The Countdown are an Electro Rock'n'Roll duo from Chicago, USA. Tamar and Steve - who are also a married couple - mix robotic synthpop, distorto-rock guitars and unisex vocals, with a live show that, at any moment, can turn into a screaming match between the pair which has been described as a sort of a "Sonny & Cher on acid". The story of The Countdown began in 1998 when Tamar began writing and recording songs on her four-track. The songs were based on her rock musical entitled 'Communicator' which loosely told the futuristic story of a girl looking for her missing husband within the world of 'Communicator' ruled by computers and cyborgs. Since the rock opera frustrated the fuck out of her, she put it aside until one day when she played some of the songs for her future husband Steve. He thought the songs and the concept were cool, and wanted to try to re-record them and, if possible, try to perform some of the songs live. Thus was born The Countdown as a band. The Countdown independently released one full length entitled "Communicator" and one EP that was self titled, both of which are out of print. But if you ask them nicely, they might burn a copy for you. In 2004, The Countdown signed to Invisible Records and released the infamous 'Scratch N Sniff' EP in 2004. After a long wait and various difficulties within their relationship with Invisible, their 2008 LP entitled 'The Story of a Long Slow Awaited Death Of A Band' was released, shortly before the band parted happily from Invisible Records. Now, after relocating to Portland, Oregon, and free from the confines of a label, The Countdown's newest album - 2009's 'Your Friends And Neighbors' - is their most strange and bizarre album to date. The album explores concepts of loneliness, secrets and obsessions. And asks the question, do you ever really know someone? You decide.