The emotional rawness of Things Found in Books transforms the listening experience into an encounter with lost memories stored within a forgotten book collection. The folk songwriting collaboration between Yvonne Lyon and Boo Hewerdine produced an intensely personal musical experience by writing songs around the brief memories that appeared on secondhand bookshop noticeboards.
The soft mournful music touched me entirely when I first heard it. The melancholic beauty of Lyon and Hewerdine’s music comes from their artistic marriage of bleakness with positive emotions and sorrow with joy. The duet between Yvonne and Boo creates an exquisite harmony through her delicate yet mighty singing voice which perfectly mixes with his deep aged vocals. Every breath, every quiver, every subtle inflection feels imbued with profound meaning and hard-earned wisdom.
The remarkable thing about this album stems from how the songwriters skillfully uncover common human experiences woven within abandoned personal effects such as photographs and letters along with notes and minor items that were important until discarded. With immense empathy and imagination, they divine entire emotional vistas from the faintest scribbles and faded imagery. Lyon and Hewerdine develop ordinary memories and vague recollections into extraordinary stories through their poetic lyrical approach.
The experience of listening to Things Found in Books creates a bittersweet yet emotionally rewarding feeling that matches the act of selecting beloved items left behind by deceased loved ones. The musical arrangement and written words allow lived experiences to resurface so listeners can recognize their own stories in return. Through this musical masterpiece the artists portray the complete beautiful disorder of being human by presenting their memories and loves alongside their heartbreaks and acquired knowledge.
Immaculate organic production allows the musical performances of Things Found in Books to breathe freely while creating a modern folk masterpiece. This quiet artistic masterpiece transforms discarded materials into soulful songs while revealing deep emotion and achieved redemption. The transcendent connection between Lyon and Hewerdine created a work that genuinely touches people deeply.