{"product_id":"mission-bells","title":"Mission Bells","description":"\u003cp\u003e9 months since the release of \u003cem\u003eSix Lenins\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Proper Ornaments\u003c\/strong\u003e are back with \u003cem\u003eMission Bells\u003c\/em\u003e, a sombre but uplifting record that began its life while they were on tour earlier this year, when new ideas emerged in different soundchecks around Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Hoare\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eBobby Syme\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eMax Oscarnold\u003c\/strong\u003e, the founders of the group, recruited \u003cstrong\u003eNathalie Bruno\u003c\/strong\u003e as a bassist for the tour, and then the four-piece began recording in the summer at Hoare's home studio in Finsbury Park, London, using the same 16 track Studer tape machine as on their previous record, but this time they incorporated a Moog sequencer and other electronic instruments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn these recordings, meticulous attention to detail is never deployed as an end in itself but always with the song and sound in mind. As the \u003cem\u003eMission Bells\u003c\/em\u003e sing, echoes of black albums by Velvets, Swell Maps, Spiritualized, and Cluster might reach inside your brain, but the truth is that it’s hard to pinpoint influences on an album that is the fifth in the life of this band, as they have been becoming more and more themselves, not needing to look elsewhere for inspiration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not a retro band, they just happened to like playing guitar, a preference that began, at least for \u003cstrong\u003eJames Hoare\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eMax Oscarnold\u003c\/strong\u003e, when they were 9 years old. Whoever is familiar with their previous records might agree that \u003cem\u003eMission Bells\u003c\/em\u003e has a lot of the innocent elements (drum machines underneath simple songs) of their first record, \u003cem\u003eWaiting For The Summer\u003c\/em\u003e, the melancholy of \u003cem\u003eFoxhole\u003c\/em\u003e, and their heavy live sounds, as drummer \u003cstrong\u003eBobby Syme\u003c\/strong\u003e points out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut it’s the lyrical maturity that is the real achievement on this record. The words can be read as a William Burroughs cut-up experiment on what it is to live in these dystopian times. \u003cem\u003eMission Bells\u003c\/em\u003e is a majestic achievement, a musical maelstrom, its harmonies drawing the inclined listener into an irreversible somnambulant state, caught between dreamland and waking hours. The beauty of it is, you won't want to escape, even though the door is flung open as your postmodern life awaits you outside...\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tapete","offers":[{"title":"Green | LP","offer_id":50478652162379,"sku":"1082450","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50478652490059,"sku":"1082448","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50478652817739,"sku":"1082449","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c362a072-a2d0-405e-850f-3d6c3c4f550a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727487671","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/mission-bells","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}