Lost And Safe

But though this may be pretension, it's also delight, strange and humorous verbally and aurally.

They posses a talent for identifying the raw, emotive aspects of sound and speech in random statements and simple chord progressions. [Apr 2005, p.101]

There are times where the release feels like a transitional effort, yet it also contains some of the best songs that they've ever done.

From the songwriting to the production to the performance, the whole package that the Books present with Lost and Safe works wonderfully and makes for a very rewarding listen.

The addition of vocals may initially turn off some, but in time the new style melds with the old, much in the same way that what has come before sits comfortably next to what is yet to come throughout this forty-two minute album.

Here more than ever, the songs come before the samples; while the samples and sounds still accompany everything, they are now more like a third band member than leading player. This gives The Books a newfound depth of subtlety.

Lost and Safe is an expression of two artists who are neither lost nor playing it safe.

Lost and Safe removes much of the chaotic elements of its predecessors, substituting a more focused, and therefore cohesive approach to their cut-and-paste style.

The more cohesive undercurrents of "Lost and Safe" might display a formidable sense of growth for the band, but hardcore fans of the band's past work might be a little taken aback by the album's more direct approach. Nevertheless, these guys remain at the bleeding edge of pop innovation, even if it is more hummable than you'd expect.

The Books make the incongruous harmonious, the silly sensitive and the complex easy to understand. 'Lost And Safe' will sweep you up into an aural world where, for once, beauty and humour co-exist.

Not entirely dissimilar to their previous efforts, but it features the duo tweaking their sound in subtle ways that make for an affecting, if not drastic, tangent.

This decidedly literate songcraft has a range of ancestors, including Talking Heads, Sparks and David Grubbs, but three albums along, The Books are nailing down a distinctive soundworld of their own. [#254, p.54]

There's such an embarrassment of riches in Lost and Safe.

The Books have toned down the weird, smoothed down the edges, and created their most homogenous record yet. Lucky for us, the homogenous version of The Books is still probably ten times more interesting than your favorite band at their most creative.

Though the experience of these songs are much easier to digest than their previous releases, Nick and Paul are still creatively pushing themselves with this album.

Most of Lost and Safe is pleasant enough but not much more.