The Books

The Books were an experimental American duo formed in New York City in 1999, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong. They became one of the defining acts of early-2000s folktronica, building songs from an unusual mix of acoustic instrumentation, electronic manipulation, and extensive use of found audio — old answering machine tapes, home recordings, spoken-word clips, and other sound scraps gathered from thrift stores and flea markets.

Rather than treating samples as background texture, The Books wove found voices into the melodic and rhythmic core of their songs, creating collage-like compositions that felt both intimate and disorienting. Their music paired warm, fingerpicked guitar and cello lines with glitchy digital editing, giving their albums a handmade, diaristic quality distinct from more clinical strains of electronic music.

Over four studio albums released between 2002 and 2010, the duo built a devoted following among listeners drawn to experimental and ambient music, influencing a generation of artists working at the intersection of acoustic sound and digital collage. Zammuto and de Jong ended the project around 2012, with Zammuto continuing under his own name and de Jong pursuing solo and collaborative work.