"I like a lot of Lou Reed’s records but before I got into him, I heard this record in my college dorm, courtesy of [Pixies guitarist] Joey Santiago. I knew that I liked the record but when I got into listening to it again, some years ago, I realised: I know the record really well. I really like the production and sound of it. It’s very toppy and it’s got some really good sounds. It’s very thin, 70s rock radio production. I’ve never really met Lou. I mean, I’ve been in the room with him on a number of occasions on tour and hanging out in the same breakfast rooms, but they’re situations when you don’t want to bother someone. I don’t remember the Quietus interview where the guy compared me to Lou Reed, but right now if someone wanted to mention me and Lou Reed in the same breath, it’d be a huge compliment. He’s obviously one of my rock & roll heroes."

"Jesus Christ, that album is just stupidly good! I didn't know this, but a lot - Ginger Baker, Tony Williams, who played drums for Miles Davis, Steve Vai - it was a supergroup! It's a perfect record, it's like the perfect, cool record. The guitars on it, it just sounds like it's flying! It's like, ""Wooo, there goes Steve!"" There'd be divebombs - he had a Floyd Rose whammy bar - it just tanks - it goes down and then it goes up, up into the stratosphere, and then he'd go really down on it. Jesus Christ - talking about sonics! And it's surprising how many of the drum riffs that I like are by Tony Williams: the first song ['F.F.F.'] on it is just awesome; I would've thought that was Ginger Baker. I guess the producer employed two jazzy drummers! I was listening to this pre-Pixies. I listened to it a lot with my brother, my little brother who's excellent with the guitar. I still lived at home at the time and we would just flip out in my bedroom. He would actually show me [how to play something], because I would be so frustrated: "Goddamn it! What is this?!""

"Beach House are one of the best bands around right now. Victoria Legrand's voice has all the character of someone great like Nico but her voice is actually vaster and more beautifully skilled. It's better than Nico – and I'm not knocking Nico. Alex Scally's guitar is a subtle, refined style that I'm going to compare to Joey Santiago and the Pixies or John Fahey. It's where someone takes a not necessarily very complex finger picking pattern but has such an interesting melodic approach that what they hold back becomes so powerful. It's minimal but there is so much information in it. The ideas on this record are so crystalized. They're both so smart and so talented yet laid back, that they let you feel like it's a laid back relaxed and chill concise statement but there's actually so much intellect and nuance in the performance that it's flawless. The opening song 'Zebra' is one of the best songs I've ever heard. It's on another level. I always wanted to hear Victoria sing 'A Whole New World' from my Aladdin film, I think she'd do it really well."