It has been proven that men who wear long overcoats are prone to chronic bouts of mental instability. Either that or they own one too many Ian McCulloch solo albums. The Open are clearly guilty on both counts. Because, like the look in Bill Murray's eyes in the final scene in 'Lost In Translation', 'Close My Eyes' is both epic and desolate, like a motorway at midnight. Wizened rock chroniclers are even now tracing the influences of their epic Birkenhead bluster back to the 'big music' (U2, Simple Minds, Ultravox) and so they should. Because this is a pearl of a single. Orchestral flood tides ebb and flow throughout whilst guitarist Jon Winter-natural inheritor of Jonny Greenwood's golden FX pedal-lays on the atmospherics. They may not be considering a refiguration of Mt.Rushmore in Steven Bayley's chiselled image just yet, but on this evidence America will soon come calling.
Paul Moody
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