The Proper Ornaments

Ornaments were something your Nan had when you were little. Those weirdly popular inanimate depictions of flower ladies set in an indeterminate past. They gathered dust and you got a proper bollocking if you ever dropped on the floor and it broke into pieces.

Ornaments seem a thing of the past. You don't see many ornaments in IKEA, do you? Although if you go to IKEA then there's something altogether WRONG WITH YOU, anyway.

I'm rambling. The Proper Ornaments are duo from London who, at first glance, look frightfully hip. All skinny legs, a mess of hair and cheekbones you could slice some ham on. But then you listen to them, and they make the sweetest sound ever.

What is it? Well, it's mixture between 1960 West Coast pop, shoegaze, the rattle and thrum of early Stereolab and the Jesus and Mary Chain's gentler moments. This heady brew is made all the better by the fact that I've now got FOUR days off work and I'm heading to Wales Goes Pop in a few hours, where The Proper Ornaments are playing on Saturday night, before the BLOKES move in to nod knowingly to The Wedding Present.

Anyway, The Proper Ornaments have an album out on 9th June through Fortuna Pop!, called 'Wooden Head', and it's a glorious sweep through downbeat majesty. I've just listened to it in the bath twice through, and, frankly, there's no higher accolade.

From that album, here's Summer's Gone from the album.