Album Reviews
Lana Del Rey
Born to Die
Feb 10, 2012 Web Exclusive
It's hard not to be put off by the hype. Before Lana Del Rey (née Lizzy Grant) had even released her debut album, she had accumulated nearly half a million Facebook "likes," was the musical guest onSaturday Night Live (in two vocally challenged performances devoid of much stage presence), and announced the re-release of what was essentially Born to Die's prequel, an album she made under her own name that failed to garner much attention upon its initial release in 2010.
- Dr. Dog Be the Void
- of Montreal Paralytic Stalks
- Air Le Voyage Dans la Lune
Classic Interviews
Sing Sing
Bonus Quotes from Sing-Sing’s Lisa O’Neill and Emma Anderson
Feb 28, 2003 Spring 2003 - Elliott Smith
Actually, most of our interview with Sing-Sing’s Emma Anderson and Lisa O’Neill made it into our article on them on page 78 of Issue 4 of Under the Radar, including pretty much all of Emma’s quotes about her days in Lush. Still here are a few little quotes that didn’t make it into the article, along with some full color photos from our shoot with the girls in a park next to LA’s famous Troubadour club.
- Happy Pills A Ten-Year Prescription
- The Big Pink Bigger Than the Both of Us
- The Long Blondes New Artists for 2006
Comic Book Reviews
A.D.D.
Vertigo
Feb 08, 2012 Web Exclusive
A.D.D. The title doesn't stand for Attention Deficit Disorder. Instead, readers are introduced to a futuristic society that obsess over a group of teen gamers known as The Adolescent Demo Devision.
- Tank Girl: Bad Wind Rising Titan Books
- One Model Nation (Reissue) Titan Books
- Justice League #3 DC
Book Reviews
Debbie Nathan
Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case
Jan 16, 2012 Web Exclusive
Sybil Exposed is a fascinating examination of the truth behind the subject of the 1973 bestseller Sybil and the "multiple personality" case that revolutionized the psychotherapy industry and the study of psychology.
- Nick Atfield 33 1/3 Presents You’re Living All Over Me
- Cyrus R.K. Patell 33 1/3 Presents Some Girls
- Dave Thompson Dancing Barefoot: The Patti Smith Story
Video Game Reviews
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (Android)
HeroCraft Ltd
Aug 12, 2011 #37 – St. Vincent
The purest measure of any game on a phone or tablet is addictiveness, and Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim ends up somewhere right around crack.
- Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (Capcom)
- Portal 2 (PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) Valve
- Rango Nintendo DS/Playstation 3/Xbox 360/Wii Paramount/Behaviour/EA
News
Listen: Chromatics Cover Neil Young
Feb 11, 2012 Laura Studarus
Just to make the remainder your Saturday night a bit more atmospheric, about an hour ago Chromatics posted a haunting cover of Neil Young’s “Into the Black.”
- Musicians and Celebrities React to Whitney Houston’s Death
- R.I.P. Whitney Houston
- Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug Announces New Moonface Album
Interviews
Zola Jesus
Feb 10, 2012
Nika Roza Danilova—who writes and performs as Zola Jesus—first appeared to the music world with her 2009 debut full-length, The Spoils. Under the Radar caught up with the musician in a park near her West Hollywood home to talk about her new album Conatus, friendly neighborhood critics, and why calling her Zola instead of Nika might not be such a leap in logic.
- My Brightest Diamond
- 2011 Artist Survey: RACES
- 2011 Artist Survey: Radiation City
Pleased to meet you
Body Language
Jan 26, 2012 Web Exclusive
Body Language’s squiggly, headphone-worthy electro-soul feels very... 2011-ish. Social Studies, the band’s excellent EP (with its sugary synth pads and smooth percussion), may harken back to the glistening, disco-lite pop of the early ’80s, but the songs seem linked genetically to this decade, if for no other reason than the music press’s fascination with genre trends.
