The Way Out (The Books album)

Last updated
The Way Out
Thewayout.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 20, 2010 (2010-07-20)
Genre
Length50:12
Label Temporary Residence
Producer
  • The Books
  • Drew Brown
The Books chronology
Music for a French Elevator and Other Short Format Oddities by the Books
(2006)
The Way Out
(2010)
A Dot in Time
(2012)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.5/10 [1]
Metacritic 81/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The A.V. Club A [8]
Consequence Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [13]
Spin 7/10 [14]
Urb Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
XLR8R 9/10 [16]

The Way Out is the fourth and final studio album by American musical duo the Books. It was released on July 20, 2010 by Temporary Residence Limited, and was the duo's first album to be issued by the label. [17]

Contents

The Way Out received mostly positive reviews from critics. [6] The album's cover is a take on that of early 1970s editions of The Way, an illustrated version of The Living Bible. [18]

Composition

The Way Out has been called a sound collage. [3] Resident Advisor said that similarly to the duo's earlier album Lost and Safe (2005), The Way Out "consists of bright collages, some of which have pop or folk-style vocals." [4] Paste Magazine called it the duo's "most dazzling work to date" in which they "[strike] an ideal balance between found-sound collage and original vocalizations", with a greater emphasis on soundbytes. [19]

NME included it in their list of the "Most Underrated Albums of 2010"; writer Chris Parkin called it "[a] pathologically precise album from NYC's spoddiest duo, who've leavened their clever-clever musique concrete with rib-tickling funnies in a seamless fusion of polyrhythms, sampled hypnotherapy tapes and perfectly skewiff melodies." [5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Books (Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto)

No.TitleLength
1."Group Autogenics I"3:44
2."IDKT"1:42
3."I Didn't Know That"3:38
4."A Cold Freezin' Night"3:22
5."Beautiful People"2:53
6."I Am Who I Am"3:02
7."Chain of Missing Links"4:31
8."All You Need Is a Wall"3:45
9."Thirty Incoming"4:57
10."A Wonderful Phrase by Gandhi"0:22
11."We Bought the Flood"5:04
12."The Story of Hip Hop"4:30
13."Free Translator"3:50
14."Group Autogenics II"4:52
Total length:50:12

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [20]

The Books

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2010)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [21] 165
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [22] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [23] 22

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldcut</span> English electronic music duo

Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, which featured cut-up samples of hip-hop, soul, funk, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia. According to Spin, "in '87 Coldcut pioneered the British fad for 'DJ records'".

<i>Have a Nice Day</i> (Roxette album) 1999 studio album by Roxette

Have a Nice Day is the sixth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released worldwide from 22 February 1999 by Roxette Recordings and EMI. Recorded over an 18-month period in studios in Sweden and Spain, the album was produced by Marie Fredriksson, Per Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman and Michael Ilbert, and was their first studio album since Crash! Boom! Bang! in 1994. The album was not released in the US, as the duo were no longer signed to a label there. A deluxe edition was released in Spanish-speaking territories and, in Arabian regions, the naked babies on the cover were digitally removed, due to religious concerns.

The Books were an American-Dutch duo, formed in New York City in 1999, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong. Their music typically incorporated samples of obscure sounds and speech. They released three critically acclaimed albums on the German label Tomlab, and released their fourth studio album, The Way Out, on Temporary Residence Limited in July 2010.

<i>The Lemon of Pink</i> 2003 studio album by the Books

The Lemon of Pink is the second studio album by American musical duo the Books. It was released on October 7, 2003 by Tomlab. Like much of the duo's work, the songs on The Lemon of Pink juxtapose samples with folk and string instrumentation and other melodic elements, including guest vocals by Anne Doerner.

<i>Lost and Safe</i> 2005 studio album by the Books

Lost and Safe is the third studio album by American musical duo the Books. It was released on April 5, 2005 by Tomlab. As with the duo's prior records, Lost and Safe features extensive sampling.

<i>Black Cherry</i> (Goldfrapp album) 2003 studio album by Goldfrapp

Black Cherry is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 23 April 2003 by Mute Records. It marked a departure from the ambient sound of their debut album, Felt Mountain (2000), incorporating glam rock and synth-pop music; inspirations were Spanish disco group Baccara and Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo. The album was met with positive reviews, with many critics complimenting its blend of retro and modern electropop music.

<i>Thought for Food</i> 2002 studio album by the Books

Thought for Food is the debut studio album by American musical duo the Books. It was released on June 3, 2002 by Tomlab. The album exhibits the duo's characteristic sampling from a variety of mundane and instrumental sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful Ones</span> 1996 single by Suede

"Beautiful Ones" is a song by English rock band Suede, released as the second single from their third album, Coming Up (1996), on 14 October 1996 through Nude Records. The song became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight, and reached number one in Iceland for two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stupid Girl (Garbage song)</span> 1996 single by Garbage

"Stupid Girl" is a song by American rock band Garbage from their self-titled debut studio album (1995). The song was written and produced by band members Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig. "Stupid Girl" features lyrics about a young woman's ambivalence and is a musical arrangement centered on a repetitive bassline and a drum sample from the Clash's 1980 song "Train in Vain".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Word Is Out</span> 1991 single by Kylie Minogue

"Word Is Out" is a song written by English musical duo Stock and Waterman for Australian singer Kylie Minogue's fourth studio album, Let's Get to It (1991). Produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, it was released as the first single from Let's Get to It on 26 August 1991. The track aimed to replicate the swingbeat sound, with "New Jack City" by Guy serving as the main plot track. The artwork for the cover was photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth in 1991 for the British edition of Esquire.

