spectrum pulse

Let's talk a bit about Chicago and hip-hop. A city that in the past has given us Kanye West, Common, and Lupe Fiasco, but if you know ...

I expected this record was going to be good, but I have to admit not quite this good. Solid record, genuinely enjoyable, I'd definite...

You know, I feel I've made the exasperated speech about why there aren't more women in hip-hop a half-dozen times and pretty much ...

Well, this was an interesting week. I wouldn't quite call it a great one, but overall pretty solid. Next up, we hit Chicago with Dr...

And just like that, the summer lull gets burst wide open, and there's a part of me that couldn't be happier. Yeah, I could definit...

Well, this was pretty damn awesome too. Definitely dig into this, it deserves a lot of attention. Next up... hmm, not quite sure yet, w...

Let's talk a bit about cosigns. Because as a critic, I'm always pretty wary of them. You get plenty of artists who will pitch th...

Well, this turned out a fair bit better than I expected. Seriously, give this guy some support, Chesnutt is delivering real quality here ...

Let's go back about thirty years in country music - and one could make the argument that it was bleak indeed. Country had never sounde...

So believe it or not, I'm expecting to get a ton  of hatred for this review. This is, after all, one of the most critically acclaimed...

So there's a term that's become popular in the online music critic scene, particularly on YouTube. Coined by one Todd Nathanson, i...

Well, this took me WAY too long to get out - and I also apparently bungled the publishing process, so I don't think anyone has seen m...

It's widely understood that there were four bands who really 'broke' progressive metal towards more mainstream acceptance - we...

Well, this was an interesting episode to make. Took a little longer than I expected, but overall a better week, I think, especially befor...

I'm actually a little amazed I got this out on time, but I'm definitely happy I did - fair amount to deconstruct her, and it did ...

I have mixed feelings about the Hot 100 this week. On the one hand, our new entries look pretty promising for the first time in a while, ...

Well, this was an interesting record to untangle. Pretty interesting, to be sure. Next up, Billboard BREAKDOWN, and then I've reall...

I started to feel physically ill when I started drafting this Special Comment. It's the same sinking feeling that happens whenever I hav...

Let's flash back to the end of 2013. I'm a mostly fresh-faced music critic coming up on my hundredth or so album review on YouTube...

Wow, this record caught me off-guard by how much I dug it. So tight, so distinctly memorable... great record, bound to be underrated, def...