- Caveman
- Big Black Delta
- Pure X
Lists
Under the Radar’s Top 40 Debut Albums of 2011
Feb 08, 2012
It may have been a difficult year for many people for a multitude of reasons (not least of all, the weak economy), but 2011 was certainly a great year for music. Here at Under the Radar we'd argue that it was an even better year for music than 2010 was, which is why this year we've come up with a Top 40 best debut albums of 2011, versus last year's Top 30.
Each of Under the Radar's writers submitted a list of their Top 20 favorite debut albums of the year. Those lists were all combined and tallied up to form Under the Radar's master Top 40 debuts of 2011 below.
- Under the Radar’s Top 50 TV Shows of 2011
- Under the Radar’s Top 80 Albums of 2011
- Top 100 Songs of 2010
Galleries
Gardens & Villa
Gardens & Villa at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. Photos by Robert Redfield.
- The Civil Wars February 1, 2012 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
- Akron/Family Backbooth, Orlando, FL. January 12th 2012
- David Bazan Cafe Eleven, St. Augustine, November 29, 2011
- Morrissey Morrissey at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, November 26, 2011
- Mister Heavenly Cafe Eleven, St. Augustine, November 8, 2011
Live reviews
Big Black Delta at Club Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
Jan 14, 2012 By Laura Studarus
Jonathan Bates is crazy.
- Morrissey at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, November 26
- Youth Lagoon with Gem Club and Young Magic at T.T. the Bear’s, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 17
- Future Islands at Alex’s Bar, Long Beach, CA, November 18
Blog
Frengers en français
Feb 06, 2012 By Laura Studarus
Frengers first crossed my ears in January of 2005. Entering the final stages of a degree in Film Production, I considered myself an “artist”—a dreamer of dreams, a hoper of hopes, and journalier of all matter of poetic crap (wherein the previous two phrases actually made an appearance). Having recently suffered the combined reality check of film school classes run amuck and mind-numbing internships, it became imperative to study abroad.
- From the Road Part 4: White Sea’s Morgan Kibby on Tour with M83
- From the Road Part 3: White Sea’s Morgan Kibby on Tour with M83
- From the Road Part 2: White Sea’s Morgan Kibby on Tour with M83
Current Issue
Issue #39
Jan 11, 2012 Issue #39 - Best of 2011
Media
- “Travelers” Bright Moments
- “The Pull” Video High Places
- “Dead Oaks” Video Premiere Now, Now
- “It’s My Part” Video Jonquil
- “We Should Be Swimming” Video Zulu Winter
- “My Heart Beats” Veronica Falls
Cinema Reviews
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Dec 24, 2011 Web Exclusive
It's not that the amateurish directing is at fault in Angelina Jolie's debut as a writer/director: it borders on competent. But her atrocious script and misguided approach to the subject matter render In the Land of Blood and Honey odious.
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- W.E.
DVD Reviews
Some Girls Live In Texas 1978 Blu-ray/DVD
Studio: Eagle Vision
Jan 20, 2012 Web Exclusive
Live in Texas 1978 is a wonderful complement to the recent deluxe reissue of Some Girls, finding the Stones stripped down to its essential elements in a concert that featured seven songs from that album. Don't be fooled by the disco song. This is rock and roll at its most vital.
- The Future DVD Studio: Lionsgate
- The Bridge School Benefit Concerts 25th Anniversary Edition DVD Studio: Reprise
- INNI DVD Studio: XL
Television Reviews
I Hate My Teenage Daughter
(Fox, Wednesdays 9:30/8:30 Central)
Nov 30, 2011
This mid-season sitcom is executive produced by the same individuals who created Seinfeld and Friends, plus it stars Emmy Award winner Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl) and Tony Award winner Katie Finneran (Wonderfalls).
- Snuff Box: The Complete Series Severin
- Grimm NBC, Fridays 9/8 Central
- Once Upon a Time ABC, Sundays, 8/7 Central