Customer Reviews

Mercy: Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Their best album yet. Ours' third album, Mercy, gets back to the moody, soulful, epic sound of their debut, Distorted Lullabies. Like that album, Mercy ranges in mood from dark ("Murder," "Black") to hopeful ("Ran Away to Tell the World" and "The Worst Things Beautiful," the album's stand-out tracks). But underlying every song is the most profound longing you're likely to hear on a rock album.

Jimmy Gnecco sings about the pain of failed relationships and the hope of recovery and finding something better, as in the opening lines of "Live Again": "The cuts are gonna make you forget years / You married someone's carrying your tears / But you sleep with the ones that keep you from all that / You said yourself you can't afford to feel / So live again." The ending of "The Worst Things Beautiful" also demonstrates this profound optimism in the face of ugliness: "So I'll wake every morning, wake with the sun / Where the worst thing's always the first thing to come / Find a way to move on, and a way to be strong / Because some things do change / Some things come that make / The worst things beautiful."

Oh, and Jimmy Gnecco can *sing*. In fact, he may be the best singer in the rock world today (the only serious competition that I'm aware of is Matt Bellamy from Muse).

The inevitable comparisons will be made to Muse, as well as U2, Radiohead, and of course Jeff Buckley, but such comparisons are really just groping in the dark, because Ours is unique. But they'll give you a hint to the extent that, if you like those other bands, you will probably appreciate Ours as well.

Ours fans have been waiting for this album for many years now, and it was worth the wait. If you're not a fan already, you should be. Pick up this album. And if you have a chance to see them play live, don't miss it--they're astonishingly good, one of those rare bands that actually sounds even better live than on their studio albums, and in this case that's a high standard.

Ours has been around for quite sometime, and has built quite an army of followers despite never even having a charting album..ever. Their fan base has been built on lovers of hard rock and lovers of beautiful voices. This band has a strong assessment of both factors and this CD is no exception.

It has been 6 long years since their last album and the wait seemed to have paid off. The band has never stopped touring and most, if not all, of these songs have been written and performed on tour over the last few years. For those who have been around, these songs are no new material but can come as a surprise to hear them in polished form. As one of these types of people myself, I must commend the band on not straying too far from their original raw incarnations on tour. Their recorded version of "God Only Wants You", which they have been performing since 2004, is just heavenly. It has the perfect balance of raw emotion and polished arrangements.

One of the most touching songs that Ours has performed on tour was unfortunately not included on this album. "I Heard You Singing" was written about Jimmy Gnecco's dear friend, the late Jeff Buckley, and as I recall, would really get to both the audience and the singer when performed. I always figured such a gem would be prominently featured on the record as such a song would not only garner praise but also attention as Jeff has built a posthumous mainstream fan base over the years. Such a shame, may this song eventually find the light of day.

Overall, the record is a must have for anyone who loves strong voices and esotheric themes.

Like many others, I have patiently (and not-so-patiently) eagerly awaited Ours' third album. And as others have mentioned, it has been 6 LONG years since "Precious" was released. Most recently, the two live performances I was lucky enough to see in the past year have held me over quite well as "Mercy..." was continually pushed back.

As you might have imagined, this is not an unbiased review. However, I did have great expectations for this release. Previously I had waited with great anticipation of other releases and have been severely let down (Taproot, OneSideZero, Boy Hits Car, come to mind). Rest assured there is no let down with "Mercy...". I will not take you play-by-play through each and every song, that's part of the journey you need to take when you pop in this CD for the first time. And what a wonderful journey it is.

If you like Ours, you'll love "Mercy...". If you have yet to hear Ours, give them a listen; start with any of their releases, you can't go wrong. Is "Mercy..." their best album yet? Well, I've only listened to it one time through so I'm not ready to make that statement yet. But it is nothing short of great.

I almost died choking from excitement to see that my campus radio station received its advance copy of Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy). I've been a fan of Ours for 7 years and have eagerly awaited the release of Mercy for 6 of them, since they first started to work on it and play new songs in 2002. This CD is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, since receiving my copy I have listened to this album over two dozen times. I have listened to the song Mercy over 200 times itself. Despite the band releasing some tracks on their myspace through out the years, the cd from start to finish is an experience that you really need to hear for yourself to fully enjoy. I cannot say how much this CD has been worth the wait. Every second of these 6 years was worth it because MERCY is truly a masterpiece and now that it is finally released in the way Jimmy Gnecco and the rest of the band want it to be heard, it is not disappointing in the slightest bit. This is a CD that makes you love music, that makes you appreciated a talented vocalist, songwriter and musician.

The lyrics, the packaging, all so emotional and beautiful. I've been near near tears listening to this music the first time and several times since my first listen, track 1 to 12 is pure genius. It's a BEAUTIFUL CD, that's all I can say, I am so speechless right now and it's a magical, beautiful thing, a great feeling to know that my favorite band, my favorite group of musicians were able to take songs that sound great live and make it a new experience on record, even to those who have heard these songs so many times live over the years. The band has finally shaped its sound into a cohesive, unique group that is different than any other Ours cd, let a lone any other band. This was my attempt to put my feelings into words and I don't think I can do the CD justice... Mercy is overwhelming, and just brilliant. I've heard these songs develop live throughout the years and trust me, this band is brilliant live, but to hear them on record thinking it was impossible to beat their live performance, I was truly blown away and you will be too.

