Do you find recording vintage synths more challenging than newer instruments?
The challenges have more to do with the format than the instrument. If you are on tape, it’s all about commitment. If you don’t like it, you just do it over. That was very much the deal with recording analog synths. You have to settle on your sounds right off the bat, instead of just programming everything in MIDI, and then assigning sounds later on down the road. But doing takes that way is so much more emotionally stimulating. I really think it’s better for your music if you build everything from the ground up. Narrow Stairs has lots of nods towards the Kraut rock scene—it’s very experimental. Do you anticipate that these elements will throw your core fans for a loop? I think so. But I also think that the album is all held together by Ben’s voice and his writing style. It’s not completely removed from anything we’ve ever done. We are such lovers of pop songs, and you can still hear that. Sure, the hooks are there. But there also seems to be a William Burroughs “random thought” approa
