I grew up listening to English music.

I think the true test of a pop song, for me, and I've talked to a lot of other writers about this, is you take your demo, you pop it in your car and you drive down Sunset Blvd. to Santa Monica, and that's the Hollywood car test.

Everything that kills me , makes me feel alive

I would rather put out two year-defining songs a year than flood the market with eight or nine songs.

I am not opposed to doing a side project, like Death Cab for Cutie, where it's completely different from my own band.

Im not interested in fad songs.

Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don't care what anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that's my opinion but because I think it's actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It's that simple.