Some #longreads as you enjoy the most wonderful weekend of the year (NBA All-Star Weekend)…

It’s the tenth anniversary of the release of Silent Alarm, and as they are wont to do, Stereogum published a retrospective on Bloc Party’s debut album.  We recently provided a defense of the group’s underrated follow-up A Weekend In The City, but we cannot deny the power and excellence of Silent Alarm.

Over at Grantland, Rembert Browne analyzes the message in the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s new songs, including the just-released “The Blacker The Berry,” examining the philosophical conundrums posed by Kendrick as well as their broader cultural context.

Pitchfork talks to Rivers Cuomo for their 5-10-15-20 feature, and while there are some mentions of the influences you would expect from the frontman of Weezer (KISS, Madame Butterfly), take particular note of the last selection, which should give hope to the band’s early fans.

SPIN provides the conventional wisdom and adds a few hundred more words in explaining Beck’s surprising win at the Grammys.

The AV Club takes a look at the story behind the lyrics for the unlikely number one hit “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground and also recommends a classic Elliott Smith song if you’re not looking forward to Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

And finally, if you have the stomach for it, there’s this piece from Talking Points Memo that is a strong contender for dumbest fucking thing written on the internet, where the author argues against the merits of live music.  There’s a good chance we may offer a rebuttal in the future.