The Close 'Sun, Burn' album

"Who The Fuck Is THE CLOSE?" You aren't the first to ask that question; in fact, one of the first to do so was the band itself, on its debut full-length 20,000+ (Moodswing Records, 2000). The short answer is that they're a four-and-a-half-piece (long story) rock outfit that's garnered comparisons to Sonic Youth, Built to Spill, Karate and several Dischord-era DC punk bands and hails from the burgeoning Atlanta underground--that's recently birthed bands like The Black Lips, Snowden, The Hiss, The Selmanaires and Tenement Halls. The long answer to the rhetorical question is found on the band's three full-lengths and two EPs, on which THE CLOSE has honed its meticulously crafted, guitar-driven rock as well as it's tireless work ethic and commitment to its output.

As the band began to settle into its adopted home in Atlanta--after its nascent years in Auburn, Alabama--they announced their presence in the relatively young independent music scene with the release of 20,000+. From the first, urgent notes of "Mary Lane," THE CLOSE made it clear that they wouldn't be a passing phenom worth overlooking. Despite being crammed with meandering basslines; frenetic drumming; jagged, complex guitar work and moody, near-spoken vocals that allows them entry into the snooty art-rock pantheon, the band's sound doesn't trade fancy, technical maneuvers for accessibility--it's songs are all built on hypnotic hooks and echoing vocal harmonies. The band also offered a sharp sense of humor--not to mention solid subject-verb agreement--with their cover of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" and the self-referential track "Who the Fuck is The Close?"

This approachability and knack for satisfying both the experimental set and the pop crowd makes THE CLOSE a unifying force, corralling math rockers and twee poppers to the same rooms, and moving both groups' feet to tap incessantly along with the band's swirling time changes.

After completing a grueling touring schedule and the building of their own "C-11" studio in the warehouse space they shared with seven other people in Atlanta's West End, THE CLOSE released It's a Secret to Everybody. By this point, the group had a reputation in their Southern home for both the searing quality of their songwriting, as well as the theatrical elements of their stage show.

On their sophomore long-player, THE CLOSE showed a new side of its talents. The signature propulsive sound, driven along at breakneck speed by skittering drums, now ebbed at moments to reveal more ruminative textures and elegant cymbal-play. Also, the album, recorded by the bandmembers themselves, showcased a fuller sound engineered to proudly display all of the music's subtleties. Shimmering keyboards flourishes became a featured ingredient rather than an occasional ornament, joining the THE CLOSE's essential elements--the intricate guitar work, the sturdy drumming and the pulsating bass.

Again, three years have gone by filled with rigorous touring--in a van with no heat or A/C--and arduous self-recording. Again, THE CLOSE has emerged with a document of its gestalt that distills its essence into a liquor that goes down easy, but still has bite.

Sun, Burn is a lean testament to the trials and tribulations of the better part of a decade spent living the rock lifestyle. It expertly examines the difficulties of relationships--maintaining them, second-guessing them and of course, ending them.

The band experiments with new piano and organ sounds, which give these admittedly timeless themes more of a wonderful sepia-toned, vintage feel. In addition, they flip their vocal blueprint, letting their normally back-up female vocals assume center stage on "My Boy is Crazy." Also, Ivan Howard, one half of Merge Records' The Rosebuds, contributes backing vocals on the instant classic "If You Run Out."

All in all, Sun, Burn is the outfit's most focused treatise, as well as its most plaintive and subdued. Over the years, THE CLOSE have learned to portray and control any mood--from joyous insouciance to wrenching despair. It's a sign of being older and wiser (and yes, fitter, happier and more productive).

So, who the fuck is THE CLOSE?

A band that's ripened completely for the picking...and your listening enjoyment.

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The Close - Sun, Burn