Quannum

The collective formerly known as Solesides, which includes DJ Shadow and the members of Blackalicious and Latryx, are the artists behind this project. Despite the name change, the crew is still determined to push envelopes and this is perhaps the blessing and curse of Spectrum. While “Concentration” featuring the Jurassic 5, “Divine Interaction” a DJ Shadow and Divine Styler interaction and anything featuring Lyrics Born of Latryx impresses, too many of the tracks are underwhelmingly uneven bunch, considering the unquestioned talent available. Perhaps this is why the album takes on the form of a college radio show with a laid-back wise cracking host named Mack B-Dog stringing everything together. Ironically, it’s vocal tracks by members of the collective that impress the most. Joyo Velarde’s “People Like Me” and Lyrics Born’s “I Changed My Mind” are the best of an explorative, yet mixed bag.