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Feb 21, 2014 Portlandia By Mark Redfern and Laura Studarus

Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of the February/March 2014 issue, which is on newsstands now and will be out until late April/early May. It features Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia on the cover as well as interviews with Charli XCX, Dum Dum Girls, Elbow, EMA, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Liars, Metronomy, The New Pornographers, Panda Bear, Real Estate, Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead vs. J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., St. Vincent, Warpaint, Wild Beasts, and much more.

Cover Story

The issue features an in-depth eight-page cover story article on Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia. The article delves into the pairs’ unique partnership and how Portlandia evolved from a scrappy comedy to an unlikely hit. The pair then played interviewers, joining up with Stephen Malkmus for a conversation about tours, odd places, and avoiding burnout.

“[Carrie’s] very factual, so it’s almost like she makes fun of facts…with other facts.” – Fred Armisen of Portlandia

“[Fred] will veer so far off from the story or the dialog, and it’s like a top spinning. You can see it gathering momentum and it becomes very dazzling and strange.” – Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia

“I’m into misery places, like hiking tragedies and snow disasters.” – Stephen Malkmus

Detection

The front-of-book Detection section and our Main Features section feature interviews with: Dum Dum Girls, Elbow, I Break Horses, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Liars, Metronomy, Mogwai, Angel Olsen, Nina Persson, Real Estate, St. Vincent, Warpaint, and Wild Beasts. Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on the hit TV show The Walking Dead also interviews for us J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

“We’ve delved into our proggier side. I don’t think there’s a song on there that’s under five minutes!” – Guy Garvey of Elbow

“It was a huge step for me, from having to throw up before going on stage, to doing that tour [with M83].” – Maria Lindén of I Break Horses

“I’ve got a lot more to do. I think that’s why God spared me.” – Sharon Jones

“It would be great to maybe write a really positive celebratory song someday, but it has never really happened naturally.” – Angus Andrew of Liars

“You see what English acts became really popular in America, and you begin to question the taste of Americans.” – Joseph Mount of Metronomy

“They’re jokes usually, but a lot of French journalists are always trying to find some deeper meaning in [our song titles].” – Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai

“I don’t think you need to do backflips with your voice.” – Angel Olsen

“I don’t want any of my work to ever hurt my son.” – Nina Persson

“Dumping garbage on [Matt Dillon’s] head while he’s in a wheelchair…I felt like I was not the most-liked person on set.” – Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead

“I’d definitely be into doing some zombie slaying music. That’d be cool.” – J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

“It’s kind of like a party record you could play at a funeral.” – Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent)

“There was a complete moment of meltdown in Istanbul where we got absolutely wasted and were vomiting all the way back to Heathrow!” – Hayden Thorpe of Wild Beasts

In the Studio

Our In the Studio special section includes interviews with Best Coast, Charli XCX, Rose Elinor Dougall, EMA, Mac DeMarco, The New Pornographers, Panda Bear, and Peter Bjorn and John. The In the Studio section gives you the scoop on albums due out later this year, direct from their makers.

“I feel like people were expecting me to make this hipster, electronic synth-pop record, and I couldn’t think of anything worse.” – Charli XCX

“Even if you’re not doing something creative, even if you want to have a normal fucking job, I think it’s a weird time to be a young person.” – Rose Elinor Dougall

“There’s so many ways you can fuck up a sophomore album. And I just chose mine.” – Erika M. Anderson (aka EMA)

“When I tell people that ‘Oh no, I’m okay, man, I don’t really smoke [weed],’ it’s like their whole world crumbles in front of their eyes.” – Mac DeMarco

“It’s not a Get Back record, really. It’s more of an Abbey Road.” – Carl Newman of The New Pornographers

Artist Surveys

For Under the Radar’s 11th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2013, along with quirkier subjects. Questions range from the political (Edward Snowden, Obamacare) to the personal (most embarrassing high school moment, first person to break your heart) to the topical (Lou Reed’s passing, Spotify) to the really personal (most daring place you’ve ever had sex, who you lost your virginity to). Included in the print issue are responses from Foals, Lanterns on the Lake, Local Natives, My Morning Jacket, Amanda Palmer, Summer Camp, These New Puritans, Wild Nothing, and Xiu Xiu.

