EPISODE 16 - Meet The Books!
Song: Group Autogenics I
Artist: The Books
Album: The Way Out
Label: Temporary Residence Ltd (2010)
I love The Books. When listening to their existential sound collages (including this first track around the moment of "You may just detect from my voice that I am Irish... and now a leap forward in time..."), I have regularly made mind blowing discoveries that see me reacting, usually out loud, a little something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI. I've often said that they are the most intelligent band I know. It might be better to say that they make the most intelligent music - but maybe 'most unpredictably intuitive' is getting closer to the point. I'm still mystified at how they're able to create such blissfully absurd moments that, while always completely unexpected, also seem to complete sentences (musical and logical) in your mind which you realise are growing there mere moments before the payoff. The Way Out, their first full album in 5 years, takes self help and hypnosis recordings as much of its source material, to the same simultaneously tragic, hilarious, humankind deprecation and glorification that have made all of their albums so excellent. In other words it is, thankfully and completely, a 'The Books' album. God bless them.
Here's a little peak at the live show. Can't wait for October.
Song: An Animated Description of Mr. Maps
Artist: The Books
Album: Lost and Safe
Label: Tomlab (2005)
This is my favorite Books album. At the moment, I'm limiting myself to one Books entry on my 'Xmas and Birthday Vinyl Wishlist' and this is it. They're all excellent and I'm sure all 5 will make it there eventually, but Lost and Safe poses the most serious 'how can I pick just one song' problem for the snob cast. Looking back at getting into their whole catalog, I realize now that most of the tracks that made their subtly revelatory breakthroughs came from this album. It also contains many of the best of their trademark mobius strip inverted phrase track names like "A Little Longing Goes Away" or "If Not Now, Whenever". The description section / drum solo in this track was definitely a double rainbow moment for me. Sometime soon, please put this album on a full frequency system / set of headphones, and see what happens.
Song: Clangour and Flutes
Artist: Sin Fang Bous
Album: Clangour
Label: Morr (2009)
Sin Fang Bous is Seabear lead singer/writer Sindri Mar Sigfusson. He's been called the Sufjan Stevens of Iceland (everyone needs one), and made 2009's best record in the 'judge an album by its cover' category. Seriously beautiful, substantial stuff from start to finish. A fresh reminder of why / how bedroom records can be some of the very best. Highly recommended.
Song: City With No Children
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: The Suburbs
Label: Merge (2010)
I'll be honest. I have some sort of handicap when it comes to Arcade Fire albums. When I heard the name kicking around in 2003, I gave Funeral a quick listen and THREW IT OUT, being disappointed that they sounded nothing like a video arcade on fire. Luckily, the buzz persisted, and a year or two later I gave it a second listen and fell rightly in love. (It's the experience that haunts me every time I pass on an album, and has probably made me too cautious ever since). Next, with Neon Bible, I was shocked at their new fidelity and grandiosity, and too quickly filed the record as a sophomoric misstep. Luckily that judgment didn't last long, and I soon caught up to them, loving it more than the first. When I first heard cuts from the Suburbs (even live) I was sure that I didn't like the new album. It wasn't like their other ones... it was their fun, we've made our money, get off our backs, victory lap, maybe? In all of these cases, I'm always just so wrong. It's an easy mistake to make when a band is so committed to not saying something unless it's important. They move so completely ahead into fully realized new phases of their ideologies and sound that listeners programmed to expect bands to safely hedge themselves in old formulas are bound to be thrown at first. Anyway, lemme tell you - this album is GENIUS. What I wasn't hearing at first were all of the atmospherics and supporting second-chair melodies that leak that eerie pale faced prophecy into what on the surface might sound like a record as safe as the Suburbs. Oh man. This thing has levels. Brilliant. Must hear.
