A: This new record has been getting a lot of really good reviews. Is there a specific record that you’re most proud of?
M: Not really. I mean, I really like the last record we did, I just don’t think that many people heard it. It’s darker than this record, that’s for sure. It had a very different feel, and the circumstances surrounding it were very different. I think that’s a strong album.

A: Some of the songs on the new record are pretty lengthy, clocking in at seven minutes plus. Did you do more ‘jamming’ this time around, for lack of a better word?
M: We always kind of do, especially when we’re tooling around with something new. We try and condense things, make stuff tighter. If we do put a jam into a song, it’s usually after a song is established. Like the first song on the new record, “Baby, Can You Dig the Light?”, starts with nothing. We didn’t have an idea of what the song should do, except there was a drum beat floating around. The idea was to have it come out of nothing, and whatever the bass played with that drum beat would determine what the song would become. So there were a couple weeks where we were just playing around with noise, trying to make it into something cohesive.

A: I was surprised to hear the horn sections on the new album…
M: Yeah, that was something that we had always talked about, although mainly in theory. The Saints have always been one of our favorite bands. We just didn’t really know how to go about it (laughs). I think we’ve always been hung up on the idea that we should be able to replicate what we do in the studio live. We sure as shit won’t have a horn section on tour (laughs). This time, we just decided to do everything for the record. We know we’re not going to be touring all that much, so most people’s exposure to the new music will be through the record.

A: So do you plan to omit those songs from the set list?
M: No, we play all of the songs on the record. They just don’t have horns on them (laughs).

A: Were they studio musicians that you brought in?
M: Well, I’ve known Craig the sax player since I was four. He’s always been around. He played around in the early eighties with these other guys in a band called Fred, which was this weird avant-garde, Zappa kind of thing. At the same time, he also played in this cover band to earn a living. They played fifties rock for weddings out in the suburbs. He’s always done whatever he can just to be a musician. We got together with some of the other guys for this tribute show to The Sonics. There was this big show honoring some of the Northwest’s classic bands like The Kingsmen, and The Sonics decided not to do it. So we decided to be a bit ballsy and take on their material (laughs). That was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been. Reaction was good, but those are pretty big shoes to fill.

A: Do you primarily look to classic acts like that for inspiration, or are there contemporary live bands that get you psyched?
M: I think two great bands that are happening now are Nebula and Queens of the Stone Age. I really like John from Clawhammer’s new band. It reminds me a lot of Brian Eno, which isn’t necessarily like us in the musical sense. There’s all kind of cool local bands that no one has probably heard of, like The A-Frames and The Stiffs….or this band The Cripples. It’s kind of hard for me to say`.

A: So was the title Since We’ve Become Translucent intended as a tongue-in-cheek cut at the state of modern radio?
M: It’s a line from the song “Sonic Infusion”, and seemed like a good visual line. It seemed like a good place to start working with artwork from (laughs). That’s the big mystery behind the title. That’s our big statement (laughs).

Thanks to Mark and the rest of the band for the interview, and to Steve at Sub Pop for his assistance. Since We’ve Become Translucent is available now at a record store near you.