The Books
(Ben Poster)
Like a lot of people, when I first heard the Books' "Thought for Food," back in 2003, I was very confused. Like: What. The. Hell. Is. This?! Like some kind of Appalachian William Burroughs being chased through a forest by razor blades. The album infected my consciousness and for a long while I couldn't listen to much else. I still marvel at the sheer number of cuts per minutes. This track is from their latest album, "The Way Out." I hope it'll make you smile.
If you like this track, check out more from The Books on iTunes:
The son of a scientist and a doctor, Jad Abumrad did most of his growing up in Tennessee, before studying creative writing and music composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. Following graduation, Abumrad wrote music for films, and reported and produced documentaries for a variety of local and national public radio programs, including On the Media, PRI's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and WNYC's "24 Hours at the Edge of Ground Zero".
Comments [9]
Radiolab Short: The Books--great idea Austin!
The Books & Radiolab are the two things that center me and inspire me most. In my artwork and in my life. This is like seeing your two best friends get married.
Ah, my favorite musicians are featured on the website of my favorite radio show! What could be better?
The Books combine classical orchestral sounds with old fashioned, grassroots folk and sampled media from their library of sound. It's innovative, creative, skillfully mixed, and it makes "everyday" sounds come alive through beautifully and intricately layered compositions.
Friends and strangers have caught me leaping around ecstatically during The Books' live shows, and to be honest, I think those were some of the greatest moments in my life. I never miss a show when they come in town. :)
This somehow reminds me of Negativeland "Escape from Noise", http://www.amazon.com/Escape-From-Noise/dp/B0040JICWA
The Books are fantastic fantastic fantastic.
Just like Cliff from Humboldt County I've been tearing through Radiolab's entire body of work these last few weeks and MAN do I love The Books.
I have to second (or third?) Michael and Cliff's comments regarding the song "Smells Like Content." I think there's enough thought-provoking material in that song alone for a dedicated Radiolab short, don't you?
Who's with me?
I'm from berkshire county. I heard these guys on a Wire Tapper cd once that came in the magazine. Pretty cool. Similar to Jad's style, now that I think about it...
Cool! It was only a matter of time before my two favorite things—Radiolab and The Books—came together.
The Way Out is a really cool album, but at times it's a little too frenetic for my tastes. My favorite album is still Lost and Safe, for those looking to delve further into The Books. Indeed, as someone else mentioned, Smells Like Content is fantastic.
So funny...I've been listening to Radiolab voraciously for a couple months now. The first time I visit your site (today) I find this post about the Books. Sweet! My favorite song by them is Smells Like Content.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHNArEfBKdc
I love the Books so much! I have been listening to them ever since I happened upon their first album by chance in a store . . . probably in middle school? I had no idea what to expect and was completely blown away.
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