i saw them a few years back and they were playing to a pretty substantial backing track (obviously)
but they also had video synced up to every song which, along with their warm personalities, made the show very enjoyable
― WEB SHERIFF ᶠᶸᶜᵏᵧₒᵤ (LOLK), Friday, 2 July 2010 19:11 (thirteen years ago) link
dude on cello singing + dude on guitar singing, iirc
leaked! listening now...
― borntohula, Friday, 2 July 2010 23:17 (thirteen years ago) link
And? Love this band.
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 3 July 2010 01:28 (thirteen years ago) link
it's pretty solid. pretty dense... a lot to take in. more later!
― borntohula, Saturday, 3 July 2010 14:52 (thirteen years ago) link
what strikes me the most about this album so far is that it is less of a slo-burn experience in comparison to their other stuff. beats/drums play a much more prominent and consistent role in the songs this time around, and at much faster tempos. the departures don't really take away from the music though-- it still sounds very much like the books.
― borntohula, Sunday, 4 July 2010 23:19 (thirteen years ago) link
beats/drums play a much more prominent and consistent role in the songs this time around, and at much faster tempos.
yeah. parts of this disc sound positively rock/disco-y, e.g., i didn't know that and a cold freezin' night. i like it a lot.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 27 July 2010 19:26 (thirteen years ago) link
yes it's really good. loving the chord changes on the opening track
― sonderangerbot, Tuesday, 27 July 2010 19:49 (thirteen years ago) link
it's a little less "charming" than, say, the lemon of pink, which -- i admit -- is a little disappointing. but the new disc makes up for it with more accessible and immediate songs.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 27 July 2010 19:53 (thirteen years ago) link
oops i meant the chord changes on "i didn't know that", obviously. i prefer them rocking out tbh, all that clattery percussion and never-ending bass lines is right up my alley.
― sonderangerbot, Wednesday, 28 July 2010 20:40 (thirteen years ago) link
you may just possibly detect from my voice that i am irishand now i leap forward in time
― ciderpress, Saturday, 2 October 2010 17:48 (thirteen years ago) link
:)
(another) great album.
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 2 October 2010 17:52 (thirteen years ago) link
i think this may be my favorite of theirs yet!
― ciderpress, Saturday, 2 October 2010 17:53 (thirteen years ago) link
it's the most song-based, i'd say. actual disco-type beats, too.
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 2 October 2010 17:54 (thirteen years ago) link
like, they're actually recontextualizing the samples in entertaining ways now rather than using them as just collage pieces as they did on the earlier albums
― ciderpress, Saturday, 2 October 2010 17:54 (thirteen years ago) link
well, i'd say their earlier albums had more ramshackle charm and -- to me -- more of a surprising new vibe. but this one has memorable melodies and hooks (e.g., cold freezin' night). one of my favorites of the year.
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 2 October 2010 18:00 (thirteen years ago) link
This thread reminds me that I still haven't bought this new album. Really like these guys.
― Duke, Saturday, 2 October 2010 19:55 (thirteen years ago) link
cold freezin night is the uberjam. and of course they're one of those bands you have to see on every album's tour because the video stuff is such a big part of the album experience.
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Saturday, 2 October 2010 22:54 (thirteen years ago) link
They're good, aren't they?
― djh, Sunday, 10 October 2010 17:06 (thirteen years ago) link
i like this but i LOVE "Lost and Safe", i think they did something unique with that, making the samples into songs by singing over them. i really connect with it emotionally.
i v. much love "cold freezin' night" and "group autogenics 1" though.
― jed_, Sunday, 10 October 2010 18:30 (thirteen years ago) link
there are parts that really get me on this.
"whoever you think you presently are...thank you."
― jed_, Sunday, 10 October 2010 18:32 (thirteen years ago) link
bad news:
http://pitchfork.com/news/45239-nick-zammuto-talks-about-ending-the-books-starting-his-new-project/
― frogs you are the dumbest asshole (frogbs), Friday, 27 January 2012 15:26 (twelve years ago) link
I really like some of the Zammuto tracks I've heard, especially "FU C-3PO".
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Friday, 27 January 2012 22:56 (twelve years ago) link
Good news for Books fans, the Zammuto record is really good and not really too different to what he did as a Book
― frogbs, Friday, 15 June 2012 18:33 (eleven years ago) link
It is!
― MaresNest, Friday, 15 June 2012 19:25 (eleven years ago) link
you mean, it is good, or it is very different?
― frogbs, Friday, 15 June 2012 19:37 (eleven years ago) link
It's great.
― Simon H., Saturday, 16 June 2012 02:58 (eleven years ago) link
It's good!
― MaresNest, Saturday, 16 June 2012 08:57 (eleven years ago) link
does it have singing it it? i liked a lot the singing in lost and safe.
