![]() ![]() The Books' body of work reads like a patchwork quilt that documents all of modern human settlement. Paul de Jong once described what they were doing as "the new folk music.e make our own instruments, use our own libraries of sound bites while trying to create something universally human." An apt description. Each moment has been so intricately cared for so meticulously crafted, it's difficult to discern where any particular movement starts or ends. These compositions are timeless, mysterious, and disarming in their emotional depth. But the reality is far richer than that description implies. They play atmospheric passages on cello, guitar, mandolin, add a cyclical drum beat, then accompany those passages with found sounds and obscure vocal samples from a massive collection of thrifted home movies. But what makes them so? Reduced to its simplest terms, the formula sounds almost banal. ![]() This album was the first peek into their highly unusual style.Īny critical review of The Books is probably going to say the same thing: They are distinct. Thankfully for the children of the future, they had the good sense to start collaborating and get to work on what would become Thought For Food. They started hanging out and quickly realized they both shared a unique approach to music. We’d give you a really enticing description here, but you’d probably just steal it-and then you’d probably add something about Godflesh.ĥ) Once you go Black, you’ll never go back.On the eve of the 21st Century, Paul De Jong and Nick Zammuto met in New York City. So please come up with some other shit when you write about it. It’s like, “Enough already, dudes - aren’t you supposed to be playing shows or something?”Ĥ) Terms like “industrial-strength power dirge” and “mechanized punk fugue” don’t really suffice where Black Madonna is concerned. THEY BUILT THE STUDIO IT WAS RECORDED IN - concrete to drywall, all the way up through shades of paint and lighting design. #The books playall album cover how to#They bought and read the books to tell them how to use that stuff. They bought the shit to do the recording. The Austerity Program would prefer it if you filed this detail under “your problem” as opposed to “their problem.” The Austerity Program actually have very few problems that they’re willing to discuss with you.ģ) These guys are DIY like a motherfucker: They play all of the songs on the record. (We actually have no idea.)Ģ) Like those on Terra Nova, the songs on Black Madonna are untitled. Here are a few things you should know about it, other than the fact that it rules:ġ) The title Black Madonna is not necessarily a reference to an imaginary African-American version of the famous pop star/exhibitionist, nor is it necessarily a reference to the Virgin Mary’s decidedly impure twin sister, Betty. And yet Calabrese and Foley have soldiered on, undaunted in the face of commercial adversity, to bring us their unstoppable debut full-length, Black Madonna. But that’s their loss (the people who didn’t buy it, that is). Not only are the Program’s Thad Calabrese (bass) and Justin Foley (guitar/vocals) personally responsible for freeing ODB from counterfactual incarceration they also recorded a pretty awesome EP for Hydra Head back in 2003 entitled Terra Nova. In discussing the great musical duos of the past half-century - Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Ike & Tina Turner, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - you hardly ever hear anyone mention the Austerity Program. We didn't write it, but we're putting it here for posterity.) ![]()
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