Highs, Lows And Heavenly Blows

By the time of Highs, Lows & Heavenly Blows, Sonic Boom had clearly marked out the terrain he wanted to explore with Spectrum, a combination of narcotic, minimal pop songs, and landscapes of analog electronics. Highs, Lows & Heavenly Blows benefits from tighter focus than its predecessor, Soul Kiss (Glide Divine), though it doesn’t quite reach that album’s heights. Sonic Boom has a gift for simple melody which he explores most effectively on songs like “Take Your Time”, and a fondness for melancholy – “I Know They Say” is one of his saddest, but most beautiful songs. If you’ve ever wondered what it’d sound like if Brian Wilson worked with Silver Apples at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop…