The American Analog Set has flown under the radar for just over ten years, perfecting their dreamy, melodic, pointed and hypnotic pop songs. Originally based in Austin, Texas, the band has been through many changes over the years. Despite changes in line-up, location, and record labels, The American Analog Set releases albums that are critically acclaimed by the indie community and beloved by fans–Promise of Love, released in 2003 by Tiger Style, is a good example of that. With a new record label (Canada’s Arts and Crafts–home to bands like Stars and Broken Social Scene) and an amazing new record (Set Free) being released on September 20, AmAnSet played a show at Joe’s Pub in NYC. We sat down with the lead singer, Andrew Kenny, and talked about all sorts of things–and the new album, too.

AmAnSet recently played their 10th anniversary show down in Austin, right? How do you think your sound has progressed over the span of ten years?
Well, I think the first couple records were kinda where we figured out what we sounded like and what we were good at. And really, we were just friends having fun, making music. So, we wanted to just come out of the gate at that point with our first record–we didn’t want to have to wait that long, you know, to have fun, practice as a band. We kinda just wanted to be part of the culture a little bit.

It took us a few records to figure out what we did. The second record is mostly electric piano and organ. We kinda added it full-time on the second record. The third record we had vibraphone coming in on a few songs. And then in between the third and fourth records, we got Sean who played percussion and vibraphone live, and then he became a full-on part of the band.

So, I kinda think that the third record is what we sound like, but the fourth record is where we spent a little bit longer writing songs, a lot longer recording them, and just took a little more pride in lyrical content and song structure, and just the flow of the record. So, really the main progression from beginning to middle was figuring out what we did well. And then the ball’s kinda been in my court–I’m just trying to write better songs.

How do the lyrics for the songs come together?
Well, with the first couple records, some of those songs were instrumentals while we were recording them. We knew that we wanted the vocals, but we would take a break for lunch, and I would, you know, write the lyrics AT lunch and bring them back and record them. Some of them were really kinda slapped together. And it’s not that I’m not proud of them, it’s just that I’m not as proud as the ones that we worked on ahead of time. And now, I feel like I’m in more control of them. I can work on them for months, and before I even bring them to the guys, I kinda make sure that I’m happy with them, and we go from there.

Is that an easy process for you?
I’m horrible at it. I don’t really have any kind of a gift for it. I mean, I like lyrics, I like songs with vocals. I’m just not very good at articulating what I want to say. So, sometimes I’ll write something and come back to it a week later, and sometimes Ii like write two lines and try to get the other two lines to work with it. So like lots of the demos are me repeating one line over and over again. Sometimes it’s like I get on the subway, and by the time the subway ride’s over, I’m like “I need to get home and write all this down.” ‘Play Hurt’ was that way. So, there’s like no rhyme or reason- I wish I could like just throw a lightning bolt and write a great song, but that’s not going to happen. But, all that being said, I think the lyrics on the (new) record are strong, and I’m really proud of them.

In an interview you did for Comes With A Smile, you mention that Promise of Love is the second chapter in a story started by Know By Heart–is the new album a continuation of that story?
Oh, definitely. I think that just in the same way that The Golden Band closed out the first three chapters–the first series of three. I think I knew that when we did it, it was going to be closing out a set. All the sounds are pretty similar. And with this record, things are a little bit more realized. I knew that lyrically, I wanted to finish out the story. I mean, these are all sad love songs—but I really feel that in Know By Heart, there’s a little more wonder involved, and they’re a little bit more sweet, especially songs like “The Postman” and “Aaron and Maria”– they’re a little bit more about being in love. I think that on Promise of Love, obviously, the trouble started, and it’s a more angular sounding record. I kinda feel like you can’t keep writing sad love songs forever, though, and I wanted to finish out the trilogy—and with Set Free, i feel like there’s a third answer that neither of those records addressed, and that’s just like letting go and being happy with yourself.

You recently did a Spiritualized cover for a Club AC30 compliation (Never Lose That Feeling #1). How did you get involved with that?
The first version of “Angel Sigh” that I did was was demoed for the band..like we all pick a cover to do. I thought it would be a fun cover, and I did a demo for it, and it didn’t work out. So, when the Club AC30 people asked us if we were interested in contributing something, I told them that we weren’t in the studio right now, but I have this cover… and if you like it, I’ll record it better—and they liked it.

So, you’re obviously a shoegaze fan. Do you think that the music that you’re making is influenced by that?
I have to be! I have to be—there’s no way that I’m not. I met people in the band that way. I met Mark, our drummer—the reason I met him is because I’d see him at all the same shows that I was going to in like 1991, 1992, 1993. They’d be coming to these little clubs in Austin or Dallas..bands like Ride, Lush, Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver, Teenage Fanclub. All these bands were playing these crazy package shows… like it wouldn’t ever be one band—you’d get like Slowdive and Catherine Wheel together, or Swervedriver and Teenage Fanclub. It would always be a package, and I was shocked they’d come to our area. The Austin shows were really weird. They would always be this one bar that was a metal club… like every other night of the week, it’d be Pantera or Clawhammer, and then one night a month, it’d be like the Verve. So, it’d be shows like these where I met Mark, and I met Lee. So I definitely have to be influenced by the whole thing.