Archived Edition: April 11, 2007 | Back to Current	Sep 09, 2010

North Adams band shows quirky debut music video
Spring Lee - STAFF WRITER

“Independence! Independence!” a robotic voice drones triumphantly. Then, in beat to the friendly, upbeat music, dapper old men start doffing their hats in complete synchronization, smiling into the camera (“Founders of the Mormon Church!” Nick Zammuto calls out from where he was fixing the sound in the back of the theater). It’s a good start to a great show.

The Books, which consists of Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong, threw a DVD release party at Images this weekend in celebration of their new music video compilation, Playall, which features three unreleased tracks and bonus features - one which includes de Jong, circa 1983, performing a Shakespearean soliloquy. Zammuto, who introduced the opening, explained that these music videos are polished versions of the projections the band uses during their live performances, a melding of their music and other video scavenged from home video tapes bought from Goodwills and thrift stores. “We wanted to recontextualize the video and music so that they’re more than the sum of their parts. And hopefully, they’re funny,” Zammuto said.

And they are. The videos are sometimes funny, sometimes political, most of the time surreal and thought-provoking. The music itself is richly experimental, perhaps a hybrid cross of Psapp and Bjork, with the quiet vocal stylings of Elliott Smith; nostalgic retro is intermixed with the sound of gears and pipes, the cello giving warmth and drive underneath it all.

But more than that, The Books creates a unique form of music video that’s not quite pure music nor art exhibit: the videos are edited with a deft hand, adding visual narrative and texture to the soundscape, revealing within the whole the inherent humor, the embedded vulnerability.

In “Take Time,” a subtitle to an old film tells us that “Nothing in nature is natural.” The scene then proceeds to cut to dances at weddings, watermelon-eating contests, bungee jumping—what appears to be a wildly silly dance-a-thon organized on a cruise—all the ridiculous little rituals and practices people have devised over the years. The common thread is the enjoyment of these people taking part in these activities. “Take time,” the chorus repeats throughout, “take time.” Take the time to revel in life, be ridiculous, the song seems to be saying...why is analysis of nature even necessary?

“All As,” one of the unreleased songs, is clearly about a talent show for letters. Perhaps a talent show for letters on crack. Groups of letters (As, Rs, Qs, etc) are given their chance to shine in the spotlight, gyrating, twitching and glowing with each fresh swing of the music, given a strange life and personality that is reminiscent of old Sesame Street educational shorts. (“24” says the music as O struts its stuff.)

“8 Frame” made me motion-sick, the video jerking and looping every couple of frames, but one image stuck with me: a man swinging on crutches, the reverse looping making it look like he and the cars are doing an elaborate dance. The main feature ends with what is probably the simplest of the videos: “Twelve Fold Chain,” a stripped-down song, sung thready and haunting as planes dip and fall within a wide blue sky.

And what kind of minds are responsible for these thoughtfully loopy music-art collages? Zammuto shows off some of his “sound sculptures” in the bonus section, such as “Spoon Box” and “24 Hour Filing Cabinet.” “Shy Rock Star” is my favorite: a round, hollow rock is suspended in front of a mike and given a light push to get it spinning. The hollow “mouth” wails into mike for a few brief moments before it shyly turns away. The finale is Paul de Jong’s long-awaited Shakespearean soliloquy, which turns out to be taken from the Fool in King Lear: “And I’ll go to bed at noon,” de Jong announces, eyes gleaming, actions manic. “And I’ll go to bed at noon!” And more determinedly, props and papers flying as de Jong fights to keep his word: “And I’ll go to bed at noon!”

And he does.