Song: While We're Young
Artist: Department of Eagles
Album: Archive 2003-2006
Label: American Dust (2010)
Sound familiar? That's right - it's Dan from Grizzly Bear in his ongoing 'other band' Department of Eagles. The last DOE album came out midway between GB's promising Yellow House and their incredible Veckatimest, but wasn't anything too special. PEOPLE SEEM TO AGREE THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE TOO MUCH LISTENING-WORK TO BE DONE FOR THE AMOUNT OF PAYOFF. WHOA... CAPSLOCK. [ahem] Especially since what I think a lot of us were/are looking for in DOE is drawing board insight into Grizzly Bear. Well, to that purpose, DOE's Archive 2003-2006 is very useful and interesting indeed, and I think they know it. Choices here are especially Veckatimest-y, and well worth the listen. Good stuff.
Sound familiar? That's right - it's Dan from Grizzly Bear in his ongoing 'other band' Department of Eagles. The last DOE album came out midway between GB's promising Yellow House and their incredible Veckatimest, but wasn't anything too special. PEOPLE SEEM TO AGREE THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE TOO MUCH LISTENING-WORK TO BE DONE FOR THE AMOUNT OF PAYOFF. WHOA... CAPSLOCK. [ahem] Especially since what I think a lot of us were/are looking for in DOE is drawing board insight into Grizzly Bear. Well, to that purpose, DOE's Archive 2003-2006 is very useful and interesting indeed, and I think they know it. Choices here are especially Veckatimest-y, and well worth the listen. Good stuff.
Song: Rolling Sea
Artist: Vetiver
Album: Tight Knit
Label: Sub Pop (2009)
All this time, I've thought Devendra Banhart was IN this band, turns out he's just very closely linked - contributing writing to the first two albums, writing songs ABOUT this band, and having his good buddy Vetiver lead Andy Cabic guest on his records. Wait, what? We haven't played any DB on the cast?.... Right, so anyway - in the meantime - this is a peach of a freak-folk record out last year. The band goes beyond the warped woodsy aesthetic of most of their scenemates, though - you'll hear the Britty twee-pop & Sonic Youthfulness throughout.
All this time, I've thought Devendra Banhart was IN this band, turns out he's just very closely linked - contributing writing to the first two albums, writing songs ABOUT this band, and having his good buddy Vetiver lead Andy Cabic guest on his records. Wait, what? We haven't played any DB on the cast?.... Right, so anyway - in the meantime - this is a peach of a freak-folk record out last year. The band goes beyond the warped woodsy aesthetic of most of their scenemates, though - you'll hear the Britty twee-pop & Sonic Youthfulness throughout.
Song: Take Time
Artist: The Books
Album: The Lemon of Pink
Label: Tomlab (2003)
This is a lot of fan's fave. I've chosen a typically 'Books formula' cut here, but overall this album is a little different. The dialog editing takes a relative backseat to Nick and Paul's instrumentation - or whatever manipulated versions of that instrumentation they chose to string together with as much care and attention as they had previously given to their narratives. Brittle and delicate attack sounds constitute much of the percussion, while alternating waves and .... chunks(?) of resonances flood the spectrum with unnatural size and startling intimacy. Gorgeous.
Oh! And this video brings up another point - They do the same incredible work with video! They've even released a DVD called 'PlayAll' containing their best works (presumably compiled from the video they perform with live). Visionary!
Song: Tenousness
Artist: Andrew Bird
Album: Noble BeastLabel: Fat Possum (2009)
Been meaning to play some Andrew Bird for a while now, and as we're kind of feeling the folksy vibe in this cast (what with the city's Folk Fest just around the corner) we thought we'd slip him in. Truly one of the best of last year's critical successes. Not completely unlike Final Fantasy/ Owen Pallette but with more attention to the odder sounds to be found in chamber music (these haphazardly plunked pizzicatos for example) , and with much more of an eye toward pop-cordiality and winky lyrical playfulness. Best yet from Andrew Bird.
This is from their 'Sun Giant EP' (I assume that everyone has their full length by now). My favorite Fleet Foxes song. Sort of a cross section of everything they do so well in one cut. If you don't know about / haven't heard both this EP and the LP to death, forgive my presumption, and, oh man - pick them up hard. Essential lissnins.