― jed_, Saturday, 16 June 2012 15:49 (eleven years ago) link
yeah a lot of singing going on.
― sonderangerbot, Saturday, 16 June 2012 15:54 (eleven years ago) link
Forget if this is on the album or just the EP, but it's great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFlRaZaeM9c
― MaresNest, Saturday, 16 June 2012 16:13 (eleven years ago) link
cheers!
― jed_, Saturday, 16 June 2012 17:19 (eleven years ago) link
yep, it has singing (moreso than the Books records, really), but there tends to be a lot of treatment on the vocals. even though I have a soft spot for Thought for Food I'm starting to think this stuff is generally more interesting than the Books ever were outside of those brilliant flashes they had on each album, "F U C-3PO" is such a mother of a track
― frogbs, Monday, 18 June 2012 17:10 (eleven years ago) link
he sounds like Isaac Brock during the chorus of it too! totally unexpected development
― frogbs, Monday, 18 June 2012 17:11 (eleven years ago) link
Was the box set vinyl only?
And, if so, what CD would recommend after "Lost and Safe"?
― djh, Wednesday, 19 February 2014 19:59 (ten years ago) link
the next album, has Tokyo on it
go! quickly!
― cristalnacht (lukas), Wednesday, 19 February 2014 20:03 (ten years ago) link
actually the previous album. Lost and Safe is their third and both the first two are better
― Number None, Wednesday, 19 February 2014 20:48 (ten years ago) link
The Lemon Of Pink > Thought For Food > Lost And Safe, haven't heard The Way Out.. They got more song-lead, less sample based generally? Saw them once. Really good use of visuals.
― mmmm, Wednesday, 19 February 2014 21:03 (ten years ago) link
The Way Out isn't their best album, but it does have a lot of their best work on it, especially "All You Need Is A Wall" and "We Bought The Flood." "I Didn't Know That" is fun, too.
I never got a chance to see them play :( I dig Zammuto's solo stuff so far, though it's not quite the same. I wonder what DeJong is up to now.
― zchyrs, Wednesday, 19 February 2014 21:13 (ten years ago) link
I've always loved The Lemon of Pink. I gave the other albums a listen recently, having not listened to them, but none of them quite reached the level of TLoP.
Their videos are worth a watch. The videos to 'Cold Freezin Night' and 'I Didn't Know That' are hilarious.
― Isaiah "Ice" McAdams (cajunsunday), Wednesday, 19 February 2014 21:25 (ten years ago) link
Somehow even when TLoP came out it felt like the kind of album that was going to be the best thing they ever did, like it was an idea that was going to work really well only once.
― Burt Stuntin (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 19 February 2014 21:27 (ten years ago) link
well, they had a series of really great, really interesting albums. having said that,
They got more song-lead, less sample based generally? ― mmmm, Wednesday, February 19, 2014
― mmmm, Wednesday, February 19, 2014
. . . definitely. in that regard, there are still a lot of great high-points on the way out.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Wednesday, 19 February 2014 21:49 (ten years ago) link
the "I Didn't Know That" video is one of the best things. wickedly funny too.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 19 February 2014 22:21 (ten years ago) link
think The Way Out is their best.
― jamiesummerz, Thursday, 20 February 2014 16:37 (ten years ago) link
I love "Free Translator" so much.
― Simon H., Thursday, 20 February 2014 18:21 (ten years ago) link
Lost and Safe is my favourite by some way. It's very special to me.
― i lost my shoes on acid (jed_), Thursday, 27 February 2014 23:18 (ten years ago) link
one of those acts that never had a bad album.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Friday, 28 February 2014 03:33 (ten years ago) link
Been relistening to all these albums this week. All four are good but in retrospect The Way Out strikes me as clearly being the best one.
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Thursday, 6 November 2014 04:24 (nine years ago) link
http://songexploder.net/episode-22-the-books/
― MaresNest, Sunday, 18 January 2015 16:52 (nine years ago) link
The Books and Zammuto have created some of the most inventive music of the past decade. So underrated, wish they had the fanbase or cultfollowing of a band like Animal Collective.
Very interesting hearing how that song was conceived, Maresnest.
― Moka, Sunday, 18 January 2015 19:21 (nine years ago) link
Looks like there is a new Paul de Jong album, released this year.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Thursday, 14 June 2018 15:41 (five years ago) link
Wasn’t Zammuto also supposed to release something since last year and the EP was just a preview?
