100 Unheralded Albums from 2010

The BooksThe Way Out (Temporary Residence, 7/20/10)

The Books: “Beautiful People”
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Employing a peculiar mix of acoustic instruments, electronics, samples, and splicing, The Books has managed to sound quite like nothing else while drawing upon sound collage, folk, glitch, and more.  The Way Out, the duo’s first album in five years, is at times polyrhythmic; at others, it’s greatly minimalistic yet effective.  There’s a well-balanced approach to the vocals, as the duo’s singing and spoken-word moments appear between harmonious guest vocals and abstract/chopped samples.