Jimmy Gnecco has been making music a lot longer than I’ve been a fan. I didn’t discover him until December 2006, completely by accident, when I came across his one “MTV-worthy,” 2001 single on a mix CD that I’d bought at Exile on Main Street, because Pete Yorn and Tom Morello were on it.
Nothing about music for me has been the same since. This has happened to me twice before: when I was 10, and heard The Beatles for the first time. And again, when I was 24 and heard Nine Inch Nails. It’s happened with particular albums too: Joshua Tree, OK Computer, V.A.S.T., Ágætis byrjun. These moments, when I discover something new, a way of singing or songwriting that I’d not heard before, something that makes me realize: “This. This is what I’ve been needing, but couldn’t articulate,” then I know that the way I’ve been listening to music is going to change for the better. And this happened to me again, four years ago, when I heard the band Ours for the first time.
Jimmy Gnecco is the singer, lyricist, and composer for the band Ours, and The Heart is his first solo album. Gnecco has recorded four albums with Ours (only three have been released), and each one has its own particular, unique sound. The Heart is no exception. It is―for the most part―a stripped down, naked, honest record. Fans of Ours are in for a completely different―but just as beautiful―experience. There is very little of Gnecco’s quintessential, unearthly screams on this album (though “The Heart” and “Patiently Waiting” have them), but his impressive vocal range is evident throughout, with songs ranging from clear, deep baritone to a surprisingly strong falsetto that comes at you so hard you’ll gasp.
The Heart opens with “Rest Your Soul” (my personal favorite), and continues the wistful, contemplative mood until the title track “The Heart.” And then, bam, we’re hit with one of the most emotional, genuine rock songs I’ve ever heard from Gnecco. “The Heart” contains echoes of “Murder” from Ours’ album Mercy, with its Middle Eastern sound, and Jimmy’s incredible skill with the guitar is highlighted here as well.
Some of the songs are old favorites with which fans are already familiar: “I Heard You Singing,” “Gravity,” and “Darling,” and it’s fantastic to hear the studio versions, the way that Gnecco has been wanting them to sound for years. “Darling” is especially impressive. No verse is rushed; no meter is hurried. The entire song is paced and timed to perfection.
And finally, there’s “Talk to Me,” an achingly gorgeous song that brings to mind “Use Me” from Ours’ Sour days. The sustained notes create a tension that doesn’t let up until the song’s final note. The first time I heard this song, I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until it was over.
The Heart has 15 tracks, and I won’t try to describe all of them in this review. The mood of the entire album is one of longing and loss, but without the moroseness or gloom found in affected, less sincere efforts. I’ve read previews that employ words such as “sweeping,” “soaring,” “hymnal,” and “soulful.” These descriptions are true, but I’ll also add intimate, moving, and exquisitely heartfelt.
And no review of an album or concert about Gnecco would be complete without mention of his voice. When trying to describe it, it’s hard not to fall back on clichés or cursing (“Goddamn this guy can fucking sing!“). It’s impossible to do it justice, but I’ll try. Jimmy Gnecco’s personality, his beliefs, his faults, his virtues, his wants, needs, lusts, fears, losses, loves, and desires come to the surface when he sings. It’s all there. No pretence, no timidity, and―finally―no fucking bullshit auto tune. His voice is melodic and clear; his timing is impeccable; and he doesn’t hold anything back. His entire credibility as a singer and songwriter is all there, as soon as he opens his mouth.
Bring You Home (live)
[Used by permission from Bright Antenna]
The Heart
All songs written and performed by Jimmy Gnecco
Label: Bright Antenna
Available today at Exile on Main Street and Best Buy
Track List
1. Rest Your Soul
2. Light on the Grave
3. Mystery
4. The Heart
5. Bring You Home
6. These Are My Hands
7. Days
8. Gravity
9. I Heard You Singing
10. Take a Chance
11. Darling
12. Light on the Grave (Reprise)
13. Patiently Waiting
14. It’s Only Love
15. Talk to Me
(Jimmy Gnecco will be performing at Pygmalion Festival on September 25th.)