• Interviews

• All
• Music
• Cinema
• TV
• Comic Books

Jan 27, 2012 Artist Surveys 2011 By Under the Radar Staff

For Under the Radar’s 9th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2011. Pick up a copy of Under the Radar’s Best of 2011 Issue for Artist Survey responses from !!!, Acid House Kings, The Antlers, Art Brut, Beirut, Blonde Redhead, Camera Obscura, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Dears, Rose Elinor Dougall, The Drums, The Duke Spirit, Elbow, EMA, The Horrors, I Break Horses, Islands, Little Dragon, My Brightest Diamond, Nada Surf, Marissa Nadler, of Montreal, Okkervil River, Peter Bjorn and John, The Rapture, The Rosebuds, SBTRKT, S.C.U.M, and Vivian Girls.

There are even more survey responses in the digital version of the issue, and we are also posting more surveys on our website. Here’s a survey from Carter Tanton.

Carter Tanton

Top 10 Albums of 2011

1. TEEBS: Ardour—Brain sounds. Ocean sounds. Coming down from acid at the beach sounds.

2. Egyptrixx: Bible Eyes—Frightening throbs.
3. Luke Temple: Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care—Sounds so natural, like he didn’t even know tape was rolling.

4. Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for My Halo—Same as #3.

5. Ford & Lopatin: Channel Pressure—Saw these two play a set in NC this summer. Sounded rad and they both sported Celtics jerseys.

6. The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient—Just finished a tour with those guys. Was always a super fan of Wagonwheel Blues and really got into the new songs during tour. Adam’s lyrics live in my head for days at a time.

7. QUILT: QUILT—Ragged glory campfire rock.

8. Cass McCombs: Wits End—”County Line” is the best song from this year, hands down. I’m always waiting for that lost classic Richard Manuel solo record to surface but I think Cass just wrote it instead.

9. Statuette: His Soundcloud page—I love this dude’s songs. You can only hear them on his Soundcloud page. “At a Loss” is gorgeous.

10. Purling Hiss: Lounge Lizards—Just got off tour with the Hiss as well. Mike broke his whammy bar second to last show. Enough said, right?

What was the highlight of 2011 for you and/or your band?

Beginning to play with Lower Dens.

What was the low point of 2011 for you?

NBA lockout.

What are your hopes and plans for 2012?

Obama term two. Celtics v. Lakers (round three). Inhabit the sonic space existing between J Dilla and Cocteau Twins.

What are your thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street protests? Do you stand with them? Are they accomplishing anything?

I stand with everyone. I stand with no one. Just please don’t sell me anything, thank you.

Several stages collapsed in 2011. Are you worried about festival safety? What else can be done to make stages and festivals safer?

I don’t know, but yeah definitely worried. Also worried each time I plug in a guitar and sing into a mic that I’ll get shocked to death.

Has it become less financially viable to survive as an independent band this year?

Tough to say. It seems there’s two ways to make a living now—touring and/or licensing your music to TV/Film. I don’t know too many folks rolling in it but if you can deal with the grind of touring then survival is possible.

Which album would you like to see a band play in its entirety?

John Frusciante: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt.

Which song do you wish was being played in the delivery room while you were being born?

“Happiness is a Warm Gun.”

Who has better taste in music, your mom or your dad?

My dad, definitely. He just recently got into classic rock so I get cool emails from him like, “Have you heard ‘Desperado’ by The Eagles? Beautiful song!”

What’s the smartest decision you’ve ever made in your life?

Quitting smoking (which was followed three years later by my dumbest decision, to start up again).

What would be the title of your autobiography?

Bette Davis Eyes.

Who’s the best lyricist in indie rock (besides yourself)?

Adam G. War on Drugs.

Are there any songs that make you tear up? Which ones?

John Lennon: “Love is Real.” J Dilla: “Time: the Donut of the Heart.” Marissa Nadler: “Little Hells.”

What do you wear to bed?

A pink nightgown.

Will you go to your next high school reunion? If you’ve already been to one, what was it like?

No.

In general, do you consider new communications technology to be a good thing or something that further separates us from real human interactions?

It’s a good thing. All new technology requires us to have more self restraint but I’m glad it’s all around us.

Which song would you like to hear on your deathbed?

The Band: “Rocking Chair.”

In 2011, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, comic book you read, video game you played, and/or TV show you watched?

I’ve just begun reading The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. She played a huge role in the ‘60s preventing highway construction, which would have run through Greenwich Village. An icon of urban planning and preservation. She writes from the heart about the cities we live in and how carelessly they’ve been destroyed by our local and federal governments. Also, I watched all of Six Feet Under last January in the dead of a Boston winter. Maybe not the best time to watch such a dark show but there’s never REALLY a bad time for something that brilliant.

(www.luxurylinerpleasurecruise.blogspot.com)