Jens Lekman Quotes

I realized at a young age that sequence in an album is almost as important as the songs that are on the album.

But there's a thin line between songwriting and arranging.

I like songs that have lots of different parts in them, an intro, an outro and a bridge.

I'm not interested in possible complexities. I regard song structure as a graph paper.

I am moved more by melodies, song structure, and evocative textures.

It seems when I put together records, as Henley used to say, they're just like movies. They should have action, tension, love scenes, places to relax.

Gamma was a logical progression after doing the Open Fire record.

I am about the arrangements and the layers of depth in the music.

I'm quite glad I never learned to play the guitar, because I think I'd write songs that were more classically structured. As it is, I've had to create my own way of writing, which isn't typical. Everything's a big crescendo.

So when I started writing my own stuff, it was with a lot of combinations and time changes and power.

Ever since 'Hail to the King,' we've been more cognizant of our chord progressions, our key changes, drama in songs, a lot of dynamics - we've really added a lot of that in there.

There are rules that are so blatantly broken on 'Contra,' like structures of harmony and texture.

Cage always wanted to know what my structure was, if I had one. I often did have some sense of the time structure. Then he'd make a different one for the music.

Music is so abstract; it is a combination of words and melody.

I had a really pleasant time composing music for 'Raaga.'

There are certain choices you make as a songwriter, based on vowel sounds and melody and chord changes.

Conceptually, I've always gravitated towards arrangements that weren't just presenting one idea. I like to look at my songs as having a main part, an interlude, and almost like another song at the end.

To be honest, I don't have a particular recipe, but I normally start with the chord progression and then I build it from there. I listen to a lot of jazz, so the chords are really important to me.

I love exploring the hypnotic elements of music, and because of that there are very long tracks on 'Immunity.'

I find that albums generally tell a story. Because it's music, it doesn't have to be in chronological order.

I like to always do my best to make music catchy, so I think a very catchy melody is cool.

Me making music happened not even from a desire to make records.

Normally when you write for an orchestra, you think about melody and harmony and countermelody.

I express myself using my classical skills to write more complex forms of popular music.

A good theme - like the 'Pink Panther' or 'Baby Elephant Walk' - can work all the way through the picture, which is what I did with them. So, for me, a good melody is not just a pretty tune.