Photo Credit: David Garland
The Books
@ Boston's Museum of Fine Arts 3/24/06
Grade: A
Last Thursday experimental rock duo The Books, solo guitar player Jose Gonzalez and folk rock band Death Vessel showcased their incredible musical abilities at the highly eclectic and ever growing Museum of Fine Arts concert series.
The Books, Nick Zamutto and Paul de Jong, are highly acclaimed for uniquely molding spoken word samples with electronic beats, the acoustic guitar and cello. How quickly the tickets to this show sold out shows just how much recognition they are receiveing.
Zamutto’s guitar playing was careful and intricate, de Jong impressed everyone with his impossibly quick cello playing, and quirky videos danced to their carefully orchestrated loops.
They played their first song to video clips of men taking off their hats and making awkward expressions. The audience could not help but laugh at such an absurd combination, and The Books would continue throughout their set to please the audience with their bizarre sense of humor.
And yet other songs revealed thoughtfulness and beauty. “Smells Like Content,” a song off of their newest album Lost and Safe, starts off with Zamutto’s brother philosophically lamenting on life. De Jong’s meticulous cello playing evoked awe to certain psychedelic video clips.
An hour before them, Jose Gonzalez sat by himself and skillfully plucked at his acoustic guitar magically, singing with a quiet and pleasant voice that would normally put people to sleep. But this crowd exploded after every one of his songs, letting him know they were wide awake.
From Sweden, Gonzalez is rising quickly in American popularity. His music is featured on the O.C. soundtrack and a Sony TV commercial and his album Veneer will be re-released by Mute records this April.
Death Vessel opened first with their surprisingly tasteful mix of hard rock and light folk. Somehow their music was very simple yet very intricate at the same time.
All the bands’ performances were heightened by the MFA’s acoustics, which were fantastic. Out of all the venues that would host a show like this (Middle East, Paradise, Avalon, TT the Bear’s), none of them compare to the sound heard in the MFA.
Because the MFA is branching out with its live shows, everything from indie rock, to jazz, to electronica, to folk, to classical, it is showing its strengths in appreciating all different kinds of excellent music. Everyone should make use of their enchanting sound quality as long as it is being offered.
Out of all the bands that play their music to videos, The Books are one of the best out there. Just like Sigur Ros, they put on more than just a music show; they create an unforgettable experience.
If they come around to your neck of the woods, buy some tickets before they sell out, because they most certainly will.
By Roman the Fury
