The Books: The Way Out (Temporary Residence)

The Way Out continues the Books duo’s signature combination of goofy found recordings, folk guitar riffs, odd plucked percussive sounds and breezy vocals. The main difference here is their willingness to kick up the tempo and move almost into dance music, embracing the dense, raucous vibe of artists like Jason Forrest or maybe Mouse on Mars, but still working largely within the palette they’ve established over their career. I find these bursts of energy to be the most exciting and rewarding parts of the album so far, especially the frenetic stuttering fun of “A Cold Freezin’ Night” and the dense quasi-dance music of “I Am Who I Am.”

Watch/listen: “A Cold Freezin’ Night”