The guitar riffs compliment the vocals, each song has an introduction and an outro that creatively add to the substance of each song. The lyrics are heart wrenching at times, melancholy and hopeful and overall well written. Murder features a discrete use of a trumpet that compliments the instrumentals, and acoustic guitars, keyboards and orchestration are heard to add many layers to each song that unravel into an epic listening experience. Mercy is a timeless record.

I haven't heard an album this good since U2's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". The band never caught my eye until they opened for Marilyn Manson, and literally stole the show. The album does have its dark moments, but the melodies soar into brighter territories and the energy is immersive and addictive.

Mercy is a big leap from prior albums headed by Jimmy Gnecco, and Rick Rubin has definitely helped him find the sonic balance that defines a perfect album.

First off, I too agree that Jimmy Gnecco has an incredible voice..probably one of the best in the rock world today. He can breathe out a low, mournful groan, then, in the next instant, belt out a powerful wailing scream, so full of emotion that it just pierces your soul.

With that being said, his incredible voice is still in the forefront on all 12 tracks of Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy), but with the legendary Rick Rubin producing this album, some of the songs lose some of that sheer, raw energy of the band's 2 previous releases. The album has an overly produced strain running through some of the tracks making them feel formulaic and processed.

There are some strong tracks on this release. The most powerful being the opening track, "Mercy". The sound is tight and full of doom-laiden energy and when Gnecco's voice explodes with that powerful scream, it just caries the song to a higher level. This song definitely has a much more refined sound than songs from previous releases but its sound is the expected direction that Ours fans had hoped for. Other strong tracks that mix their progress with a solid guitar push and energy infused vocals would be "Moth", "Murder"' and the 2 tracks "Lost" and "Live Again", which both start out with a nice mid-tempo acoustic sound but builds to a powerful, guitar-swirling crescendo mixed in with Gnecco's perfectly on key screaming. In my opinion, the 11th track "Lost" should have been the closing track and just makes the last song, "Get Up", feel like an after thought.

Every band's sound changes with time and that's the way it should be, but, for some of the tracks, it ended up being distracting and left me feeling like I was listening to another band completely. A good example would be "Saint". With its up-beat, mid-tempo guitar beat, and falsetto vocals, the track sounded like Keane colliding with Interpol. The track sounded okay, but I just didn't feel like I was listening to an Ours song. Other songs that just didn't click for me were "Black" which also was good until Gnecco retreats into a spoken word format for the final minute and a half or so of the song. This was just too distracting for me. And lastly the ending track "Get Up", which again was okay, but with the outro mantra "and the more you love, you love.." repeated over and over by a fading female voice, it just threw me for a curve.

Track 2, "The Worst Things Beautiful", sounds like pure commercial driven rock and was a real let down after hearing the opening track. A few of the other tracks (Willing, God Only Wants You) also feel spent and unimaginative.

Being an Ours fan for many years, I really wanted to be able to rate this album with 5 stars, but after listening to this over the past 4 days, I found myself really liking it if I was just listening to the album in short spurts, but, if I listened to it in its entirety, my attention would quickly drift. The album is surely a step forward for the band and is a much more accessible album for the masses, just not as solid as I'd hoped... but still worth buying.

For me, I give this 3 ½ stars

This new release from the band OURS reminds me of why I fell in love with the music in 2000. Long space in between but never a disapointment when they resurrect an album.

Ours is a GREAT band. I have been a fan since I saw them at the Cricket Club in Irvington N.J., back in 93' (so long ago). I was BLOWN AWAY by them the first, and every time I saw them play. They recorded at Boulevard Studios at the same time as my band, and I had the honor of talking with Jimmy Gnecco here and there. He's a brilliant musician and songwriter, and as far as I could tell, a great human being. It's great to see him working with producers like Lilywhite and Rubin; what a dream come true.
Mercy is a step in the ongoing evolution of this band, and it is highly recommended listening. The title song draws from a tune "Ours" from their true first album/demo called "Sour", older fans most certainly heard it and recognized it. (I really hope they remix and release that old stuff.) My favs on this record are "Willing" and "The Worst Things Beautiful".
Ours music is moving, sincere, intense and POWERFUL. Jimmy is a frontman who's performances are incredibly POTENT.
I wish these guys a long and fruitful career.
-Vin

Wow. I am in love with the new Ours disc! Hooray. I am so happy about this CD. Sweeping, gloom-poppy, guitar driven rawk 'n' roll. Check it out!

This album is an amazing album that every music fan should own. From start to finish it is an excellent album. I never find myself skipping over any of the tracks, it is that good. If you are already an Ours fan, or just looking for new music, buy this album. You will not regret it.