Achille Lauro Finds Smoother Waters

"We got very lucky," Joseph explains. "One of the bands I work for that has a lot of resources went off to record at the Plant in California, and they invited us to make an album in their studio while they were gone. Otherwise, it would have cost us thousands of dollars. We owe a lot to them." Having a world-class recording studio at their fingertips — and the freedom to ignore the clock on the wall — the members of Achille Lauro set out to record the album they'd always wanted.

"This was a really low-pressure scenario where we could pursue a lot of whims," Close notes, "and I'm happy with all of them."

In spite of the lack of pressure and the band's tendency to obsess over each part and each track, Achille Lauro was recorded and mixed in less than three months, but its complexity is a testament to pre-studio preparation. From the crooning, swinging swagger of "Dreams We've Had" to the Beat-inflected soar of "Put Your Guns Away," the group crafts lushly orchestrated, carefully wrought and effusively executed pop with a deft balance between spiritual ecstasy and melancholy moodiness. Joseph's talented engineering gracefully captures the thunderous rumbling of Evans's bass, the twinkling of Luke Mossman's glockenspiel and everything in between. The record not only proves Achille Lauro's stunning musical proficiency, but also its gift for composing richly textured, sincerely emotional and structurally complex songs.

"The initial idea for a song will generally come from Luke or myself," Close explains. "If it comes from me, it's usually a short snippet. Luke will come with much more involved stuff. But it's always the arrangement that's a pain in the ass."

"We'll have an idea or two, beat our heads against the wall trying to flesh them out, and then shelve it and come back to it months later," adds Ben Mossman. "We've kind of learned to stop forcing songs."

"At this point," says Close with a laugh, "we've got so many aborted ideas that it's increasingly becoming an option to join them together into new songs."

Achille Lauro's hard work has paid dividends. The band has developed a fervent local following — in fact, many other Denver bands cite the quintet among their favorites — based on the surprisingly dense orchestral sound and dramatic presentation of its ambitious songs, as well as Close's tastefully nimble and eclectic vocal style. The frontman puts so much of himself into his performance that he finds it necessary to seclude himself before every show.

"Sometimes I have to go sit in the car," he says. "Or I'll find an empty section at the bar, put my head down and just go to sleep." The other members of Achille Lauro are equally serious about their shows. You won't find any of them stumbling drunkenly onto the stage.

"We put so much pressure on each other that the thought of being impaired is terrifying," explains Ben Mossman. "If someone falters, everyone feels it. I really love that. When it works, it's so satisfying."

"We have material I don't think we can stop focusing on," Close adds. "That's something I'm really proud of. And it's also the biggest pain in the ass."