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Dec 23, 2010 By Under the Radar Staff Artist Surveys 2010

For Under the Radar’s 8th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2010. Pick up a copy of Under the Radar’s Year End issue for interviews with: The Antlers, Bon Iver, Caribou, Club 8, Delphic, Rose Elinor Dougall, Gayngs, Hot Chip, Lost in the Trees, Love is All, The Love Language, Mogwai, of Montreal, Okkervil River, Yoko Ono, Owen Pallett, Plants and Animals, Mark Ronson, Superchunk, Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Van Etten, and Vivian Girls. Here’s a survey from A Place to Bury Strangers.

Top 9 Albums of 2010

1. The Black Angels: Phosphene Dream—Think they really broke out of their really cool Black Angels sound into another really cool and creative record.

2. Grinderman: Grinderman 2—Nick Cave, he is so good.

3. French Miami: Motor Skills—Those kids have created one of the best records I have heard in a long time.

4. Holy Fuck: Latin

5. Pierced Arrows: Descending Shadows—I loved Dead Moon.

6. Darker My Love: Alive As You Are

7. Sisters: Ghost Fits—So much rad blast beats and great tunes.

8. Crocodiles: Sleep Forever

9. Weekend: Sports—I’ve heard it and it is going to be great! I love Weekend.

What was the highlight of 2010 for either you personally or for the band?

Oliver Ackermann: There was a point in which I regained feeling in my hand after getting hit by a car on tour, the shows were much better after then.

What was the low point of 2010 for you?

Band: We hit a squirrel on the road from Cincinnati to Grand Rapids. I think it was the only time I remember hitting something while driving, except for this asshole on a bike who wouldn’t get out of my way.

What are your hopes and plans for 2010?

Band: We’re working on recording, building some equipment, and running some experiments.

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s job performance in the last year? Has your optimism, if you were an Obama supporter, waned?

Band: He was put in a tough position with the “recession” et al. Seems to be doing good in some areas and not so good in others. Health care needs to be free and we need to not be at war.

What are your thoughts on the Tea Party movement?

Band: They are anti-humanity.

With the Internet making every artist’s music potentially available to a wide audience, is it now easier to find listeners or more difficult because you have to compete with so many other musicians?

Oliver: I think it levels the playing field for a lot of musicians and that is a good thing. There are a lot of people and people should be humbled and it should be tough.

Who would you rather listen to—a totally original musician whose compositions are groundbreaking but difficult to listen to or a musician whose songs are immediately enjoyable but derivative? Why?

Oliver: I don’t care either way. If it’s good, it’s good.

In the race to find new bands, are too many unworthy bands being hyped up by music blogs and websites? How are music fans supposed to filter through all these new bands being hyped?

Oliver: It’s always been the case but most people just want something to listen to, for the music seekers out there, there are a lot more shows and events going on, so go out and see some shows. If you’ve got good taste, shouldn’t be a problem.

If your house was on fire, what would you grab as you were running out?

Oliver: My cat.

If you could relive one day of your life, which would it be?

Oliver: I don’t really want to relive any day. Been there, done that, move on!

What’s the strangest fan encounter you’ve ever had?

Oliver: Had a guy (security guard at a hotel) tell me he was a huge fan. Panned out that he was also a huge meth fan. Being a security guard he had a key to my room. He broke in with a carving knife and tried to throw me out the window. We had to wrestle him to the ground, hold him down, and call the cops. No joke.

If you had a bucket list, what would be the Top 4 things on that list?

Oliver:

1. Go to Japan.

2. Record another record.

3. Eat oysters.

4. Say goodbye to my pals.

Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares?

Oliver: This one where there is a small ball of putty that is hitting these small toothpicks or something around a table and it is in slow motion. It is the scariest thing I have ever seen.

Who was your first love and do you still keep in touch with them?

Oliver: Amy Dorsit or her sister. They moved to Arizona in second grade and I never saw them again.

Is there anything that most people are able to do that you can’t (such as drive a car, swim, ride a bike)?

Oliver: I cannot for the life of me see an image in a magic eye picture.

Have you ever been starstruck when meeting another musician? If so, by who?

Oliver: Yeah. Iggy.

When you think of the future, what scares you most?

Oliver: Robot goat weed.

Lady Gaga: Avant-garde genius or overexposed attention whore? Discuss.

Oliver: She is a good performer and works really hard. She can definitely play her ass off. However, I don’t really like her music or dress sense. Why do fashion designers/critics and the like always have such bad dress sense?

Do you believe in ghosts? Why?
Oliver: Never seen one. I’m 50/50 if they exist or not. I do believe in magic.

What is one notable band whose appeal you’ve never understood?

Oliver: I won’t name one, but what the fuck?

In 2010, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, comic book you read, video game you played, and/or TV show you watched?

Oliver: Best movie was Winnebago Man. I cried two tears. One of joy and one of sadness.

(www.aplacetoburystrangers.com)