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Jan 21, 2016 By Mark Redfern Web Exclusive

For Under the Radar’s 13th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2015. We asked them about their favorite albums of the year and their thoughts on various notable 2015 news stories involving either the music industry or world events, as well as some quirkier personal questions.

Check out our Best of 2015 print and digital issues for answers from Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Julien Baker, Blanck Mass, CHVRCHES, Dan Deacon, The Dears, Dutch Uncles, EL VY, Everything Everything, Father John Misty, Field Music, The Flaming Lips, How to Dress Well, Sondre Lerche, Low, Luna, Mew, NZCA Lines, Cullen Omori, Natalie Prass, Small Black, Surfer Blood, Tamaryn, Telekinesis, Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio, The Walkmen, Youth Lagoon, and others.

Here are some answers from Chris Prudhomme of Painted Palms, whose sophomore album, Horizons, is out now via Polyvinyl.

Top 10 Albums in 2015

This is not in any order of preference, sorry.

Diane Coffee: Everybody’s a Good Dog
White Reaper: White Reaper Does it Again
Stephan Bodzin: Powers of Ten
Mild High Club: Windowpane
Maxo: Chordslayer
Jamie xx: In Colour
David Bowie: Five Years (Reissue)
Boosie Badazz: Thrilla, Vol. 1
jj: Death EP
Everything Dej Loaf releases

What was the highlight of 2015, for either you personally or for the band? What was the low point?

High point: Touring in Japan. Low point: Everyone getting really sick in Japan.

What are your hopes and plans for 2016?

Hoping we can avoid World War III. Planning for World War III.

With the launch of TIDAL and Apple Music in 2015, there are more streaming music options, but the same issues of adequate artist compensation persist. What are your current thoughts on streaming and which service would you most like to have your music on?

Streaming is nice. I use streaming services. But the persistence of that model is causing music to become insanely undervalued, and it’s a tricky situation that I don’t have the answer for. For our band, I believe that the more access people have to our music, the better. For most musicians, the age of being able to pay your rent with your album sales or touring fees is completely over, and that’s something everyone has to come to terms with. I always feel weird when I talk about this because, on one hand, I’m sure people could say, “whatever, man, get over it, get a job,” etc. And I do have a second job. But I think it is indicative of a larger cultural problem when a society gets to a point where music only equals commodity, and that’s where we are right now. I think people need to start following through on what is now just lip service: that artists are undercompensated. What if the Internet just disappeared tomorrow? Don’t you think people would start losing their fucking minds if they couldn’t cue up their pre-game party jams playlist or whatever?

Mainstream pop music is increasingly embraced by indie rock musicians and listeners, as well as serious music critics. At this point, do you draw any distinctions between Top 40 pop and indie rock/pop? Are you comfortable with this shift?

I don’t draw any distinctions between indie and Top 40. I think we can all just stop using the term indie now. Indie is a vestigial word in music. I’m comfortable with it.

Have you ever been fired from a job (be it a day job or musical one)? Why were you fired?

I got fired from a bartending job because I lied on my resume and had no idea how to make drinks. And I was working in a really wealthy neighborhood in San Francisco where people were ordering fancy stuff. I faked it for a little while, but I think it became extremely obvious I had never done it before.

What’s your earliest music-related childhood memory?

When I was really young, maybe four, I remember my dad walking around the house singing James Taylor.

What’s the most disastrous date you’ve ever been on?

I went on a date with a girl that ended with her being carried out of a house on the shoulders of police officers and arrested in the street. We went on a second date the next day, though.

Where do you see yourself in five beers?

On the phone with my rehab counselor.

What song will most unite or amp up the tour bus or van (à la “Tiny Dancer” in Almost Famous)? Which song do you love that the rest of the band or crew refuse to let you put on?

“Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis. Sometimes I get shit for putting on Vengaboys.

What’s the biggest goal for your life that you have yet to achieve?

One day I will marry Chloë Sevigny-from-the-‘90s.

www.paintedpalms.net