Ours - Slipping Away

I-N-T-E-N-S-E .. getting a Mercy-vibe to this one.

Spectacular Sight 2020!

Random Artist Feature: Ours

This video, as a 2nd attempt, came out good in length (11 mins, relatively). It was a 2nd draft per say, largely because on the 1st attempt I gave more details about the backstory, etc.

That is kind of the issue or 1 of some issues with making these, as there's a lot to tell, details, anecdotes, etc.

Anyway, it did get me thinking of wanting to do just album feature videos at some point, which some might be rehash, some may not. I dunno. I often get the sense with doing just an album, I don't have a lot of specifics to talk about with each song, beyond 1 or 2 words, but that may all that is needed, even if it's an amazing, favorite song, etc.

But I do plan to continue to just make these for awhile now, and once I've sort of gotten through a lot of my favorites, I may then restart doing videos and try and do album reviews specifically. But not likely in series per say. I dunno, I guess I'll see.

Muse - Drones (2014-2015)

6/2/15 1:29PM

wow, um, this newest single "The Handler" is probably the best of all of these singles. Very heavy Absolution-vibe.

Maybe this album is a little of a sleeper, ironically. It drops in just a few days thankfully.




5/29/15 2:05PM
hmm, I'm kind of digging this one. It has somewhat of a Origin of Symmetry/Absolution vibe to it.



5/18/15 4:30PM


meh..not sure about this new track "Mercy." I guess I don't expect to get blown away by Muse, but I did find The 2nd Law pretty good, and these 1st 3 singles initially aren't going all that far for me. I am hoping within the album they may do more, or at least many of the best tracks I still haven't heard.

3/23/15 2:40PM

"Dead Inside" stream below.

despite the clipping cymbals in spots (which may be a product of a YouTube stream anyway, I like this more than Psycho already. Nothing mindblowing, but it's okay, catchy enough, etc.



3/11/15 2:16PM - 3/12/15 2:35PM

"Psycho"...not awful, but meh..maybe it'll work within the rest of the record.



http://muse.mu/

Preorder and "Psycho" tomorrow, and "Dead Inside" the opening track coming on March 23rd.



1. Dead Inside
2. [Drill Sergeant]
3. Psycho
4. Mercy
5. Reapers
6. The Handler
7. [JFK]
8. Defector
9. Revolt
10. Aftermath
11. The Globalist
12. Drones

From Matt: “To me, 'Drones' are metaphorical psychopaths which enable psychopathic behaviour with no recourse.  The world is run by Drones utilizing Drones to turn us all into Drones.  This album explores the journey of a human, from their abandonment and loss of hope, to their indoctrination by the system to be a human drone, to their eventual defection from their oppressors." 
  
The first single from Drones, “Dead Inside,” will debut the week of 23 March. Preorder for the new album will be available tomorrow at 7:30pm GMT, along with the new song “Psycho.” 


1/27/15 7:19PM

ultimate-guitar.com story


An orchestra? "Drones"..well at least it's a title that is current.

ACDC producer Robert "Mutt" Lange is producing. Release date? TBA of course at this point.

Matt Bellamy noodling
brief clip, LOL

Unlike some people, I actually liked a fair amount of their last record The 2nd Law, so I am certainly looking forward to this. But we'll see, and the expectation of time for it is probably not incredibly soon, but then again, Muse are a band who doesn't share a lot about their new albums and then announce they will come out in a few weeks.

New Jimmy Gnecco interview

25+ minutes and a few live clips. Not the most in-depth interview ever with Jimmy, but some good detailed info still. Stuff about Ballet the Boxer 1, 2 etc...and these shows he's doing out in Hollywood. If only I lived or could visit there now.

"Rock is Dead" is kind of a sad idea popping up more of late, which I suppose it sort of makes some sense, on a commercial level. But as a fan, having it still being out there on a underground level, it doesn't really matter much to me. Bu the romantic part of Rock music being visible when I was growing up and before, being gone in some ways, is sad, or a sad way to look at things in some ways.

I do like how he talked about Vinyl, but as far as having the older Ours records come out on Vinyl, I kind of wish he had included more about. I worry a little about the cost from the labels who own the rights, maybe being the biggest obstacle for putting those out, but who knows. I'd love them all on vinyl of course.

Jimmy Gnecco News: (The Heart re-release/Weathervane)

Interesting interview, 1st off the frequent praise of Mercy and stressing how still not enough people even heard it, which I would totally echo, in fact I probably haven't echoed enough even on this blog. Mercy is a 5-star record that Rick Rubin's name is on as the producer (for what that actually means), yet even with Rubin getting a Grammy Nomination for its mix I recall, it really never got talked about like it should have. Hip4k I don't think even reviewed it, nor did 89.3 or Radio K ever play anything off of it. But they still could of course. Will they? I probably have a better chance getting my own Technical Death Metal show on 89.3, than that happening.

