Steve Miro & The Eyes
Spherical Objects were an important representative of the Manchester, UK-based experimental independent post-punk scene of the late 70s (including other more or less experimental groups like The Passage, Steve Miro & The Eyes, Tirez Tirez and Grow Up). All these bands were hosted under the Object Music record label. Many of them shared musicians, thus the movement looked more like a musical collective (actually, there was indeed a Manchester Musicians Collective, started by Dick Witts of Passage).
Leader and heart of the band was Steve Solamar (real name Steve Scrivener), a distinct song/lyrics writer with a "terrible voice" (as many fans would say). However, this twisted voice adds even more to the idiosyncratic character of the music.
In summer 1978, they recorded their first LP, "Past And Parcel", which sounds more diy than everything they did afterwards. Their best came with "Elliptical Optimism" (1979) and "Further Ellipses" (1980). The former still keeps contact with punk and 60s garage sound. "Further Ellipses" puts more emphasis on ultra-romantic melodic synth tunes (The "Final Part", "The Root"), a small share of Latin guitar melancholy and production perfectionism (as possible as it could be on those small record labels). Nevertheless, tracks like "Set Free" betray the strong influence of rhythm & blues; unusual for a British post-punk band of that period.
In 1980, Solamar collaborated with Steve Miro as the Noyes (i.e. "noise") Brothers, to produce more experimental music forms. They recorded a double LP ("Sheep From Goats"), which was far more unconventional than anything they had created with their own bands. Other Solamar projects were Warriors and Alternomen Unlimited, while John Bisset Smith was involved into Grow Up (all recording for Object Music).
In 1981, Spherical Objects recorded their last LP, "No Man's Land". It was a return to more archetypal rock forms like those perverted and twisted in "Elliptical Optimism". However, the vigour and inventiveness of the latter were notably lacking.
Unfortunately, not a single word of news exists after 1981 about Spherical Objects or Steve Solamar except that, (according to Simon Reynolds "Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984") he changed gender (now known as Shirley).
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