The first finds Stockdale relaxed. He's talking about the success of its Zeppelin-like first album, naming its new album Cosmic Egg for a yoga position, and losing two original members after having written some new tunes (lost two, gained three).

"When they left and management asked if I wanted to come to some agreements, I decided to just start from scratch," says Stockdale. "The risk of going into the unknown was thrilling."

Yet, it's not half as thrilling, according to Stockdale, as recording Cosmic Egg in Los Angeles with the inspiration of Jim Morrison's "fantastic L.A." as part of the proceedings. Suddenly, the relaxation is past, and Stockdale lights up.

Enthralled with America ("anything relevant to anything outside of Australia is pretty exciting"), the psychedelic soul of Cosmic Egg and songs such as "California Queen" came from an environment where desolate mountain and canyon areas sit next to shopping malls. "That's a wild element in my mind," says Stockdale. "I channeled so much of that city. The chaos that is Los Angeles opened us up."

So did meeting Beck and Devendra Banhart, with whom Stockdale covered Songs of Leonard Cohen for Beck's new Web site. "When we got to California, I called Devendra to hang out. He invites me to this studio, Beck is there, and the next thing you know, we're recording 'Suzanne.' I thought I was just going out for a beer. Things like that would never happen in Brisbane."

Stockdale is giddy as he mentions how that vibe and finding easy camaraderie among peers inspired Cosmic Egg and simple, chilled melodies like "In the Morning" and "Pilgrim." "It's nice to know that you're not alone in digging the same stripped-down, riff-based rock-and-roll," says Stockdale. "Guys like Beck and Devendra are fans of the same stuff I am."