Ours: Mercy (Release Date April 1st)

[Mortis]

I just wanted to let you all know that one of my favourite bands, Ours, is coming out with a new record soon. They took four years to make the record and hopefully they'll break it big this time! Chart Attack has a bit more information on the situation:

Although no track list has been announced, Gnecco previously said the album will feature 12 songs and be more than 60 minutes in length. Updates from last year revealed some songs that the band were working on, including "I Ran Away To Tell The World," "Saint Down The Hall," "Lost," "Live Again" and "Worst Things Beautiful." The band also recorded additional B-sides that could be included on a future EP.

Back in 2003, I burned myself a cd of their Bowery Ballroom live while I was in the military, and the disc was probably the one that I listened to most. It was amazing listening while I watched over the tent stove. I love those tracks to death and I hope they will get released

[Armand]

\o/

[Smeagol]

great news!


/me \\\ The Ours - Dancing Alone

[Mortis]

Though we have been able to listen to new songs on the band's MySpace site for several months now, the album is/has been being delayed and delayed more due to label shuffles and recording contract negotiations. The current word is that the band will be negotiating over the summer. As Rick Rubin has joined Columbia, it is being speculated that Ours would sign to Columbia as well.

In an interview in January, Jimmy said he had some regrets over signing to DreamWorks Records instead of Rubin's label back in the year 1997. It's miraculous that he's yet to burn out as it has already been five years between Precious and the new album - and as I see it, Gnecco (interestingly enough he has always been signed to labels as a solo artist under the name of Ours) could be huge were it not for sinking labels, bad executive moves and a sub-par second album that was hampered by an incompetent producer and drummer (Ethan Johns).

[Mortis]

So we’re going to try to get over [to Europe] before this record comes out and try to build something over there.

From a recent interview! Interesting!!1

Also regarding the new album:

There might be one more round of mastering or just some minor changes.

[Mortis]

Michael Maxxis' site contains some new (and cool!) photographs from either the forthcoming video to the song Live Again or from its shooting.

[Mortis]

The album, now titled Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy), will be released on April 1st - once again delayed with two more weeks for reasons unknown. The earlier street date was March 18th. I still can't believe it has been six years since Precious. Am I really that much older?

A two-part video, directed by Michael Maxxis, has been released for the songs Live Again and God Only Wants You.

Live Again:


God Only Wants You:


Edit: Videos work now.

[Mortis]

I've just learned that the delay is related to cover art. Perhaps they've decided to get proper cover art after all?

Edit: DURR! Both videos are crapped, the "Live Again" video link - straight from the official site no less - is set private, and the other one has been deleted. The problem with the official website is you only have a direct contact link to Sony BMG which is useless in this kind of thing. You'd have to get right at the webmaster and there is no e-mail no nothing.

"God Only Wants You" can be seen here, though.

[Mortis]

...the release date is April 15th now. The album has leaked, however... with little to no fanfare, too. Will be interesting to see what'll follow.

[Mortis]

I finally received my autographed copy of the record from Newbury Comics today... after a few listens, I'd say it's worth the six years' wait - or if you want to look at it from a different viewpoint, you could say that it encapsulates the wait! It is a very good album and contains some songs that indicate a very healthy and refreshing future for the band. Hopefully the record company allows the band to thrive.

As it is, most of the songs on the record are indeed very old, some of them from 1999-2000, most from 2002-2003 and one from as far back as 1990/1991. In one interview Gnecco goes as far as to say that he felt "tortured by" the songs that now made the album and felt that it was good to have a recorded version of them in existence.

Here are some images:

[Mortis]

How are you guys feeling about the album at this point?

For me, the tracks "The Worst Things Beautiful" and "Willing" stand out from the rest, partially because Jimmy came out and admitted that quite a few of the tracks (compared to just Mercy) are in fact from the early 1990s, partially because they have a great post-punk vibe. In a way it's such an old album Nevertheless, I think the aforementioned two songs are the freshest out of the crop and it is them that really reveal Ours as a band that can and will produce a great follow-up album to Mercy...

What's more, the two tracks really do match up with other "new" tracks from their live shows circa 2003: Since a big portion of those tracks never made the album (Death in the City, Living in a Video, Mechanical Lovers), I wouldn't be completely surprised if the band decided to pursue those songs now that the avenue, in the form of TWTB and Willing, has been opened

[Darkelth]

Well, Ours was a totally new band for me, when I got the songs, but after I started listening to them, I fell a bit in love. I do like the songs very much. The album itself has a very strong and kinda aggressive start, and I actually do like it. And now I've gotten interest in getting my hands on their "older" stuff too