While Ultimate Painting bit the dust, as they say, The Proper Ornaments, another James Hoare (Veronica Falls) project, continues to go forward. And I think listeners with good taste should be thankful for that. The band's latest record, Mission Bells, dropped on Tapete on Friday, and while there are similarities here with the group's previous releases, there are subtle stylistic changes here throughout this one that utterly charm.
"Black Tar" has an almost imperceptible hook, anchored by new bassist Nathalie Bruno, while "Broken Insect" revs up a tiny bit, enough to set it quite apart from earlier Proper Ornaments numbers. This one suggests a new path being considered by these players, as does a somewhat interesting cover of "Downtown" by Petula Clark. However, "Echoes", with its stately progression, reassures that these musicians are content to further refine the template they've created for themselves over the course of five albums. For every moment here that points in that new direction, like the fuzzy "Music of the Traffic", a listener could be forgiven for focusing instead on the simpler pleasures of something like "Strings Around Your Head", one of the gentler, more insistent numbers here on Mission Bells.
There's something admirable about how intensely The Proper Ornaments have pursued their brand of Velvet Underground-inspired indie. That said, there are enough moments of progression -- or variance from the mean -- heard here to make Mission Bells highly recommended. Maybe they've been listening to more Gene Clark? Whatever the reason, this is a fine record, and one that's sure to please loyal listeners of this group, and those of us who remain entranced by this style of music.
Mission Bells is out now via Tapete.
More details on The Proper Ornaments via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Jeremy Jay]