“The thought that scientists may have found a cure for cancer and we are ignoring it because the big drug firms say it isn’t profitable is so beyond disgusting.” – Hazel Wilde of Lanterns on the Lake

“Ariel from The Little Mermaid [broke my heart] when I realized I couldn’t be with her because she was a cartoon.” – Taylor Rice of Local Natives

“If God really is a man, please send in a woman-god ASAP to start repairing and healing some of the damage he has done!” – Jim James of My Morning Jacket

“My towel slipped when I was on holiday with family friends in Canada. I had a huge crush on the eldest son and he saw everything.” – Elizabeth Sankey of Summer Camp

“Watching the cops pull a dead body out of the lake in the park by my apartment [was] just a little more than I could deal with that day.” – Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu

Reviews

Over 100 CDs, films, and comic books are reviewed in the issue, including reviews of releases by: Actress, The Autumn Defense, Axxa/Abraxas, Beck, Beyoncé, Big Scary, Black Lips, Bombay Bicycle Club, Broken Bells, The Casket Girls, Cheatahs, Neneh Cherry, Childish Gambino, Cibo Matto, Cymbals, Dog Bite, Dum Dum Girls, Eagulls, East India Youth, Fanfarlo, David First, Future Islands, Gardens & Villa, Gem Club, Highasakite, The Hold Steady, Hospitality, I Break Horses, Jeremy Jay, The Jezabels, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Damien Jurado, Kaiser Chiefs, Lanterns on the Lake, Liars, Lost in the Trees, Lydia Loveless, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Maximo Park, Mark McGuire, James Vincent McMorrow, The Men, Metronomy, Mogwai, Mutual Benefit, Marissa Nadler, Jack Name, New Madrid, Nikonn, The Notwist, Angel Olsen, Painted Palms, Peggy Sue, Linda Perhacs, Nina Persson, Phantogram, PINS, Pontiak, Quilt, Real Estate, School of Language, Abram Shook, Snowbird, Bruce Springsteen, St. Vincent, Sun Kil Moon, Temples, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Thumpers, TOY, Trust, Twilight, The War on Drugs, Dean Wareham, Warpaint, Water Liars, Wild Beasts, Wild Cub, Wild Moccasins, Yellow Ostrich, and more.

Digitial Magazine

The digital version of the issue (available for iPads, Android devices, Macs, and PCs) also features bonus articles not found in the print edition. Included is an article on bEEdEEgEE, as well as extended Q&As with artists interviewed in the print edition, quotes that didn’t make it into the print version, including bonus interviews with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, Rose Elinor Dougall, EMA, Sharon Jones, The New Pornographers, and St. Vincent.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to define that I even know what my sense of humor is.” – Fred Armisen of Portlandia

“I love when people pitch themselves for the show, like they consider themselves so strange that they’d be good material.” – Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia

“I’m of the belief that things that fall into place spontaneously are controlled by fate.” – Brian DeGraw of bEEdEEgEE

“Life is precious. In a blink of an eye, I could have been gone.” – Sharon Jones

“There’s always a difference between the myth that you create about yourself and who you actually are.” – Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent)

The digital magazine also includes additional artist surveys (or additional answers) from the following artists: Au Revoir Simone, Big Scary, Black Hearted Brother, Cheatahs, Dan Croll, East India Youth, Lanterns on the Lake, Local Natives, London Grammar, Lost in the Trees, My Morning Jacket, Outfit, Pelican, Nina Persson, Poliça, San Fermin, Slow Club, Woman’s Hour, and Younghusband.

“My books fell all over the [parking] lot as the whole school looked out their bus windows and laughed and yelled at me.” – Annie Hart of Au Revoir Simone

“I peed my pants in primary school during a saxophone lesson.” – Joanna Syme of Big Scary

“Sometimes making a record like the one we’ve made can take its toll on a person’s sanity.” – Paul Gregory of Lanterns on the Lake

“I once fell in an open sewer, and smelled of shit for an entire school day.” – Dan Rothman of London Grammar

“I did split the crotch of my pants during a performance of Grease in front of the whole school.” – Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees

“I had a crush on Jem from Jem and the Holograms. It was pretty heartbreaking that she was a fictional character, but even aside from that she was way out of my league.” – Trevor de Brauw of Pelican

How to Buy and Subscribe

Click here to buy the print version of the issue.

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Click here to buy the digital version of the issue (for the iPad, Macs, PCs, and Android devices).

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