The Books - The Way Out Mp3

The best self help record ever made from the suburbs of the USA.

The Books make the jump from Tomlab to Temporary Residence Limited via a long trip. You know the kind I mean: THE WAY OUT revels in psychedelia, from the relaxation tapes of "Group Autogenics I" and "Chain of Missing Links" to the surprising hints of soul-funk in "I Didn't Know That." There's even a kick drum on "A Cold Freezin' Night," made disturbing by the voices of sociopathic children. That steady beat creeps into the dreamy, neo-hippie chorus of "Beautiful People" and gallops into the emphatic "I Am Who I Am." Meanwhile, "Thirty Incoming" manages to be somehow lovely and sad simultaneously, with its lost voicemail messages, and their cheeky sense of humor (as well as the folksiness) comes back on "The Story of Hip Hop." The folk aspect is much more front-and-center with "Free Translator." The final "Group Autogenics II" floats out on the mind's eye, with numerous suggestions for connecting to the universe. The beat, of course, helps.

Listening to the latest album from The Books is like absorbing a dose of lysergic acid diethylamide, while Ram Dass reads excerpts from a book he never had the time to write. Full of inner depth on the reflection of oneself, and kaleidoscopic hysterical psychedelia, The Way Out is a musical trip through genres, time and space between the microscopic atoms that make up your eyes. Nick Zammuto and Paul De Jong have been producing since their debut, Thought For Food (Tomlab, 2002). After two more albums on Tomlab, a split EP and a collaboration with Prefuse 73, Prefuse 73 reads the Books EP (Warp, 2005), the duo lands a release on none other than Temporary Residence Limited. At times playful, funky, and contemplative, The Books create a collage of found sound, abandoned recordings, and unclassified pieces that retain my listening attention for many consecutive listens. Like an instructional album on becoming awakened in this world of random rules and borrowed ideas, the music by The Books forces the listener to reflect on everything that is absurd around them... and then let one choose his own way out... Can't stop listening to this one. Be sure to also pickup their self released Music for a French Elevator.