Love Spirals Downwards recently appeared in the German fanzine, Black. The following is an English translation of the interview by Thomas Wacker.
The reputation of the “Ethereal Wave” precedes PROJEKT mainly because this label, next to BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, has one of the best—if not the best—”Heavenly Voices” bands: LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS. This is Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry, who first caused a sensation in 1992 with their debut album, ‘Idylls.’ Suzanne’s angelic, lovely voice especially delights critics and journalists, and their global fan community continues to grow.
Already in the 3rd edition of BLACK, I tried to interview Ryan Lum and failed miserably because I tried to interpret too much into the music and the meaning, and he simply wouldn’t give any information on this. I don’t want to give the impression that Ryan and Suzanne think they are above their music, and I certainly don’t want to defame the artists… no, on the contrary, I like the music of LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS very much. Nevertheless, it is my job as a journalist to engage with the music and the artist and convey a picture of both to the readers.
Since Ryan wasn’t and isn’t much help to me, I only have the option of describing the sound of this unique formation based on comparisons. In our first interview, Ryan gave me bands like SLOWDIVE, GRATEFUL DEAD, BRIAN ENO, and COCTEAU TWINS as his personal favorites, and from this, you can already guess which direction the sound of LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS tends.
The album ‘Ardor,’ in particular, radiates an intense and ethereal aura, such as you really only know from the COCTEAU TWINS. Comparisons between Elizabeth Fraser and Suzanne Perry can also be made, even if the band is certainly not happy about it, as you can see from the following interview…
With their new and third full-length album, Ever, LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS seamlessly link to what they started with the ‘Sideways Forest’ maxi-single: they place more importance on acoustic arrangements and, in this way, give the final result more originality. Although soft guitars and Suzanne’s vocals continue to dominate, the record seems softer, more natural, and above all more honest in contrast to its predecessors.
The following interview is short, but concise and meaningful. I tried in vain to somehow connect it to my first interview and get answers to questions. But Ryan Lum is once again rather brittle and taciturn, and so this band will continue to remain a mystery to me, even though I find their music so brilliant…
The Interview
BLACK: After our first interview about a year ago, I was quite disappointed with most of your answers. You essentially said that the great majority of your musical material actually has no meaning. Sorry, but I just can’t believe it!!! Music has to be a means for you to express or represent yourself… or doesn’t it?
RYAN: No, there’s actually no meaning behind it. It’s very difficult to create meaning without lyrics, which is related to the fact that Suzanne sometimes doesn’t sing in an actual language. Of course, the music itself already has a meaning for me, but that meaning naturally has a different effect on other people. It means whatever you want it to, if you absolutely need a message. But what is the purpose of a message anyway?
BLACK: You also said that the name LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS was just a plaything [or: a joke]. Doesn’t it stand for LSD?
RYAN: No, you’re completely wrong here too. You’re trying to interpret your own opinion… but that’s not really on our minds. And it certainly doesn’t stand for LSD.
BLACK: You are one of the bands on PROJEKT that have had the most success so far, and you are known everywhere for your heavenly sound. Some journalists even claim that you are the new COCTEAU TWINS and Suzanne Perry is Elizabeth Fraser’s sister. Do you see any musical similarities?
RYAN: What? Did journalists really say that about us? I’d like to describe that as quite stupid… but critics and journalists are usually quite stupid, and yet people read what they write. Sure, I like the COCTEAU TWINS, but I like a dozen other bands just as much. If people really think we’re copying that band, they don’t understand what we’re actually doing.
BLACK: Your new album, ‘Ever,’ sounds a bit more elementary and natural than ‘Ardor.’ The last album sounded more personal for my taste and had a slight penchant for melancholy. Would you describe Ever as the beginning of a new musical period for LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS?
RYAN: Every new release is a new challenge and a new beginning. Maybe you can notice this most clearly with Ever, but I actually always look for new sounds and other ways to make music. Doing the same thing over and over again would simply be too monotonous and tiring for me. I prefer to look for ways to make music that evoke feelings in me like I was an innocent child again.
BLACK: Let’s come back to the topic of “Meaning and Statement of Texts.” We had already talked about the fact that you never hide messages in your song titles; and yet, I noticed a few pieces on ‘Ever’—such as “El Pedregal,” “Ananda,” or “Ipomoea,” and, of course, “Sideways Forest”—to which you seem to have been inspired by South America. Can you confirm that for me?
RYAN: I would rather describe these as loose topics that have a personal meaning for me. Once again—although I have already said it several times—neither in our titles nor in our lyrics is there anything hidden that is meant to be discovered or that someone should understand. People should just like our music. Of course, you can say that some kind of Latin American or Spanish themes have been incorporated on ‘Ever,’ but that is by no means “obvious” to me!
BLACK: You have already given individual live concerts in the past, e.g., during last year’s PROJEKT festival in Chicago. I would be interested in what your live concept looks like, if there is one!
RYAN: Live, we always perform very acoustically: I play the acoustic guitar and Suzanne sings, and nothing else… no DAT recorder, no keyboards, or anything else. If you’ve never seen us live, you’ll certainly find it boring, but we’ve discovered that we really love this kind of concert. Sometimes we even sound better on stage than we do on our CDs. For the future, however, I could imagine playing all the other instruments, such as samplers, drum machines, and keyboards, live. But then the typical LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS sound would surely come across as “dance music.”
BLACK: If you had the opportunity to transform yourself into another life form or object, which form would you choose and why?
RYAN: Donald Duck, because I love swimming and flying. Suzanne would like to be a clam, since they love in the ocean.
BLACK: Do you have plans for the future of LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS?
RYAN: The future…hmmm…I see myself getting fat and bald. But hopefully this will take a long time!
