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The Books perform "Tokyo"

One of the most original acts in indie-electronica, the Books approach avant-garde music with a pop sensibility…or perhaps it’s the other way around. Tagged “folktronica” when its first album (2002’s lauded Thought for Food) launched the duo from obscurity, The Books’ ability to forge its own unique audial universe transcends easy labeling. Playing guitar, banjo, cello and electronics, the duo typically overloads its melodies with samples of voices cut from thousands of original field tapes and obscure recordings discovered in thrift store cassette bins. These disparate, unrecognizable samples are cleverly arranged into disjointed narratives marked by the interplay of language and sound, in an approach that never feels corny or heavy-handed as do some other forms of sample-based music. The juxtaposition of human voices engaged in casual drama gives the music a documentary feel, enhanced by the stuttering bits of heartfelt guitar and cello locked into looping rhythms built from the found objects that are employed as instruments. The recorded effect is beautiful, and when combined with the linked collage of visual images projected during the set, it should prove stunning live. Opening the show are Todd Reynolds and the Sleeping Kings of Iona.

Monday May 1 at 9pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907). $8-$10.