But also in that interview, it's good to hear info about his current work. The Heart is being re-released and re-arranged, and initially coming out in Europe. The way he describes the difference in the songs, and adding strings, layers, electric guitar, has me pretty curious (even tho I'm a huge fanboy anyway, The Heart didn't end up as great as I hoped last year. Maybe revisiting it would help).

And then the info that I was just reading about this project Weathervane here on the Ours forum, and Weathervane made music for the soundtrack for the film Head Hunters. If I'm getting this all correctly.





Sample of a song/interview here with Paul and Jimmy.

This musician Paul Waaktaar-Savoy I guess is one of if not the main creative force behind a-ha.

I'm curious what this may lead to as that song is pretty good, albeit a little different than Ours and Jimmy's solo music.

Ours - Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy)

Ya know what?..I'm kinda sick of trying to write reviews how I think they should be, and instead probably many if not all of the stuff going in here is gonna be more of a notes/grammar-less-at-times stream-of-consciousness writing which is more *natural* and 2nd nature to me.

So here's the Ours review/notes..and I suppose I would also say this and possibly many others may change/be modified much like a forum post.

Ours.net
Ours myspace page




1 Mercy
2 The Worst Things Beautiful
3 Ran Away To Tell the World
4 Black
5 Moth
6 Murder
7 God Only Wants You
8 Live Again
9 Saint
10 Lost
11 Get Up

Among the nearly 60 records I've heard this year

(See the list here)
, this is the clear cut top disc in 2008 thus far. It took 6 years to finally be released, but it's proving to be well worth that wait.

Ours - Mercy...Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy)

Mercy - epic opener, 2nd part of a split track..works well on its own..spacey soaring guitar and vocals...floating..flowing track
live it would often go on much longer but the recorded version includes a little of that features Static's ambient guitar at the end

Worst Things - catchy catchy catchy..think U2 at their most catchy. The chorus never leaves your brain afterwards..such an uplifting song..this song is all about win.I'll admit I turned my back on this 1..shocked me..I love it when that happens and it proves why I love this band so much. Radio should eat it up..pop stations could play it all day. Could be their 1st single.

Murder - 2nd part of the epic..trumpets enhance this guy a lot. Clapping is sorta ritual-like. OLD song going back to the SOUR demo. Repeated pounding chorus..with emphasis. almost like a King's X thing.

Ran Away To tell the World - Moving ballad..great use of cello. "don't spend your whole life waiting for your whole life thinking that't over"
love the rocking bridge guitar solo. Classic ballad.

Black - experimental..includes a preachy almost-rap. Dark..forceful..gothic..kinda like DL in a way..dynamic changes..newer song..great vocal range with falsetto and lower ranges on a dime..ALBUMS THEME LYRICALLY..PERSONAL SONG FOR JIMMY

THE MOTH - GREAT LIVE tune..maybe 1 of 2 tracks that didn't translate as well studio..always loved the ryhthm and dynamics on this 1..the harmonies too..powerful live

GOD ONLY WANTS YOU - short..powerful but I thought it would be bigger..the vocals included. Subdued..LIKE THE ARRENGEMENT WITH THE STRINGS
..cLANCY from blue hippopatmus PLAYS CELLO..great build at the end..even if it feels short compared to the live version

live again - great pounding drum lead..great falsetto and screaming by jimmy. "forgive yourself and then you're gonna heal"..epic feel..not a slow moment in this 1..awesome crescendo
superior arrangements to the live versions

willing - also came out much different and catchy than expected.guitar riff is much thicker than the live versions
..layered

saint - originally titled saint down the hall. supposedly about jeff buckley.written many years ago. the soaring vocals are great.rich melody.

lost - awesome..powerful live song..the mix didn't quite do it justice. the guitars and drums overpower the huge vocal screams that the song is known for in the climax

get up..beautiful dynamics and feeling..amazing live song, but the studio version does give some of the movingh feeling as an album closer. "Man you should have seen her"..spacey guitar like in Mercy at the beginning..it's like waking up from a bad dream...dreamy..reminds me of peter gabriel or imogen heap almost. the orchestrations in the build.."beautiful like rain"..the chanting chorus that sounds like a kids choir works really well.

There was a ton of thought put into so many of these songs in the arrangements and production is almost to the point of perfection..much like DISTORED LULLABIES was.