On Engines of Envy, I had a bunch of lyrics to use. They tend to come to me at the most inappropriate times. But I write them down. Old style. With a pen. Then, I tend to disappear in my studio, and let these lyrics speak to me. Depending on the mood of the moment I will go for a driving groove and hard sounds or a slow beat and more “dreamy” sounds. Generally, the melodies come first from the written words, as they create their own rhythm. And the subject matter dictates the soundscape. On rare occasions, it is the flip side. I find a groove or a chords progression, and I let it go for a while. Then, once I have the beginning of a structure, I look for lyrics that fit.
