Face Time: Lotus Plaza
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    By John Norris @jonnynono

    "It's almost like, the quickest form of communication," Lotus Plaza's Lockett Pundt tells us, on the title of his spectacular new album Spooky Action at a Distance, and the idea behind it. The concept comes from quantum physics, and while Pundt explains it in this week's Face Time, in a nutshell it's the idea that two particles can be so connected that no matter how far apart they are, "an inch, or light years", he says, they are still impact by one another. It was a title that spoke to Pundt as soon as he saw it, partly because it serves as a metaphor for a theme that has long interested him, going back to Deerhunter's "Strange Lights" and "A Threaded Needle" from Lotus Plaza's 2009 debut The Floodlight Collective - lasting, abiding friendship.

    In this conversation, shot a couple of weeks ago at Brooklyn's Luckydog, Pundt contrasts Spooky Action to Floodlight, and the reasons why he wanted to go for a cleaner, more direct sound with considerably less buried parts and blurry vocals on the new release, as well as his increased presence on Deerhunter's last album Halcyon Digest, notably on "Desire Lines". We even get a (brief) update on the status of Deerhunter's next. 

    You'll hear more from this famously shy guy than you likely ever have before about his past, about how he actually pursued theatre in high school and college, even though it made him want to "pass out", and about his penchant for daydreaming, which led to the brilliant new "Monoliths", a song you'll hear in full. And we talk about that fateful meeting years ago with the guy who would become his musical mentor and friend, Bradford Cox. You'll even see how Pundt answers the question: Had it not been for Bradford, would he have even pursued music? 

    As if having a widely acclaimed new album and touring along with it wasn't enough for 2012 -- Pundt is also getting married in September. He tells us about the decision to take that big plunge, something he wasn't always so eager to do, and about the supremely romantic way he popped the question, from the big screen. 

    All that and more as we talk with a musician who is already having an unforgettable year, and it's only May. This week on Face Time it's music and conversation Locket Pundt of Lotus Plaza.