The Books was formed in New York City in 1999 by two neighbors who collaborated on what they considered pop music. In fact, Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong – perhaps by a mix of accident and design – developed a sound that over a decade later still defies categorization and mystifies critics and fans alike. Their music has been called many things: surreal, playful, transcendent, innovative, magical, heartbreaking. Personally, we’re too hypnotized to fuss with figuring it out.