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Jan 14, 2016 Artist Surveys 2015 By Mark Redfern Photography by Patrico Colombo

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 upcoming 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 Sierra Casady of CocoRosie. CocoRosie’s latest album, Heartache City, is out now.

Top 10 Albums of 2015

We have never been great music listeners and certainly do not keep up on the latest. Not knowing what’s in is sometimes better for the creative mind.

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

My high point and low point of this year’s adventures were more or less in the same moment: it was my first time surfing the London crowd. I never thought my English audience would be ready for me that way. The downside was that someone snaked my wig.

What are your hopes and plans for 2016?

We want to realize an album that breathes like sense in a fairytale and make a movie to accompany it.

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?

I don’t find the technology very interesting, nor does the interest have any appeal. Today I put on a vinyl of Elvis and sped it up so he sounded like a chipmunk. This was fun to dance to.

What are your thoughts on Friday being the new global release day for albums? Is it helping or hurting album sales?

I guess the ritual aspect is cool but now it’s hard to find your own special album birthday and you are forced to share the dates with many more releasers

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’m super comfortable with all of this, mostly because I have no idea what any of these divisions represent or sound like. I couldn’t care less.

What are your thoughts on how the 2016 U.S. Presidential election is shaping up?

The future is female!

Ryan Adams covered Taylor Swift’s 1989 (and then Father John Misty covered Adams covering Swift). If you were to cover another artist’s album in its entirety, which would you pick and why?

Cat Power’s Covers album.

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

No, but I quit my bike taxi job in Times Square after my first day. I came home and looked like a chimney sweep with pollution buggers pouring out of my eyes and nose.

What’s your earliest music-related childhood memory?

When I was a kid, I would wake up and pretend I was blind, then make my way with closed eyes from my bedroom to where the piano was down the hall. I learned to play simple things in this closed-eyes state and it developed the way I heard tone.

What outrageous request would you most like to put in your tour rider as a joke?

Tampons and vodka as a packaged deal for butt dunking (sticking alcohol soaked tampons up the ass).

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

Not sure, they were all disastrous.

Which Star Wars character are you most like?

Yoda.

Following the terrorist attack at the Eagles of Death Metal concert in Paris do you think that security at music venues should be improved and do you now worry about something similar happening at one of your shows?

Not worried about it. Don’t have the time to be.

What’s the lamest breakup excuse you’ve ever given or been given?

“I’m heterosexual.”

With Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Gilmore Girls, Full House, and other classic shows returning, what other TV show would you like to see come back with its original cast?

Punky Brewster.

The World Health Organization associated cured meats with an increased cancer risk this year. What band does that mean you can no longer listen to?

All those sausagefest boy bands, I guess?

How would you fare on Naked and Afraid, the reality show where a man and woman have to survive in the wilderness naked for 21 days?

Sounds fun. We almost pulled together a naked tour in 2011. I don’t remember what exactly stopped us. I think the promoters were dragging their feet because we wanted the audience to all be naked too.

FFS (Franz Ferdinand + Sparks) proved that collaborations can work. What other two bands would you like to see unite as one new entity?

Working with my sister has also proved that collaborations can work. We are nothing alike and have nearly nothing in common. Magic!

www.cocorosiemusic.com