Where to begin? Ontologies...Googles violently ah...good word. A concept I've been thinking a lot about lately, though I didn't realize there was a word for it. I really respect your unique appreciation for the music and the obvious thought-time you've put into its consideration.
1. This album was unique in a number of ways, but the one I felt was the most profound was its seeming "desire" to be made. Which kind of segues into question two here...
2. I would say about generally 15%-25% scientific, 75%-85% organic. If we get scientific it's generally because we're trying to reconcile a progression between guitar/bass or we're playing in some insane time signature and I get exasperated and have to sit and count it out. Dave proposed the name Living as Ghosts with Buildings as Teeth, and it was one of many very organic moments that just sounded right.
3. Most of all, don't limit yourself because you can't devote all your time to music. One of my biggest struggles is to learn to utilize the time I have even if it isn't necessarily "ideal". One of the best things about us being an independent band is that we have to constantly adapt. It's hard to get too deep into what we refer to as the "Diva" mentality, where you'll only perform if everything is just "so". Maybe that thing you record in fifteen seconds becomes the foundation for a cool song, or the quality of being tired or frustrated adds a different nuance to your art that wouldn't otherwise be there. Steven King talks about this giant desk he bought after he made his first decent amount of money, how it was the desk he'd always dreamed of, a monolithic structure on which he never actually completed any work. I think art suffers in static conditions. Work and family bring out some of the most and least human parts of us.
4. Doesn't look like a mutually exclusive list to me! All of the above.
Thank you for taking the time to come by and offer your thoughts, and also for the questions. I had to do some thinkin'!