Ours

Precious (Dreamworks)
by Tim Den

I hate to use the word “disappointed,” but nothing better sums up my feelings about Precious. Ours‘ debut, Distorted Lullabies, pretty much had the collective Lollipop office’s balls in its hands. This new album, however, only tickles ’em. I know, I know: The band backed away from its high drama vocals and Shakespearian tunefulness in order to get away from that dreaded “clone of Jeff Buckley” tag… but those traits were exactly what we loved most!

So now we’re left with only slightly interesting, mid-tempo art pop songs that once in a while hit bullseye (“Red Colored Stars” and “If Flowers Turn”). No more tragic melody turns, less banshee shrieking… even the individual players’ performances feel flat. Maybe they left behind their energy alongside the theatrics? Whatever the case, Precious is only an album that mildly entertains. Pick up Distorted Lullabies if you really want to be moved.
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