Prefuse 73 Reads the Books E.P.

Prefuse 73 Reads the Books — a tepid, coffee-shop-ready collaboration between blustery hip-hop beatmaker Prefuse 73 and atmospheric folkies the Books — attempts to find a common ground between the two artists but instead ends up mired in a decidedly mild brew. The largely instrumental 23-minute disc’s monotonous combination of delicately chopped-up acoustics and too-polite percussion works best as mere background music.