I would hope to make a record that interacts with culture in a macro sense. That is something to aspire to.
Well, the announcement to say that I was no longer a member of Vampire Weekend was something that was in the works for a long time. I knew that it was the right choice for me.
I was fascinated by the word 'Rudy,' which is connected to the Jamaican term 'rude boy,' which migrated from Jamaica to London. I was also fascinated by that name, because it exists in Persian culture and Iranian culture. There is actually a place called Rudy in Iran, and there's Iranians that I know with the name Rudy.
I figured out that it was important for me to have my identity, just live independently and like being myself, musically.
I think that's the only way I know how to write songs, is to think about my life, and also to think about the words at the same time.
I never felt like there were things I couldn't express lyrically in Vampire Weekend. I was always proud of everything that we wrote together.
I thought it would be interesting to play classical music on rock instruments.
I love being able to record in a room that's surrounded by trees.
You want the personality of each performer - whether it's singing or bass or drums or piano - to be intact. In some ways it's much more challenging to preserve that and to also make music that sounds modern.
There are rules that are so blatantly broken on 'Contra,' like structures of harmony and texture.
Radio or no radio, I just like the way records sound when the drums and vocals are loud.
It doesn't matter if you record with a microphone on a laptop or at a friend's house. Now it's more of a danger of things sounding too high-fi than sounding too low-fi.
I always felt more connected with people who are proud of who they are.
There is a sense of tranquility that I think people can get from being in an organized group, where a singular leader handles the responsibilities of individual thinking.
I like to be able to work quickly, to capture the spark of an idea before it goes out.
There's a joy I get from collaborating with other artists, and there's a joy I get from making songs on my own.
I'm interested in making art that is available to everybody.
The thing I love about car design is that it's sculpture everybody appreciates, everybody has access to.
I'm very conscious of the fact that I devoted my life to recording music, recordings and writing songs.
I've always been very good at helping other people finish their songs.
