Spectrum was the most high-profile and straightforward of the projects undertaken by
Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember after the demise of the trance-rock avatars
Spacemen 3. As his work as a member of the
Experimental Audio Research coterie allowed
Kember the opportunity to explore ambient textures and tonal constructs,
Spectrum satisfied the singer/guitarist's more conventional pop leanings, while never losing sight of the hypnotic otherworldliness which became his music's trademark and legacy. The name
Spectrum initially appeared as the title of the first
Sonic Boom solo album, released in 1990 before the breakup of
Spacemen 3; a collection of ethereal, nearly formless songs,
Spectrum openly acknowledged
Kember's debt to
Suicide with its cover of the duo's "Rock 'n' Roll Is Killing My Life." Meanwhile, the
Kember half of the
Spacemen 3 swan song
Recurring, with its tighter, more structured songs (like the gentle wash of "Just to See You Smile"), offered an even stronger indication of things to come.
After the breakup of
Spacemen 3,
Sonic formed
Spectrum with guitarist
Richard Formby and bassist
Mike Stout, along with contributions from
Pat Fish (aka
the Jazz Butcher). After a series of singles, the band issued its debut,
Soul Kiss (Glide Divine), a sprawling collection of tranquil, luminous retro-pop, in 1992. At the end of the year,
Formby was replaced by former
Darkside guitarist
Kevin Cowan, and in 1993, the group released
Indian Summer, an EP of covers. After
Kember spent much of the next year working on
Experimental Audio Noise Research projects,
Spectrum -- now rounded out by guitarist
Scott Riley, programmer
Alf Hardy, and ex-
Spacemen 3 bassist
Pete Bassman -- released the 1994 LP
Highs, Lows and Heavenly Blows, another narcotic collection which explored unique scales and compositional structures. Another layoff followed as
Sonic Boom resumed work on his other projects, but in 1996
Spectrum teamed with the Seattle band
Jessamine for a joint release titled
A Pox on You; at the end of the year, they also issued an EP,
Songs for Owlsey. The full-length
Forever Alien appeared in 1997. A second collaboration with
Jessamine as well as work with
the Silver Apples followed.
–
Jason Ankeny, Rovi