When a band finds itself stumped, frustrated and unable to reached its desired artistic apex, there’s only one reasonable solution: call Rick Rubin. The legendary bearded guru of meditation and nap-taking was ready to go when asked to produce Ours’ fourth full-length, “Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy).” This time around, the New Jersey prog-rockers delivered an album destined to convince a lot of people they’re from British Isles. Melodrama and layers of strings are heaped on like a U2 ballad (not to mention the Edge’s signature delay-filled guitar timbre), while frontman Jimmy Gnecco quite blatantly channels “Bends”-era Thom Yorke when singing lines like, “Life doesn’t have any meaning, everything’s a joke.” Rubin usually either brings out the best or the worst in a band, but “Mercy …,” sonically unblemished but disappointingly derivative, defies that trend. (Andy Seifert) Monday, June 9 at Martyrs
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