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But as Ive gotten older, Ive found myself much more attracted to bigger-sounding pop records from that era.
In my mind, its the same band that Roxy Music was since the beginning.
People think those sounds are dated, but theyve never sounded dated to me.
Its been a favorite record of mine since then.
I hadnt really listened toThe Sensual Worldall that much I was more into the earlier stuff.
Its likeAvalonin a way, where its a pristine-sounding record production-wise its put together so well.
Its also another record that does a good job of finding ways to emote through weirdly digital-sounding instruments.
She was always pulling from weird world instruments, which is another thing that I love.
Theres such a deep, emotional resonance in her music thats always attracted me to it.
You coveredCloudbustingwhen you were first releasing music.
I feel that way a lot about covering songs in general now.
But recording a cover is a lot of pressure.
You better double-check its good.
Thats why I havent done it that much.
I was struck by it and was like, I want to learn this song.
I didnt put much more thought into it than that.
Ive listened toMirageso much.
I know it so well.
That band is such an important touchstone for my music in the way that I approach songwriting.
Theyre the ultimate pop band.
I can always look to them for inspiration in terms of melody and how to structure a song.
Its rare to find a band that had so many good songwriters and such diversity in the songwriting.
Its hard for me to escape the era of the 80s I dont know why.
Its like a curse.
[Laughs] But its my favorite shit I cant deny it.
I feel like our generation appreciates Fleetwood Mac a lot more than previous generations of rock critics and musicians.
Why do you think that is?Theres a handful of songs that are undeniable hits.
A song like Everywhere onTango in the Night I dont know anyone who doesnt like that song.
Im sure age is part of it.
Ive never had that feeling about the 80s, though.
Its hard for people to strip away the sounds theyre hearing from the core of the song.
I pay attention to that much more as a musician than the average person would.
Also, maybe weve all bought $0.50 Fleetwood Mac tapes at thrift stores and learned to love them.
I can totally understand why they werent more popular, but I also think theyre hugely underrated.
Thomas Dolby produced it, who most people know from She Blinded Me With Science.
Paddy McAloon has such a way with words that it can almost be uncomfortable or embarrassing.
He injects his songs with humor, but they can also be heartbreaking.
Its really difficult to write in a way that runs the gamut of emotion.
Do you ever feel self-conscious about expressing yourself through your own music?I dont think so.
Ive always touched on things that feel personal or born out of personal experience.
David Byrne is pretty good at that.
Im always listening to vocal melodies.
I love instrumental refrains, and I do that in my own music a lot.
But this is the music I love, and its what I aspire to.
When did you first hear The Blue Nile?It wouldve been around the time I was touring behindNocturne.
Who cares if youre amazing at your instrument?
What matters is the songs and the feeling involved.
Before, I was like, I dont care about this at all.
At a certain age, though, something clicked, and I realized there was a lot to appreciate.
Do you listen to the 1975?
Theyre very much in line with the music that both you and the Blue Nile work in.A little bit.
Ive even read that [1975 front man Matt Healy] is a Blue Nile fan as well.
Thats indicative of the kind of impact that these pop records from the 80s have.
They sound more contemporary than most people might suspect they would.
you might hear parallels, whether intentional or not.
Its the nature of things being weirdly cyclical.
