Q: When things are working, great artists say they reflect their audience. Do you feel you’re still in touch with your audience?

A: I feel I’m reflecting the part of the audience we don’t hear from. There are a lot of people out there who love music but don’t have a place in music culture as it exists. I meet these people all the time. Soccer mom, 34, has good taste in music. They are your average rock fan who isn’t part of the Pitchfork culture. They don’t follow the train. They’re the difference between 40,000 sales and 400,000. … The unspoken audience, the stragglers, and this new audience who isn’t snarky or cares much about modern record business, that’s our audience.