And now, because it's cranked up and we're all nicely fed, and it's dark and we're just watching the road, all the analytical process that says, "Well, should the millisecond between this drum hit and that drum hit be preserved? Or should it not?" All that thinking is out the window, and we're just purely enjoying it. And I was getting goosebumps that time. It was just so enjoyable just thinking, We've done such a good job of paring it down to the singing and the song and at the same time kept really interesting elements hovering in the background and floating through the grooves. We ended up with these really spacious and airy grooves, and songs where the song is important. It was so loud and it was so festive and it was just the most incredible experience to listen to it that way.

MG: Sometimes what will happen is a few months later I'll start getting critical again, analyzing it, or something won't sound right. But if I can remember that our ritualistic drive was a peak experience -- getting goosebumps and just feeling like we were floating around Manhattan -- then I know that other people are going to have that at some point. Even if I've kind of moved on, or if I've put on the analytical hat, it's a benchmark where I can remember that people are really going to have an intense experience with this.

JS: I would just add as well that it's so gratifying on that drive because the intent is so clear on all the songs. They were all in the best shape that they had ever been in. I think, no matter what you do creatively -- if you're editing, whether you're writing a piece or something -- you're always revising. But in this case, it's so gratifying to hear the whole album like that, all the way through, where every piece is translating and Mike's intent is so clear. It's very gratifying.

MG: We had a listening party and several people said the same thing, which I thought was great, which was that this is the most accessible stuff I've ever made -- and it's also the most unique. And I think that those two things not only can, but tend to go hand-in-hand more than you realize. It's not the most crazy, avant-guard stuff that defines someone as groundbreaking. It's what's very close to the genre, pared down to being comfortable within whichever traditions it stems from, just pushing past the limit of what's been done a little bit, that can make something sound a lot more unique than just going crazy for the whole album. It's ironic that things become more inside and more outside at the same exact time. I think that this album is just another step in the progression, and I was really glad that people picked up on it at the listening party.