Formed in New York in 1999, experimental indie rock band The Books were responsible for some of the strangest and most beautiful albums of the ‘00s. A duo comprised of guitarist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong, The Books released their debut album Thought for Food in 2002 to instant acclaim. Critics initially considered them part of the underground folktronica movement, but albums like 2005's Lost and Safe, with its delicate collages of sampled sounds and thrift shop instruments, proved that they owed more to avant-garde composers like Steve Reich.