Piece Comment

Review of Interview with The Books


This is exactly the kind of music-profile I wish NPR et al. would do more of. Too often a piece meant to highlight a band or a new album is produced in the same way...a "critic" walks us through the albums up and downs arriving at a kind of final "thesis". It feels like they are hustling product. Now...sometimes that style does work but...

...lets examine what we have here--a kind of neutral play-space were the listener can learn some history about the band, hear their sound and also go a step further by hearing band members phrase things in their own words. This feature would be a slam dunk for not only national programming but virtually any local culture or music show.

Plus, it's The Books, these guys are just perfect for radio. Their creative process involves collecting and assembling bits of sound. In their words, "these tiny moments are just jam-packed with human characteristics and memories". C'mon would could be more public radio then that!?