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Feb 04, 2014 Web Exclusive By Under the Radar Staff Photography by Pal Hansen

For Under the Radar‘s 11th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to the important issues of the last year, as well as some quirkier subjects. Check out our next print issue and digital issue for surveys from My Morning Jacket, Foals, Amanda Palmer, Local Natives, Wild Nothing, These New Puritans, Lanterns on the Lake, Xiu Xiu, and Summer Camp.

Here are answers from England’s Dan Croll. Croll’s debut album, Sweet Disarray, is due out April 1 on Capitol.

Top 10 Albums of 2013

1. Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d city
2. AlunaGeorge: Body Music
3. James Blake: Overgrown
4. Kvelertak: Meir
5. Outfit: Performance
6. Peace: In Love
7. Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience
8. Arcade Fire: Reflektor
9. HAIM: Days Are Gone
10. Phoenix: Bankrupt!

What was the highlight of 2013, either for you personally or for the band?

This current tour. Starting with three weeks headline touring America, straight into supporting Bastille around the U.K., straight into sold out U.K. headline dates, straight into touring Europe and the U.K. with Imagine Dragons. Three months of solid fun.

What was the low point of 2013 for you?

Musically, there were none.

What are your hopes and plans for 2014?

Release my debut album in March 2014, and get back on the road to tour it, covering the U.K., Europe, America, and hopefully further!

What are your thoughts on the passing of Lou Reed? Did his music influence you at all and in what way?

I didn’t know much of Lou Reed, but the one song that I was madly in love with was “Satellite of Love.” That is one incredibly well-crafted song, especially the end section.

What are your thoughts on Obamacare, now that it’s being implemented?

It’s no NHS.

What is your opinion on the extensive government spying on the world’s Internet/phone usage? Is Edward Snowden a patriot or traitor?

Patriot.

What are your thoughts on music streaming services such as Spotify and Rdio? Are they good or bad for musicians?

Right idea, but they need to re-think the way in which they pay the artist. Musicians are getting nowhere near what they should be getting paid.

Who was the first person to break your heart? Whose heart did you first break?

My first girlfriend in primary school. She dumped me through the bathroom wall. Brutal.

What was your most embarrassing moment in high school?

Returning from having my leg broken and in a full cast to a rumor circulating that they had to amputate one of my balls to put the cast on. Mind you, no one questioned the size of my testicles after that.

Do bad reviews bother you and which negative review has affected you the most?

Not at all, I find them really humorous. The Sun wrote me a bad review because they thought I sang with too much of an American accent. If you haven’t heard of The Sun newspaper, think of the worst newspaper in the world, and that’s it.

What moment in history do you most wish you could’ve witnessed in person?

1960s London.

What is your favorite word and why?

I’ve been enjoying “equidistant” recently. It rolls nicely off the tongue.

What’s the biggest scam in the music industry today?

Sonicbids.

People filming gigs with their phones: yes or no? If no, what’s the best way to prevent it?

Obviously it’s nice to take home a video to remember your night, which I think is fine. But there are times when I feel it goes too far. I saw I was tagged in a few videos on YouTube the other day. I clicked on them, and a girl had filmed my whole gig standing still with her camera phone in the air and uploading them as I played them track by track. That’s too far. Put down your phone and enjoy the gig.

www.dancroll.com