"From the 90s onwards French music started to become very interesting. There have been quite a few French artists, especially in the dance-pop arena, who have found their metier when a lot of earlier French music just didn't translate. We lived in Belgium for quite a long time and one of the things I was completely aware of was the fact that as a British person I knew nothing about French music. And that's one good thing that's happened in music over the last twenty years: the increased internationalisation of music. Yes, Sebastian Tellier has to sing in English, but it doesn't necessarily matter as you don't understand what he's singing about anyway. He kind of does it by stealth. People told me about Sebastian Tellier and I was like, "yeah, it sounds quite interesting." And then you hear it, and you hear it again, and eventually you're like "my god, this is brilliant!" It's a combination of music and voice, it's groovy and funky; it's just incredibly listenable and a little bit bonkers. Again this is one of those records that we've listened to a lot. You can just put it on and it's just there, and sometimes it's just so beautiful, what he does. I'm not afraid of things that are just beautiful."

"I chose it mostly for its beauty. I like the heart-wrenching minor chords. I'm a bit of a sucker for that, and again I find there is such a soothing quality to this record. It is on the melancholic side of things; it's not a sunshine album. But it is the kind of album where if you're not feeling too great you put it on and think oh well, there are people feeling much worse than I am! So cheer up! It has that kind of effect. I'm particularly in love with the string arrangements. I don't know who did them; I don't read the liner notes, but they really work for me. Beck worked with Thurston Moore on Demolished Thoughts, and again there is the same kind of string arrangement that comes in and out of songs. It holds much emotional power. In the earlier parts of the 90s we played some concerts with Sonic Youth, Beck and us, and festivals as well. He was a really good person to come across. I haven't crossed paths with Beck for many years now, but he is someone I would really like to work with, just on the strength of that production and those strings. I think we share musical terrain and I'd really love to work with him."