News
The Artwork That Most Impressed Us This Year
Dec 17, 2014
By Christian Koons
In the digital age we usually see albums before we hear them, so not only do album covers bear the weight of first impressions, they become, in our memory, the visual manifestations of the music itself. A good cover looks the way the music sounds. Here’s a list of 40 of our favorites from the year. More
Featuring: St. Vincent, alt-j, Future Islands, Highasakite and More
Dec 15, 2014
By Marie Noble
It’s been a big year for live music. (Then again, isn’t it always?) Across Europe and the U.S., Under the Radar’s photography staff has been busy hitting up festivals, large concert venues, and sweaty dive bars. Here are our favorite shots. More
St. Vincent Fights a War on Drugs Over Real Estate in a Future East India Island, Someone Ought to Get a First Aid Kit
Dec 12, 2014
By Mark Redfern
2014 was a tumultuous year for world events, but we’ll always have the music of 2014 to look back fondly on. Here we present to you Under the Radar‘s Top 140 Albums of 2014. More
Interviews
Dec 12, 2014
By Matt Fink
Even if Lost in the Dream hadn’t become The War on Drugs’ breakthrough album, the story of its creation could have become the stuff of legend. The album was born of six months of isolated songwriting sessions in Adam Granduciel’s Philadelphia home while the songwriter endured a nervous breakdown of sorts. He often retreated to his bedroom with paralyzing panic attacks. He obsessively and meticulously constructed the album layer by layer in the studio, keenly aware that almost any choice—a certain guitar texture here or a drum pattern there—could push the album in a completely different direction. Just what kind of album was he making? He didn’t know. Would anyone care? It was impossible to say. More
