Lost and Safe

Lost and Safe is the third studio album by American musical duo the Books. It was released on April 5, 2005 by Tomlab.[3] As with the duo's prior records, Lost and Sound features extensive sampling.

Lost and Safe
Studio album by
the Books
ReleasedApril 5, 2005 (2005-04-05)
StudioThe Books' homes (North Adams, Massachusetts and New York, New York)
Genre
Length41:59
LabelTomlab
The Books chronology
The Lemon of Pink
(2003)		 Lost and Safe
(2005)		 Music for a French Elevator and Other Short Format Oddities by the Books
(2006)
Alternative cover
2011 reissue

Composition

Lost and Safe is stylistically similar to previous Books albums, continuing the duo's rich use of samples. The samples used on Lost and Safe originate from sources 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 "Woods"), and a reading of Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky". "Venice" samples the bonus track of a 1966 opera record, on which an American reporter describes a Salvador Dalí "happening" in Venice.[4] The eclecticism of the samples is partially owed to their origins in used "bargain bin" records.[5] Throughout the album, these direct samples are juxtaposed with interpolated vocal passages performed by Books member Nick Zammuto.[5] The Books opted to employ more linear song structures on Lost and Safe, with the intent of composing material more well suited to live performance.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Boston Phoenix[8]
DIY[9]
The Observer[10]
Pitchfork7.0/10[11]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention))[12]
Urb[13]
The Village VoiceA−[14]

Lost and Safe received highly positive reviews from music critics. On the review aggregation website Metacritic, the album has a rating of 84 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] 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."[7] The Wire named Lost and Safe the best album of 2005.[15]

Track listing

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

No.TitleLength
1."A Little Longing Goes Away"3:30
2."Be Good to Them Always"4:51
3."Vogt dig for Kloppervok"3:54
4."Smells Like Content"3:41
5."It Never Changes to Stop"4:01
6."An Animated Description of Mr. Maps."4:38
7."Venice"1:42
8."None but Shining Hours"2:42
9."If Not Now, Whenever"3:35
10."An Owl with Knees"4:41
11."Twelve Fold Chain"4:44
Total length:41:59

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of the 2005 and 2011 issues of the album.[16][17]

The Books

Additional personnel

  • Frieda Luczak – design

References
  1. Marcisz, Christopher (May 5, 2006). "The Books: Aiming to be Egoless". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. Ham, Robert (December 19, 2016). "The 50 Best Post-Rock Albums". Paste. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. "The Books: Lost And Safe". Tomlab. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  4. Male, Howard (December 15, 2006). "The Books: Don't take us literally". The Independent. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  5. Smyers, Darryl (April 6, 2006). "Safe and Sound". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  6. "Lost And Safe by The Books Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  7. Serra, David. "Lost and Safe – The Books". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  8. Wood, Mikael (April 29 – May 5, 2005). "The Books: Lost and Safe (Tomlab)". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  9. Guy, Nick (March 9, 2005). "The Books – Lost and Safe". DIY. Archived from the original on March 9, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  10. Gillett, Charlie (January 22, 2006). "The Books, Lost and Safe". The Observer. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  11. Richardson, Mark (April 4, 2005). "The Books: Lost and Safe". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  12. Hull, Tom (April 19, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. "The Books: Lost and Safe". Urb. No. 125. April 2005. p. 101.
  14. Christgau, Robert (July 26, 2005). "Consumer Guide: Laptop for Desktoppers". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  15. "2005 Rewind". The Wire. No. 263. January 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  16. Lost and Safe (liner notes). The Books. Tomlab. 2005. tom 50.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. Lost and Safe (liner notes). The Books. Temporary Residence Limited. 2011. TRR182 CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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