<i>Treats</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Sleigh Bells

Treats is the debut studio album by American noise pop duo Sleigh Bells, consisting of vocalist Alexis Krauss and producer/guitarist Derek Miller. It was released on May 24, 2010 by Mom+Pop and N.E.E.T. Recordings. The release was preceded by the April single "Tell 'Em" and featured the group's most popular track, the Funkadelic-sampling "Rill Rill".

<i>Move Like This</i> 2011 studio album by the Cars

Move Like This is the seventh and final studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on May 10, 2011. It was their first since 1987's Door to Door, and the only one without bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr, who had died of pancreatic cancer in 2000.

<i>100 Lovers</i> 2011 studio album by DeVotchKa

100 Lovers is the sixth studio album by American indie folk band DeVotchKa. It was released by Anti- Records on February 28, 2011.

<i>Zammuto</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Zammuto

Zammuto is an album by The Books member Nick Zammuto, released on April 3, 2012. It is his first release from Zammuto after ending The Books project in early 2012.

<i>Information Retrieved</i> 2012 studio album by Pinback

Information Retrieved is the fifth full-length studio album by the San Diego indie rock band Pinback, released on October 16, 2012, through Temporary Residence Ltd.

<i>King Animal</i> 2012 studio album by Soundgarden

King Animal is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on November 13, 2012, through Universal Republic and Loma Vista Recordings in North America and Vertigo Records elsewhere. Produced by the band alongside Adam Kasper, it was Soundgarden's first studio album in 16 years, following Down on the Upside (1996). King Animal was also the final studio album released by Soundgarden prior to the death of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017 and the subsequent dissolution of the band in 2018.

Zammuto is an American indie rock band, formed in Readsboro, Vermont, United States, in 2011. In April 2012, Zammuto released their debut album, Zammuto, with the Brooklyn, New York-based record label, Temporary Residence Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Night Is Still Young (Nicki Minaj song)</span> 2015 single by Nicki Minaj

"The Night Is Still Young" is a song recorded by rapper Nicki Minaj, released as the sixth single from her third studio album The Pinkprint (2014), by Cash Money and Republic. It was written by Minaj, Ester Dean, Theron Thomas and Cirkut; and produced by Cirkut. It is a dance-pop and dubstep-pop song.

<i>Teflon Don</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Rick Ross

Teflon Don is the fourth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross, released on July 20, 2010, on Maybach Music Group, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including Clark Kent, No I.D., The Olympicks, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Lex Luger, Danja, The Inkredibles, The Remedy, and Kanye West.

<i>Peace or Love</i> 2021 studio album by Kings of Convenience

Peace or Love is the fourth studio album by Norwegian indie folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience. Released on 18 June 2021, it is their first album in 12 years. It features two song collaborations with Canadian musician Feist. It was preceded by two singles: "Rocky Trail" and "Fever".

References

  1. 1 2 "The Way Out by The Books reviews". AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  2. Linnemann, Matthijs (July 15, 2010). "Books, The – The Way Out". OOR (in Dutch). Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Most blogged artists: Sleigh Bells, Kelis, The Books". The Independent. May 3, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "The sound collage duo will release their next full-length this summer". Resident Advisor. May 3, 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (3 December 2010). "Most Underrated Albums of 2010 – What's Yours?". NME. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "The Way Out by The Books Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  7. Hoffman, K. Ross. "The Way Out – The Books". AllMusic . Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  8. Gordon, Scott (July 20, 2010). "The Books: The Way Out". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  9. Cosores, Philip (July 22, 2010). "Album Review: The Books – The Way Out". Consequence of Sound . Archived from the original on July 28, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  10. Gill, Andy (July 16, 2010). "Album: The Books, The Way Out (Temporary Residence)". The Independent . Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  11. Wappler, Margaret (July 19, 2010). "Album review: The Books' 'The Way Out'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. Sheppard, David (September 2010). "The Books: The Way Out". Mojo . No. 202. p. 97.
  13. Dahlen, Chris (July 20, 2010). "The Books: The Way Out". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  14. Powell, Mike (July 12, 2010). "The Books, 'The Way Out' (Temporary Residence)". Spin . Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  15. Levine, Noah (July 22, 2010). "The Books – The Way Out". Urb . Archived from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  16. Fallon, Patric (August 10, 2010). "The Books: The Way Out". XLR8R . Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  17. Hughes, Josiah (May 3, 2010). "The Books Take The Way Out with New Album". Exclaim! . Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  18. Youth for Christ International (1973). The Way: The Living Bible Illustrated. Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN   0-8423-2220-5.
  19. Lee, Christina (July 26, 2010). "The Books: The Way Out". Paste. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  20. The Way Out (liner notes). The Books. Temporary Residence Limited. 2010. TRR183CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. "Billboard 200". Billboard . August 7, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  22. "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . August 7, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  23. "Independent Albums". Billboard . August 7, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2021.