Q: i've noticed my favorite part in a lot of your recent songs is when a synth lead takes over (the lick in ground plane, after "celebration" in september, after "flagpole" in the new one). what is it about those parts that gets me so much / gets you enough to want to write them that way?
A: at some point, and i remember exactly where i was when i realized this, i realized: melodies with words, and melodies without words, when used side by side, can achieve an extraordinary strong effect. they give each other their meaning. if you sing a little thing (with words) and then play a little thing (wordless melody), they each make each other stronger. like cookies and milk. like curds and whey. pick your favorite snack. this phenomenon can actually be better than any snack. wordless riff, intermingled with worded riff is truly a power play and i can honestly say it improved the quality of my life when i realized this