ORNAMENT AND CRIME are a Los Angeles, USA-based duo who have just come to my attention through the release of their new album.
By Graeme Smith
Founded by Poolside producer Alex Kemp (who plays guitar and bass for this project) and Grizfolk drummer Bill Delia (who looks after synths, drums and keys), ORNAMENT AND CRIME is a hybrid of their sounds, bringing together electronica with something a little more organic. They have a penchant for working with a rolling cast of vocalists, and their new album features the voices of Cadeaux, Virginia Palms, Dana Williams and Island Police.
Musically, ONES sits somewhere between synthpop and disco, and works equally well on the dancefloor and in the bedroom. Whether it be the dreamy soundscape of album opener On & On, the relentless chill of Thinking of You, or the bouncing romanticism of Sparks in the Air, You Make Me Feel and No Other Lover, the album offers an experience in which you can get blissfully lost.
There’s definitely something distinctively California about it. The pair worked from a studio in Venice to craft the collection, and it’s easy to imagine yourself on the Pacific coast while listening. It’s something that hits you more literally in the tracks dedicated to the place, such as during the percussive introspection of The Only Girl Living in LA.
We get plenty of emotional texture too. I’ll Never Love You is an early bout of rhythmic melancholy while Walking Towards the Sun offers some slow-building and reflective soulfulness. Give A Little Love has a sultry groove and devastating lyrics. Bad Advice is stratospherically airy while painting a rock solid picture. Closing duo Feel It All and Sage – best for last are cathartic wonders.
Sitting at the heart of the album is a warming cover of Thompson Twins’ Hold Me Now and the album’s vibrant, self-effacing lead single You’re a Mess. Together the pair of tracks are a highlight.
ONES is truly an album that has something for everyone, and that goes double if you’re a fan of electronic layers and crystalline vocals. Alex and Bill have real chemistry with their sound and, if you’re finding them now like I am, their new album acts as the perfect introduction for them. You can check it out below.