All posts by ryan

Band News

Ever Distribution

There were a few things that happened in the past few months regarding our music distribution that I would like to mention. The German release of Ever happened a few months back, with EFA being the new distributor for Projekt in Germany. And in the United States, we now have great distribution here through ADA, a Warner subsidiary.

Many people have written to us saying how difficult it was to find Ever and our other releases. I too had a tough time finding them. Now our CDs are everywhere once again: Tower, Borders, and all sorts of other stores. So, if you haven’t got it yet, now’s the perfect time to get a copy of Ever .

Band News

Summer ‘Tour’

We have just two shows planned for this summer. First, we will be in Chicago at the Vic Theater for the Projekt Festival. We will play on the first night on Friday, August 1st. Tickets are on sale at the Vic box office, through Ticketmaster (Chicago only), or from Projekt. Along with us on night 1 of the two-day festival will be The Moon Seven Times, Ben Neill, Vidna Obmana, and Steve Roach. For more complete information on the Projekt Festival, check out the Festival pages.

Our second show of the summer will be in Mexico City on Saturday August 16, 1997 at the Cine Bella Epoca (located at Tamaulipas Y Alfonso Reyes S/N Col.Condesa). Fellow Projekt bands Lycia and Arcanta will be performing as well. This should be a lot fun and I (Ryan) am really looking forward to seeing our friends there and eating at every possible opportunity!

Review

Outburn Reviews Dizzy Debbie Show

A review of our LA show is in the latest issue of Outburn, written by Octavia. Thank you for coming out and supporting!

LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS W/CLAIRE VOYANT @ Dizzy Debbie, Hollywood CA 4/25/97

At first Dizzy Debbie, which appeared to be a Chinese restaurant by day, seemed to be an odd location for a night of ethereal splendor. But when Love Spirals Downwards took the small stage for a rare live appearance, they explained that they live in the apartments just behind the venue. They gave a splendid performance to a packed house that showcased the remarkable voice of Suzanne Perry and the acoustic guitar strumming of Ryan Lum. The pair joked with their friends in the audience in-between songs, which added to the relaxed and light hearted atmosphere. Most of the crowd sat on the floor quietly absorbing the simplistic beauty of their performance. Claire Voyant, who opened the show, were surprisingly impressive with beautiful vocals accompanied by soft guitar and keyboard compositions. – Octavia

Band News

LSD to perform in LA

We are now confirmed for a Los Angeles show on Friday April 25 at the Dizzy Debby 467 S. La Brea Ave, at 6th (213-938-1398). Local band Mine, as well as Claire Voyant from Sacramento, will be opening. Doors will open at 8:30 pm.

Band News, Interview

Acoustic Guitar Interview

SOUND SPIRALS UPWARDS

By Bryan Reeseman

“ONE THING I LIKE ABOUT OUR NEW album is that it’s almost impossible to categorize with any of the conventional musical categories,” declares Ryan Lum, guitarist and keyboard player for Love Spirals Downwards. “There are really folky songs, really electronic ambient dance songs, and then these weird, loopy psychedelic songs. I think it all works together really well. It isn’t a huge shock from one to the next.”

Lum and vocalist Suzanne Perry create a lush, inviting sonic template on their third and newest album, Ever. Important components to their sound are Perry’s beautiful, dreamy vocals, Lum’s delicate, sometimes cryptic acoustic six-string melodies, and their integration of swirling keyboards and subtle effects, all of which produce a captivating kind of romantic, ethereal folk.

Live, Lum uses two tunings: standard and E A D G A D, a variation on D A D G A D. “Instead of my first note being D, it’s E,” he says. “That way, all the strings are tuned normally except for the high two strings, so I can fret chords on the low strings as I normally would and have all those drones on the top two strings.”

Continue reading Acoustic Guitar Interview →
Review

Ever & Sideways Forest Reviews

Projekt sent over some pressing clippings:

Dewdrops #16, Spring 98

Love Spirals Downwards “Sideways Forest” CD-Single Review by Brent

Continuing on consistently after Ardor and Idyls, the first EP from Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry has them once again producing a dreamy mixture of female voice and swirls of guitar. Here, through, and on their wonderful third album Ever, I’d argue they’ve matured and refocussed a bit. “Sideways Forest” is perhaps the most lovely thing they’ve created to date, both nicely grounded and earthy and rising to the ether on jets of blazing guitars. When all is said and done, there will be an ambient remix of every single song ever written. The “Quantum Remix” does this for the preceding track, adding about two minutes in the process. It’s nice and dreamy. The final one, “Amarillo,” almost at once softly subdues you under a spell of half-remembered dreams and cloudy waking-thoughts. It actually sounds a lot like Soul Whirling Somewhere, building up to and melding into a droning fog. Mesmerizing! 10 lilies.

Continue reading Ever & Sideways Forest Reviews →
Band News

LSD in Acoustic Guitar

For all you more musicianly types, there is story on us in the current March issue of Acoustic Guitar. And for further guitar and gear secrets, check out the “Gearbox” section of that issue for a second small article on us.

Band News

New music

We are currently finishing up some new tracks for an EP/CD-Single to be released in the Spring of 1997. It’ll be quite unlike anything we’ve released before. Also, I think it’d be appropriate and fun to end the year with my (Ryan’s) favorite releases of 1996.

  1. Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow
  2. Everything But the Girl – Walking Wounded
  3. Logical Progression (v/a drum & bass compilation)
  4. Perfume Tree – A Lifetime Away
  5. Red House Painters – Songs For A Blue Guitar
Interview

Interview in Requiem Vol. 6, Winter 1996

California’s LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS is an enchanting outfit indeed! For those of you who aren’t familiar with LSD, please allow the words of vocalist Suzanne Perry and guitarist Ryan Lum to soak into your soul; just as their music does much of the same. LSD were formed out of two minds swirling towards one goal: to make ethereal music. And this Los Angeles-based duet have done nothing but make ethereal, transcending music on their two LP’s for the Projekt label (who have since relocated to Chicago). While the band are in the mid-way stages for their as-yet-to-be titled third LP, I urge anyone into billowing vocals and celestial guitar work to check out their latest release titled, “Ardor.” Ascending with LSD…

Requiem: You’re currently pursuing degrees at the university there, but what led you to start the on musical side of things?

Suzanne: l’ll answer that one. That’s a neat question

Ryan: Well, it was kind of something I had always been doing… It was never like, “I’m going to quit school to make music.” I never looked at music as something that I wanted to pursue seriously. I enjoy doing it, and it doesn’t take up that much time. So I’m going to school and whenever the time struck me to make music, I go off on my own way.

Suzanne: So what was the question again? Sometimes he changes it when he answers it (laughter).

Continue reading Interview in Requiem Vol. 6, Winter 1996 →
Band News

LSD “living room concert”

Here’s the latest information I received from Echoes regarding our recently taped performance. Check their website to find out what local radio stations you can hear this on:

December 13, 1996
A Living Room Concert with Love Spirals Downwards

Actually, it’s a bedroom concert since that’s where Suzanne Perry and Ryan Lum of Love Spirals Downwards have their home studio. We visit the duo in their Los Angeles boudoir, where they unfold the delicate filigree of their music in an intimate performance for the heavenly voice of Perry and the acoustic guitar of Lum, playing music from across their 3 albums, including the latest, Ever (Projekt).