Spectrum Culture

• Rebecca Black: Age of the Exhibitionist | Spectrum Culture | Sept. 21, 2026, 5:03 a.m.
Age of the Exhibitionist shows Black as a would-be pop star with about a foot and a half in the club, not on the same level as Charli XCX but definitely playing the same game.

• This Is Lorelei: The Singer in My Band | Spectrum Culture | Sept. 14, 2026, 5:04 a.m.
Pleasant to listen to but lacking adventure, The Singer in My Band is the product of close study but fails to take liberties with established forms.

• Chat Pile: Who Loves the Sun | Spectrum Culture | Sept. 11, 2026, 5:06 a.m.
Chat Pile’s sludgy take on metal and post-hardcore is full of clang and roil, and it suits the themes exactly, making Who Loves the Sun the perfect soundtrack for the apocalypse as it approaches in that classic Hemingway fashion: slowly, and then all at once.

• Sara Bareilles: Good Grief | Spectrum Culture | Sept. 8, 2026, 5:05 a.m.
On a reboot of sorts for the artist, Bareilles contrasts upbeat arrangements with lyrical themes of regret, struggle and yearning.

• Billy Strings: So Much for Goodbyes | Spectrum Culture | Sept. 9, 2026, 5:05 a.m.
So Much for Goodbyes can feel overstuffed at times, but no individual track runs overlong. Strings has plenty to say, and he says it. Often, he does so by blending where he came from with other places he's visited, and it makes for a truly distinct sound.

• The Weeknd: Hurry Up Tomorrow | Spectrum Culture | Feb. 10, 2025, 6:06 a.m.
Hurry Up Tomorrow feels like Tesfaye’s attempt at summing up everything that was great about the Weeknd as a project, but unfortunately, it’s clear that no one ever brought a knife to the recording sessions.

• Michael Kiwanuka: Small Changes | Spectrum Culture | Nov. 15, 2024, 6:04 a.m.
Michael Kiwanuka has always been most comfortable in the reflective quiet that sits beneath even his rowdiest cuts. Small Changes finally sees him lead with it.