OURS

Although technically a band, Ours is essentially the brainchild of self-described music obsessive Jimmy Gnecco. Born and raised in New Jersey, Gnecco toyed with music and various band configurations after graduating high school, but it wasn't until 1996, when he returned to America from a brief sabbatical, that he decided to pour his complete energy into music. It didn't take Gnecco long to attract industry attention; a major-label bidding war quickly ensued, with Gnecco turning down a few deals on the way to ultimately striking a partnership with DreamWorks. The relationship formed slowly — Gnecco didn't even set foot in a studio for another year. The task of recording that elusive debut proved to be daunting; with Steve Lillywhite at the helm, it took Gnecco over three years to complete. The ensuing album, 2000's Distorted Lullabies, was met with asterisked critical acclaim; the prevailing sentiment seemed to suggest that Gnecco was almost too similar to the late Jeff Buckley (in voice, style, and even appearance) to properly appreciate in his own right. Two years later, Ours returned to the scene with the lush and beautiful Precious, which was the group's first to crack Billboard's albums chart.

A move to American Recordings (and a production slot for head honcho Rick Rubin) produced Mercy... (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy), which was released in 2008. Gnecco released a solo acoustic venture, The Heart, in 2010, and Ours returned three years later with its fourth full album, Ballet the Boxer 1.