Kinda Precious

For as much as people compare him to Jeff Buckley, Ours' lead singer Jimmy Gnecco's image is a much darker one. Halfway between Grace and Bauhaus, his lyrics on the newly released Precious exude a heightened sense of desperation, while his music still remains universally accessible. "Realize" epitomizes this contradiction with yearning, defeated lyrics that are tempered by a repetitive, poppy melody, making the chorus' declaration less tragic. The slower-tempo "Places" illuminates similarly universal and vague emotions, serving as a bittersweet background to moments of despair, as it expresses an innocent, yet palpable fear through the imagery in its chorus. Throughout the album, Gnecco sings about the futility of human actions against fate, perhaps most consistently illustrated by the album's first single "Leaves."

However, while the album begins with dynamic instrumentation, it loses steam in the middle and crawls to the end. After the atmospheric "Outside," Ours stumbles through "In a Minute" and "Broken." The former plays like an anthem with a trite cause, while the latter's experimentally strained vocals and music become sleep-inducing. The swirling guitars and textured percussion of "Chapter 2 (Money)" will likely wake up listeners. However, on this and subsequent tracks, Gnecco delves into disturbing imagery and reaches the apex of his hyperbolic emotions, straining believability. In addition to this unwelcome transformation, Precious' final tracks also lack the sonic ingenuity of previous efforts.

Though Ours' compositions are relatively complex, the redundant percussion could be decidedly more interesting. Nonetheless, their musically layered melodies often transform themselves into sweeping, uniform compositions that create a consistent background, allowing the listener to focus on the lyrics. Despite its lackluster finish, Precious is accessible yet interesting, making it an appropriate soundtrack to the listener's despair.