Paul de Jong is a former member of The Books who featured on Folk Radio UK many moons ago now. There was no mistaking their sound which knitted together a collage of obscure and often quite bizarre recordings. De Jong and Nick Zammuto may have parted company but both are still firing on all their creative cylinders. The Books delivered their final album five years ago and IF is Paul De Jong’s first solo offering since then. Like the music of The Books this delivers on many similar levels.
“De Jong’s ability to find the musical in the mundane has always been uncanny — it is part of what made the Books so magical – and that gift is what makes IF such a marvelous curiosity, and such a true pleasure to hear. In de Jong’s world, everything around him is a potential instrument: his mind-bogglingly vast collection of forgotten private press regional folk records, spoken-word oddities of indeterminate origin unearthed in discarded thrift store piles, and various everyday household utensils that we tend to take for granted. One man’s trash is de Jong’s tool to craft yet another treasure.”
Take a listen to This is Who I Am:
Out Now via Temporary Residence
Order it via Amazon