Meloy's balladry brings to mind vaudeville, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, 'Sweeney Todd,' the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Kurt Weill and Nick Cave, 1960s psychedelic rock pop and roaring pub sing-alongs.

[Though he doesn't write political songs, Sixteen Military Wives (a track off Picaresque , the band's third and latest full-length album) does have political overtones, as seen in the humorous video clip depicting a model United Nations conference in a high school with the U.S. representative acting like a self-important bully.] It's kind of a protest song, ... My objective is to make sense of foreign policy decisions taken by the current Bush administration and showing how they resemble solipsistic bullying.

And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones...

We actually have been toying around with a theatrical element. We even had outfits that we wore on stage for the last tour. But I think when people come to see us they ultimately expect a rock show, so we're pulling back on that aspect a bit. We do play in front of a backdrop, though.

They're like the mirror of myself - I've got both male and female counterparts. I'm really happy to be playing in a band that appeals to people who I feel I could honestly be friends with. It's a luxury, I believe, not many bands enjoy. It certainly spurs me on.

It's kind of a protest song. My objective is to make sense of foreign policy decisions taken by the current Bush administration and showing how they resemble solipsistic bullying.