Sublime

The sparseness of this ensemble allowed the clarity of the songs to shine through. I could tell immediately if something felt right. There was not a lot of clutter to fool the ear. It’s curious to hear the songs of So at that stage, before all the overdubs. The foundations had feel and soul like bread crumbs on a path—we could always find our way b

Arthur Alexander and Hendrix. In case anyone is interested, Arthur Alexander is a hero of mine. Check out his high-hat sound on his song “Anna,” long before the Beatles came along.

Any instinct that I might have as a commercial animal is not even there at the beginning of a record. Perhaps it’s a part of the process for making records that have soul. I let everything unfold naturally, all ideas considered, even song choices. Never say no. As time travels, some song or some part of the record will raise its hand as the commerc

The Lanois brothers didn’t want to be generic; we wanted to have our own sound. This simple philosophy has been with me ever since.