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The Books: “Tokyo”
From the album The Lemon of Pink (2003)
Although dedicated in spirit to new and experimental forms of music, we at Acousmata spend much of our time rummaging through the obscure corners of the twentieth century. So we hope to be forgiven for having just discovered this no-longer-new but excellent work by “folktronica” duet The Books.
Combining acoustic string sounds with the splice-happy sensibility of musique concrète, The Books evoke comparison with much older artists such as Henry Flynt, although the musical result is something quite distinctive. In its frenetic, mechanized quality, this track also recalls Frank Zappa’s late albums such as Jazz from Hell and Civilization, Phaze III.
The arrangement of familiar sounds (plucked guitars, human voices) in unexpected juxtapositions lifts this music above the monotony that afflicts many productions of so-called electronica.
Played 90 time(s).
March 19, 2010, 10:45am
