Spectrum
Forever Alien

In 1991, when the vision of Spacemen 3 disbanded, Jason Pierce's musical fate was channeled into the spiritual realms of Spiritualized. Meanwhile, Peter Kember, under the name Sonic Boom, embarked on a more radical sonic voyage. In 1990, he echoed his solo self through the album "Spectrum," a journey into the heart of psychedelia. I remember buying this album as I was still immersed in the sound of Spacemen 3. The cover of that album was a psychedelic trip. The connection with this name was solidified with the release of "Soul Kill (Glide Divide)" in 1992. Kember alternated these monikers with the entity Experimental Audio Research (E.A.R.) in the Nineties, building a vast catalog of electronic and synthetic explorations, with Forever Alien from 1997 standing out as an undisputed masterpiece.

Immersed in "Forever Alien," one finds themselves catapulted to the controls of Sonic Boom's spaceship, embarking on a journey to the edges of the galaxy. The sound vibrations transform into waves, fluctuating in amplitude and frequency. The synthesizer oscillators are manipulated and filtered to generate new sounds, creating a cosmic soundscape. In this journey, Sonic Boom distills multiple waves, both those of Owsley, reflecting on a lysergic trip, and in other tracks where the focus shifts to feedback, reverb, and echo.

"Feels Like I'm Slipping Away," the incredible opening of the album, is a slow descent into the void, with Sonic Boom's voice treated to evoke a sense of despair among the otherworldly vibrations. A beautiful melody that creates a striking contrast with whispers and alien sounds. A dive into the past occurs with the remake of Spacemen 3's "How Does It Feel?" retitled "The Stars Are So Far," one of their most minimal and hypnotic tracks. The music here is characterized by the sounds of synthesizers.

"Forever Alien" presents itself as a profound sonic journey, evoking German cosmic music in all its intensity. This album is highly recommended to cosmic travelers, an experience that challenges perception and opens doors to unexplored sound worlds. "Forever Alien" by Spectrum is a pinnacle in the sonic universe of Sonic Boom, a psychedelic symphony reverberating through the stars, leaving an indelible mark in the galaxy of avant-garde music.