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Wondering if the Furries reserve their arch behavior for live performance, or their witty wordplay for songwriting? This interview was conducted via e-mail – giving guitarist Huw “Bunf” Bunford ample opportunity to evade questions, twist meanings, and generally take the mickey out of his interviewer.

St. Paul, Minn. — Minnesota Public Radio: Let's start with some basics. Do any of you guys come from musical families? Super Furry Animals: There is a bit of yodeling in there somewhere.

MPR: How did you begin working together?

SFA: Boss scheduled us together.

MPR: What is the Cardiff music scene like? Supportive? Sparse? What are the dominant sounds coming from that part of Wales?

SFA: Love it. Yes. No Seagulls.

We all write, so every song has a course of its own. - Huw “Bunf” Bunford

MPR: There was some backlash in your established fan-base when you decided to begin singing your songs in English instead of Welsh. Is there any lingering animosity about that decision?

SFA: Not by us.

MPR: Do you think your quest to remain unpredictable and curious ever interferes with your desire or ability to create quality music? Or are those two things inseparable?

SFA: It is not a stated quest, it's more curiosity. They are not inseparable, I don't think.

MPR: You seem to value providing a visual component to your songs. (Ongoing collaboration with graphic designer Pete Fowler, commissioned animations for the songs on Rings Around the World and Phantom Power, etc.) Why?

SFA: Fear.

MPR: How long did it take to record Love Kraft? How does that compare to previous albums?

SFA: 68 minutes. It is newer, certainly.

MPR: Your songs tend to be pretty complex, layered beasts. How much of what ends up on a recorded track is created in rehearsal, and how much comes to fruition in the studio/during the recording process?

SFA: We all write, so every song has a course of its own. It is tough to give a blanket answer to that one.

MPR: How often do you work on new songs?

SFA: They work on us. If only we weren't such crap listeners.

MPR: Do you listen to your own recordings often? Why or why not?

SFA: I hear our songs every day. I like them, naturally.

MPR: Is it important to you to recreate live the sound you create in the studio? Do you feel the audience expects that?

SFA: They are two different things, or should be. I shouldn't speak for the audience.

MPR: Is it anticlimactic to perform for smaller U.S. audiences after playing such massive gigs in the U.K.?

SFA: No. Well, yes, it is anticlimactic because your beer is rubbish.

MPR: What do you think are the elements of a quality pop song?

SFA: Wrong love.

MPR: If you only had £10 left for the rest of this year, what would you spend it on?

SFA: Soap.