to Jessica Pratt and Kendrick Lamar lately, their new records are both very inspiring to me. The Doldrums record too, it's coming out soon.
My first instrument
It was a cheap flute, probably cost my parents like 200$ at the local music store. There was a piano at my house growing up but I didn't get into playing piano until much later so even though I play it a lot now I would consider my flute my first instrument. I left it on the bus once growing up, I was freaking out but the bus driver picked it up so it was all good.
It just happens
The bigger struggle is doing the normal everyday shit properly so my life can keep going, like getting groceries and replying to emails. That other stuff is constantly in the way of time I would like to spend by myself working on music but you have to handle your shit if you want to live off music. I'm hoping that at some point in the summer I can take a few weeks to just work on new songs.
A day in the studio
It depends on what we're up to, but usually I wake up at home and make coffee, then play my synth at home for a while. David usually heads to the studio early and he'll start doing stuff on the computer or playing guitar and I usually show up around 2. We'll work on stuff, record or whatever and then Riley will come by the evening and we'll practice for like 4 hours.
Music
It's really everything to me. It helps me get through life, but it also is my life in the sense that I define my success on this earth by how much time I devote to it and my progression musically, playing instruments or just improving my musical consciousness.
Jane Penny from TOPS | TOPS Tour Dates
TOY, A psychedelic update
This isn’t a tribute band to the great eras past; this is an updated, interesting and totally re-invented perspective on the idea of rock and post-punk invention
TOY, a rising band on the rock and psychedelic scene, made a significant breakthrough last year with their new song It’s been so Long.
Bursting through in a wave of 80s nostalgia and an updated beat, this is a song that paves the way to a new era in today’s music. Say goodbye to the angry four chords of the Noughties and hello to the mellow tones of Tom Dougall, alongside rippling strumming and an interesting manipulation of backing vocals.
This isn’t a tribute band to the great eras past; this is an updated, interesting and totally re-invented perspective on the idea of rock and post-punk invention. Electric pianos have not sounded this cool since 1989; and this band hits a hard punch to the criticism of modern music. This band proves you can be new different and relevant while drawing on the ideas and forms of the past.
The album Join the dots is a bit like an Klimt painting; it is dazzling, outrageous and undeniably beautiful, while unashamedly bringing what worked from the previous genre and leaving what didn’t. The musicians, especially guitarist Dominic O’Dair and bassist Maxim Barron perform with a fluid talent and ear for tempo, while the dark softness of the vocals contrasts with the metaphoric lyrics.
Every song is different; you time travel from a dark concert in the late eighties to the strange lucidity of sixties indie concerts. There are even elements of goth from the nineties somewhere in the collage of ideas and forms, that actually work really well. It sounds overwhelming, but, as much as it shouldn’t, it really works.
One member, Alejandra, the phenomenally talented keyboard player, stands out as bringing a great deal of mystery and depth through her formulaic but unusual interpretation of electric keyboard and synth melodies. She adds not only a brilliant update on the breakthroughs of the past but a strong identity. to the work of the band
We spoke to her about her experiences working in the band and the genre.
When and why did you start playing?
We started playing a few years ago, we all have played instruments individually since we were very young, but as a band we have been playing for at least 5 years.
What are your fondest musical memories in your environment around you?
My fondest musical memories would definitely have to be with my mum, she had a great record collection which we used to
listen to together in different situations. It was never forced, music was just always going on in the house. It was just normal.
What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Well, I am the synth player in the band. I don't think I have ever tried to learn tunes like a
guitar player would do. You just have to get used to your machine, experiment and see what happens!
Which musicians do you admire?
There really are many, in different genres, eras, bands... I guess the first who comes to mind is Lou Reed, he is very important, but naming just him would be limiting myself, there really are many many many...
Describe your first instrument.
My first instrument was a Spanish guitar that I got when I was 6, I still have it and has holes and cracks everywhere, but it's a classically built guitar and it still sounds better than any non electric guitar I've ever heard.
Which sounds/visuals/artists/albums give you a real buzz-how do you stay inspired?
I stay inspired by making music, I get inspired by any record, artist I listen to that means something, I get inspired by playing together, by anything meaningful really, I don't think there is anything specific or tangible.
What is a day in the studio like?
We play through ideas, develop songs, practice songs we know already, or just see what happens, we always have a great time, it'd be pointless otherwise.
On our radar: 5 new albums to look forward to in 2015
By AC Speed
Panda Bear - Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper
Release date: 13 January via Domino Recording Company
Although set to meet the grim reaper on a day some would call unlucky, this is one Panda that shows no sign of becoming the subject of anyone's endangered species list!
Co-Founding member of Animal Collective Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear not only graced us with a truly enchanted EP entitled 'Mr Noah' in 2014, he also teamed up with French electro pop dance kings Daft Punk on the highly addictive song 'Doin' it right'.
Panda Bear finished off the year by releasing a tantalizing glimpse of things to come with the enigmatic single 'Boys Latin', offering a truly diverse and underground cult like sound. With such an original approach to his craft 'Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper' looks set to become one of the most unique albums of 2015.
Rae Morris - Unguarded
Release date: 26 January via Atlantic Records
Born under the shadows of grim grey northern skies in 1993, Rae Morris started shining her musical light onto the world at just four years old by learning to play the piano. She followed a musically orientated education through college and moved to London in recent years being picked up by Atlantic Records along the way.
Morris released 'Under The Shadows' late last year which instantly brought her career into the commercial spot light. An ever present influence of 80s driven base lines can be heard throughout the latest offering and we can't wait to hear the full album to see what pop influenced wonders await.
Hyenas - Deadweights
Release date: 15 March via (self release)
A politically heavy hardcore band from Germany not for the faint hearted, Hyenas really are a pack of wild animals! Formed from the ashes of several disbanded punk bands in 2012 they've spent the last year storming around Europe leaving a trail of defiled scent like noise in every venue that allowed them in.
In true DIY punk/art style the group single handedly made a limited and numbered edition of their first EP released back in January of 2014 met with critical acclaim amongst musicians and journalists alike.
Highly anticipated album debut 'Deadweights' is set to be a complete game changer in the hardcore scene, one that will grip it's vicious teeth into your soul and will not let go.
Viet Cong - Viet Cong
Release date: 20 January via Jagjaguwar
Although the name suggests a group of war torn patrons from a Peninsula of Southeast Asia, this band of Viet Cong actually hail from Calgary, Alberta and seemingly don't embark on many holidays to Cambodia.
A post punk outfit that have individually been through their fair share of tragedy over the years released an ensemble of atmospheric and Joy Division inspired songs earlier
in 2014, drawing the attention of underground indie fans across the UK.
New single 'Silhouettes' offers an insight into the development of a band trying to find it's own eclectic sound of emotive yet atmospheric noise whilst drawing inspiration from great artists such as Interpol and The Velvet Underground.
Expect big things from the new Viet Cong album, not least a revolution in tonality and creativity.
Tame Impala -TBA
Release date: TBA 2015 Via TBA
Formed down under in Perth, Australia around 2007 Tame Impala shot straight to the top with their psychedelic release 'Lonerism' back in 2012. The offering of chilled beats, space aged electro synth sounds and melodic pop vocals quickly made this a cult classic amongst indie and house lovers around the world.
With only a few hints from their management team about the release we can only guess at what the new album has in store for us, one thing we do know for sure is that we can't wait to hear more from the boys down under.