Kendrick Lamar’s Album of the Year (and 4 more)

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READ IT AT SPIN

It was an honor and a responsibility to write about Kendrick Lamar’s incredible To Pimp a Butterfly. It’s a monumental work that’s owed much more than I could give, but helping to crown it SPIN’s Album of the Year is a good start. I spilled ink on four others that made the year’s 50 Best LPs: Deerhunter’s Fading Frontier at No. 7, Protomartyr’s The Agent Intellect at No. 20, Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late at No. 23, and Blur’s Magic Whip at No. 37. Peep the whole list, which not only includes a ton of great music, but words by people I dig a whole lot.

Take Two: Arca, Cavanaugh, Martin Crane, more

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READ MORE AT KPCC

They gave me free reign to program the entire Tuesday Reviewsday segment this time. Tune in for new jams by Björk friend Arca, Cavanaugh (Serengeti + Open Mike Eagle), cool brainiac Martin Crane, and Shovels & Rope in tribute mode. Click through or stream here:

Billboard Cover: The Rebirth of Justin Bieber

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READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

Justin Bieber took me to church. Literally. It wasn’t part of the plan. All he promised was a 60-minute interview. Instead we talked for 90, went to dinner, then walked over to a Beverly Hills hotel for a sermon. Before you ask, the kid’s all right. He’s working on him, and the music is better than ever, but all that’s in the story, along with input from Big Sean, Skrillex, Scooter, Poo Bear, and, yes, his pastor. Read why, in Justin’s words, he “wouldn’t suggest being a child star.”

Also, peep the photo gallery featuring more awesome shots by Zooey Grossman.

Take Two: Lazyboy Empire and SPORTS

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READ MORE AT KPCC

Sweet sax prevails on this episode of Tuesday Reviewsday. The voice of my usual co-anchor Shirley Halperin was beamed in from New York, so I couldn’t actually see her grooving to Lazyboy Empire’s batshit “Vampire” track, but of course it happened. I also spoke on SPORTS and their new (final?) album, All of Something. TRD is now podcast on iTunes. It’s below too:

Pentatonix Leave A Cappella Covers Behind

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READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

There’s something delightfully cheesy and jaw-droppingly awesome about Pentatonix. If you’ve seen their YouTube-owning a cappella covers videos, then you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve witnessed them sing in person, you probably wanna strangle me for the “cheesy” jab — these five are that impressive in real life, and they’re a lot of fun to talk to as well.

Billboard Cover: Selena Gomez Finds Her Voice

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READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

To say this was a big one would be something beyond understatement. The opportunity to sit down with Selena Gomez for this conversation was an honor. But what came out during our talk — that she underwent chemotherapy to combat lupus — made it all astronomical. But don’t miss the forest for the trees. She’s a shockingly candid subject who’s amassed a world of experience at the age of 23. She deserves this Revival. She earned it. It’s all her.