The Sound and the Furry: Making a Psychedelic Muppet With Dan Deacon
A profile of Baltimore-based electronic composer Dan Deacon in anticipation of his latest album, 2015’s Gliss Riffer. The interview was conducted at the flagship FAO Schwarz toy store in New York, where Deacon made a custom Muppet at the shop’s Whatnot Workshop
The People v. O.J. Simpson’s Sterling K. Brown Knows His ’90s Hip-Hop But Listens to KIDZ BOP Nowadays
It’s a crowded field, but Sterling K. Brown just might’ve been the breakout star from acclaimed series The People v. O.J. Simpson with his nuanced portrayal of prosecutor Christopher Darden. I called Brown up to talk about ’90s hip-hop, race, and if the country would react differently to such a charged case today.
Q&A: Hrishikesh Hirway, the Musical Surgeon Behind the Song Exploder Podcast
An interview with Hrishikesh Hirway, the host of the brilliant Radiotopia podcast Song Exploder. We talked about what he’s learned about music from dissecting so many songs, and if any of them were ruined for him once he heard the behind the scenes story (none were). Thanks to this interview, SPIN struck up a relationship with the podcast, and we premiered the news that Björk was going to appear on his season finale.
Review: HOLYCHILD Are Insolent With a Purpose on Feisty Debut, The Shape of Brat Pop to Come
An album review of Los Angeles brat pop duo HOLYCHILD’s fantastic debut LP, The Shape of Brat Pop to Come.
Review: Sufjan Stevens Sheds the Frills on the Deeply Personal Carrie & Lowell
A review of Sufjan Steven’s touching seventh album, Carrie & Lowell, a moving and deeply personal return to his folk roots following several, much more experimental electronic projects.