The Books are a band comprised of Paul de Jong, who lives in New York and has composed for dance, theater and film, and Nick Zammuto, who lives in North Carolina and has previously worked as a solo artist, contributing to several compilations and releasing two full length albums: Wilsscher on the Apartment B label, and Solutiore of Stareau: Disc One on the Infraction label. Both were created under his surname. They came together because of a shared obsession with the possibility of the autobiography of sound and to create a work rich in reference, from TV shows to vintage newscasts, from redneck evangelists to New Age gurus.
It is difficult to classify the Books' music. They would probably fall somewhere into the realm of IDM, but are actually more in the vein of organically created electronic bands such as Four Tet or Fridge. There are three constant elements in each of their songs: a guitar (usually acoustic), some type of stringed instrument (usually a cello or violin), and vocal samples. Sure, vocal samples have been used a million times over (the Avalanches come to mind), but the Books are able to present them in a way that they seem new, quirky, and surprisingly human. They ignore the idea that collage music must be stuffed to the gills; they let their samples and their music breathe.
The Books have created only one album, called Thought for Food, which was released in 2002 on the small German label Tomlab Records.
The final page of the liner notes reads:
"I love you."