Love Spirals Downwards: Island at Daybreak

By Stefan Walther

The American duo Love Spirals Downwards could probably be described as co-founders of “Heavenly Voices Music” since their debut album Idylls in 1992. Ryan Lum, who is responsible for the entire instrumentation, creates—together with singer Suzanne Perry—a breathtaking musical experience, which, through its depth and atmosphere, can certainly be described as a sonorous, dark-melancholic, dreamy sound-work.

With the release of Ardor in the year ’94, Love Spirals Downwards were able to place yet another crown on their debut, as the songs on the album were a tick more ethereal, polished, and mature. When the third longplayer Ever was released at the beginning of this year [1996], a kind of zenith seems to have been reached in the band’s work. It still sounds like Love Spirals Downwards, still bears the signature of Ryan and Suzanne, but is by far the most varied work the two Americans have brought to light since their existence (founded in 1991).

Often LSD were compared to better-known bands like Slowdive and Cocteau Twins. Such comparisons usually limp, often on both legs [German idiom: they don’t hold up well]. But here, with these comparisons, Ryan’s interest in exactly these bands seems to apply. Also regarding the mood and the music, there are not worlds [of difference] between Slowdive and LSD—if one disregards LSD’s music, which is built predominantly on acoustic guitars and is somewhat more reserved.

But what do LSD want to give the listeners of their records along the way? Ryan completely rejects pinning down the lyrics to a specific theme. He likes it very much when the most varied meanings are interpreted into his music and lyrics. He even goes so far as to say that there is no deeper meaning behind the lyrics, that it is merely “nonsensical poetry” [blödsinnige Dichterei], which, however, is intended to fulfill the purpose of reinforcing the moods of the individual songs.

It remains to be seen how Love Spirals Downwards will develop on their further “life path,” and whether they manage to maintain the consistently good reviews of the last album. We shall see…