After the release of 'Lost and Safe' Nick and Paul were commissioned by the "1%" art and sound installation in the Ministry of Culture in Paris to compose music for their main elevator. The spoken word stuff in the second half are little studies based on their likely considerable sample libraries. Hilarious, verge-of-intuition stuff, and so much fun. This was available originally as a mini-cd (member those?) on their tours, but is available digitally nowadays, and absolutely worth the buy despite the brevity of most of the 13 tracks.
Been meaning to play some Andrew Bird for a while now, and as we're kind of feeling the folksy vibe in this cast (what with the city's Folk Fest just around the corner) we thought we'd slip him in. Truly one of the best of last year's critical successes. Not completely unlike Final Fantasy/ Owen Pallette but with more attention to the odder sounds to be found in chamber music (these haphazardly plunked pizzicatos for example) , and with much more of an eye toward pop-cordiality and winky lyrical playfulness. Best yet from Andrew Bird.
Song: Sigourney Weaver
Artist: John Grant
Album: Queen of Denmark
Label: Bella Union (2010)
Sounds like Midlake because it is. They apparently heard John play on tour once, and vowed then and there that they would not rest until the world heard his music - even if they had to perform and record the album as his backing band - which they totally did. This is one of my favorite (probably favorite) 'singer songwriter' albums of the year. The melodies are unmatchably beautiful, and the lyrics repeatedly draw you in to some supposedly sombre subject material before turning a hard left into the most tongue in cheek funpoking, which is a crucually tasteful formula, especially on a song like 'Jesus Hates Faggots'. Also check out 'Marz' and 'Outer Space', hearing the incredibly classic (Elton?) chord progressions sold me immediately.
Sounds like Midlake because it is. They apparently heard John play on tour once, and vowed then and there that they would not rest until the world heard his music - even if they had to perform and record the album as his backing band - which they totally did. This is one of my favorite (probably favorite) 'singer songwriter' albums of the year. The melodies are unmatchably beautiful, and the lyrics repeatedly draw you in to some supposedly sombre subject material before turning a hard left into the most tongue in cheek funpoking, which is a crucually tasteful formula, especially on a song like 'Jesus Hates Faggots'. Also check out 'Marz' and 'Outer Space', hearing the incredibly classic (Elton?) chord progressions sold me immediately.
Song: Mykanos
Artist: Fleet Foxes
Album: Sun Giant EP
Label: Sub Pop (2008)
This is from their 'Sun Giant EP' (I assume that everyone has their full length by now). My favorite Fleet Foxes song. Sort of a cross section of everything they do so well in one cut. If you don't know about / haven't heard both this EP and the LP to death, forgive my presumption, and, oh man - pick them up hard. Essential lissnins.
Song: Enjoy Your Worries, You May Never Have Them Again
Artist: The Books
Album: Thought For Food
Label: Tomlab (2002)
If I had to describe the Books in a phrase, I might say something like "Voltaire's Candide plays northeastern electroacoustic chamber folk-concrete", or some such nonsense. Here's what some fans on youtube say:
"I'm perpetually moved by the seamless use of movement and imagery with the music."
If I had to describe the Books in a phrase, I might say something like "Voltaire's Candide plays northeastern electroacoustic chamber folk-concrete", or some such nonsense. Here's what some fans on youtube say:
"I'm perpetually moved by the seamless use of movement and imagery with the music."
Song: Ah..., I See
Artist: The Books
Album: Music For a French Elevator (and Other Short Format Oddities by The Books)
Label: Self Released (2006)
After the release of 'Lost and Safe' Nick and Paul were commissioned by the "1%" art and sound installation in the Ministry of Culture in Paris to compose music for their main elevator. The spoken word stuff in the second half are little studies based on their likely considerable sample libraries. Hilarious, verge-of-intuition stuff, and so much fun. This was available originally as a mini-cd (member those?) on their tours, but is available digitally nowadays, and absolutely worth the buy despite the brevity of most of the 13 tracks.
Well, that's The Books. I hope a few Snobs out there just had their noses blown sky-high, and maybe a few will check out what promises to be very unique tour this fall (tickets on sale now!) If you do, please let us know! Till next time, put on some undergarments, and go deeper, and deeper.
"Wonderfully celebratory. so mindful. what a funny, strange, beautiful thing, we humans."
"I feel like I'm on drugs."