Distorted Lullabies

Ours | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 15, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreamworks
• ASIN: B00005J71U
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (148 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,101 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ours: Distorted Lullabies, May 20, 2001

By 

Rob (NEW JERSEY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Distorted Lullabies (Audio CD)

An incredible CD is hard to come by these days. But OURS has succeeded in recording an amazing debut. It's hard not to notice a resemblance in Jimmy Gnecco's voice to such greats as Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, & Bono. And the songs on the album at times recall an early Radiohead, but nevertheless, a great song is just that and Jimmy sings them all with extreme emotion.

OURS: DISTORTED LULLABIES, is a laid back album with catchy melodies and great musical textures. Highlights include: 'Dizzy', 'Dancing Alone' & 'Fallen Souls'.

The album is full of amazing songs and it was the first single 'Sometimes' that grabbed my attention. Since then, I've had the opportunity of catching an acoustic show of the band. They are by far one of the better new bands out there. I just hope that more bands like this get the recognition they deserve.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comparisons can be a compliment, December 4, 2004

By 

Jeff Hodges (Denton, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Distorted Lullabies (Audio CD)

Several years ago, this album was released with just enough hoopla to let you know that it was there if you were paying attention. You may have heard "Sometimes" on an indie radio show of some sort, but if you blinked you probably missed it. If you did it would be a crying shame. Distorted Lullabies is a fantastically well-written and melancholy trip through loneliness and isolation.

The indie radio show that introduced me to the project described Ours' sound as a cross between Jeff Buckley and Radiohead. Today I still think that this is a relatively apt description if one understands the difference between "The Bends" and "Hail to the Thief". "Distorted Lullabies" immediately recalls the euro-rock sound of early Radiohead and Coldplay, but also brings to mind the eerie feeling that Buckley is being somehow supernaturally channeled through lead singer and songwriter Jimmy Gnecco. To compare Gnecco to Buckley is obvious, but I would also like to throw in a healthy dose of Bono's tone with a little Freddie Mercury falsetto thrown in for flavor. Grown-up fans of the Cure and other depression-charged bands will no doubt be attracted to Ours.

However, Ours distinguishes themselves from their gloom-rock predecessors in the same way that Buckley did; with a wildly passionate delivery that transcends the immediate impression that the lyrics relate.

For example, several years ago, while on a tour of Europe with my family, I was feeling particularly uncomfortable with my American identity. In Germany, I left my hotel on a solitary walk with Ours on my discman and the phrase "Ein bier, bitte" on my lips. After taking a curious left turn I found myself in a beautifully wooded area on a solitary walk through what could have been Little Red Riding Hood's "Path of Nails." The track "Fallen Souls" screamed out to me in the woods that day in a way that I still cannot explain.

Even so, five stars is very difficult to hand out when comparing "Distorted Lullabies" to its influences. It really is a fantastic album, but it is not quite "The Joshua Tree", "Night at the Opera", or, even more immediately, Jeff Buckley' now-classic "Grace". However, fans of Gnecco's influences cannot help but be moved by his passion and conviction.

The lowdown: Like Phish was to the Grateful Dead, Jimmy Gnecco and Ours are the obvious heirs to Jeff Buckley's legacy. For those of us that miss him, Ours is a pretty good-tasting placebo, but is in no way to be confused with the real thing. If you already have "Grace", you will most likely come to tears over this recording.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Album I Heard in 2001!, December 27, 2001

By 

Travis Henson (Gladeville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Distorted Lullabies (Audio CD)

I am a lover of music and of albums that you can listen to, and feel, from song one through the final note played. This is such an album. I discovered Ours the week "Distorted Lullabies" was released and have listened to them religiously since then. Much has been said about the voice of Jimmy Gnecco(comparisons to Bono and Jeff Buckley),and there are similarities, but I don't know if I have ever heard a voice quite like his. Very rarely can a voice surround you and suck you in. Full of passion, beauty, angst, and honesty. It's also rare to find an album so "artsy" yet so commercial. I had the pleasure of seeing Ours in October in Nashville and was blown away by their live show. The power of the songs and Jimmy's presence was undeniable. He's right up there with Freddie Mercury and Glenn Hughes. I've turned so many friends onto this cd because the music is good. I don't know why anyone wouldn't get into this record, unless you just don't like the style. If you don't have it, do yourself a favor and buy it.