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 14 June 2018 16:09 (five years ago) link
I think I like what Zammuto brought to the Books better judging by solo albums but this Paul De Jong has some really cool ideas and it’s overall quite bonkers. Do not listen to it on any drug it’s quite the schizophrenic listen.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 14 June 2018 16:12 (five years ago) link
yea I think a full length was supposed to come in 2017 but things got in the way
pretty cool EP though
― frogbs, Thursday, 14 June 2018 16:15 (five years ago) link
Moka, i feel the way you do about books about Emiliana Torrini's "Fisherman's Woman"
― sunburst N snowblind (Ross), Friday, 15 June 2018 02:27 (five years ago) link
Currently drinking whiskey and staying awake for no reason at all and I find their music gets even better as I get older. Their first three albums are probably the ones with the most replay value in my collection. There's a review on rym that goes: "Zammuto makes music that sounds the way hugging a puppy dog feels. I don't know how else to describe it." I agree.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 8 October 2021 04:17 (two years ago) link
― sunburst N snowblind (Ross)
This is also a very underrated and gorgeous album btw.
the way out is on my shortlist of all time favorite records, at this point
― ciderpress, Friday, 8 October 2021 05:04 (two years ago) link
I always underrate Way Out but it has some of my favorite songs by them.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 8 October 2021 05:31 (two years ago) link
Namely: “chain of missing links”, “all you need is a wall”, “story of hip hop”
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 8 October 2021 06:13 (two years ago) link
i remember people ragging on "the story of hip hop" because it was a stupid joke but I thought it was adorable
― frogbs, Friday, 8 October 2021 13:31 (two years ago) link
"All You Need Is a Wall" is S-tier Books for sure. I don't know if I agree with the "puppy dog" evaluation--it's ofc partially true, but it leaves out so much of what makes listening to them compelling. To me, the Books are kind of like the sound of mostly-pleasant dreaming--disjointed, but whole. I actually find the sentimental aspect of their sound less appealing as I age, which I think may be related to my developing allergy for Alan Watts quotes.
I am perennially hoping that Zammuto & de Jong squash their beef and get the band back together. Their solo material is good-to-great (definitely seek out Zammuto's Anchor), but lesser, IMO.
― feed me with your chips (zchyrs), Friday, 8 October 2021 13:34 (two years ago) link
kind of curious what Zammuto has been up to these last 3 years, he went from blogging extensively about every single track The Books did to being offline entirely
― frogbs, Friday, 8 October 2021 13:53 (two years ago) link
you may just possibly detect from my voice that I am Irish...AND NOW I LEAP FORWARD IN TIME.
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Friday, 8 October 2021 14:11 (two years ago) link
found a copy of The Way Out at a very reasonable price, played it and was disappointed to hear a bunch of surface noise on Side 3. turns out it exists on the original recording. ahh, the joys of The Books on wax
anyway this record is very good, it's both their most serious/existential and their goofiest at the same time. the concept behind "Free Translator" is so brilliant, I used to love playing around with online translators the same way
― frogbs, Wednesday, 1 February 2023 03:09 (one year ago) link
Thanks for reviving this thread on all things Books, which I hadn't seen. On The Books - The Lemon of Pink, I posted the following relic, written back when I first heard them:
You're reminding me of the unusual pleasures of these rekkids----here's my preview of their Columbus oh show of long ago (2011):
The BooksThursday @ WexnerThe Books play (and sample) plucked, strummed and bowed instruments, while talking and singing with countless other sounds, also sampled (and played). Waves of fragments move calmly, and, on their first album, The Lemon of Pink, venerable voices provide “helpful” gibberish. The Books like to ricochet through such decay, although the subsequent Lost & Save risks spelling this out a little too plainly, before zigzagging through unexpected insights and comedy. Their new version of Nick Drake’s “Cello Song,”* even grooves with the glitches of a cheapo CD-R!
*It features Jose Gonzalez and was contributed to the Red Hot charity series comp Dark Was The Night:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvLfcRnCbAo
― dow, Thursday, 2 February 2023 19:13 (one year ago) link
("cheapo CD-R" was what I downloaded the promo track onto, being behind the tech curve back then and now)
― dow, Thursday, 2 February 2023 19:16 (one year ago) link
one of my favorite Books moments is I think somewhere on Lost and Safe, at the end of one track a voice comes in and says something like "expectation leads to disappointment, if you never expect anything, you uh...well....ah, whatever, I don't know". such a perfect sample for them
― frogbs, Thursday, 2 February 2023 19:19 (one year ago) link
There’s a Song Exploder episode on the song with that sample. It’s Zammuto’s brother, IIRC.
― The land of dreams and endless remorse (hardcore dilettante), Friday, 3 February 2023 03:50 (one year ago) link
So many good sample clashes with them.
I love one that goes “you may fall and break your leg” followed by “and then one leg of shorter than the other”.
Also it doesn’t make too much sense but “it will rain, it will rain” followed by seagulls doing that sort of tone twice.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 3 February 2023 06:07 (one year ago) link