Chord Quotations

I think Elliott's songs and The Spree's songs complement each other both chord and tone-wise, as well as with the goals of their music. In different ways, they both have written music that deals with being fragile. Yes, I think The Spree are all about fragility. As big and happy as they can sound, they're sort of 'The Fragile Army' to me.

We wanted to guide the musicians, so we could create our own sound. We would never let the band just go in and play the chord sheets. We were very focused on what we had in mind for these productions.

When my dad played me 'Walking Man,' I heard those chord changes and that melody, it completely blew me away. Maybe you wouldn't really hear the James Taylor influences in my music, but they're definitely buried in there.

I'm protective of ballads, ... I stay as close to the original as I can. I like to phrase it and tell a story. I want to hear the pretty chord changes.

I'm into the old-school mode of production ? getting the right people to make the best product, ... That's what Quincy Jones would do: Get the right people to do everything, like on Off the Wall for Michael Jackson. Tim is a super musician, whereas I've never had training or anything. So coming from that point of view, I may play a chord the wrong way, but it really doesn't matter if it's wrong or right.

We'd hold a chord for three hours if we could.

But the chord changes are haunting, and there are moments that draw you right in, in the most intimate way. We'll record it when we've performed it a few times. A piece like that needs to be out in the sunlight for a while.

With a track like 'White Christmas,' everybody has done that song in every format you can imagine, so I just looked at the chords at that particular song and what chords would make it work. That's kind of quite a sad song, and I had this idea of someone singing it in the subway, someone who is homeless, old and sad.

To play with a band all of the time, just about nightly, was good for me because I wrote lots of arrangements and I got a lot of my transposition and chords ironed out.

Light rails are too bus-like to impress most commuters, too squished and close to the ground. Monorails, by contrast, strike a chord with travelers. There's something about the sleek designs, the pillowy rides, and the panoramic views that just enchants.