Released 5 April 2005 Artist The Books Label Tomlab | Length 42:04 Release date 5 April 2005 | |
 | ||
Lost and Safe
(2005) Music for a French Elevator
(2006) Genres Folk music, Electronic music Similar The Books albums, Electronic music albums | ||
The books a little longing goes away
Lost and Safe is the third album by American musical duo The Books. It is stylistically similar to their previous albums, continuing their rich use of samples as diverse as Raymond Baxter ("That's the picture. You s-you see it for yourself."), W. H. Auden ("This great society is going smash / A culture is no better than its woods", from his poem "Bucolics: II, Woods"), and a reading of Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky". On "If Not Now, Whenever" Mal Sharpe asks a passerby "How're you doin' today?" Some of the sampled passages are either accompanied or performed elsewhere by guitarist/bassist Nick Zammuto in Sprechstimme. Some of the eclecticism of the samples is owed to their origins in Salvation Army shops.
Contents
Samples
The Books use samples extensively in this work, as in most of their works. "It Never Changes to Stop" features the sound of admonitions and commands as delivered by an anonymous American disciplinarian. "Venice" samples the bonus track of a 1966 opera record, in which an American reporter describes a Salvador Dalí "happening" in Venice.
Critical reception
Lost and Safe has received very positive reviews from numerous critics and music publications. Lost and Safe currently holds a rating of 84 out of a possible 100, indicating "universal acclaim", on Metacritic.com. David Serra of AllMusic wrote: "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 Wire voted Lost and Safe as the best album of the year in 2005.
Track listing
- "A Little Longing Goes Away" – 3:30
- "Be Good to Them Always" – 4:51
- "Vogt Dig for Kloppervok" – 3:54
- "Smells Like Content" – 3:41
- "It Never Changes to Stop" – 4:01
- "An Animated Description of Mr. Maps." – 4:38
- "Venice" – 1:42
- "None But Shining Hours" – 2:42
- "If Not Now, Whenever" – 3:35
- "An Owl with Knees" – 4:41
- "Twelve Fold Chain" – 4:44
Songs
1A Little Longing Goes Away3:30
2Be Good to Them Always4:51
3Vogt Dig for Kloppervok3:54