Part Dream Pop, part Americana, the new single from Lovespirals is considerably more upbeat than it’s predecessor, “Brother Against Brother.” Bandleader, Ryan Lum, juxtaposes driving blues riffs and dreamy shoegazer guitar, finding a delicious balance between his earlier Love Spirals Downwards work and more recent Lovespirals work. His wife Anji’s vocals exude a confidence born from years of familiarity with the material, with a lovely harmony of her natural earthy tone and haunting upper register.
“Heartstrings” is a high point in the tracklisting for Lovespirals’ upcoming 5th album and a celebration of the duo’s creative connection. The music video, created by the band themselves, is a beautiful representation of the song, shot during the height of California’s wildflower season. With 3 years experience shooting, editing and producing videos for their YouTube channel, Happy Healthy Vegan, this artistic couple have created what is surely their best and most professional looking music video to date.
Buy the new single & music video on Lovespirals’ Bandcamp to help fund the band’s upcoming 5th album
The 2010 Sleepthief song “Empyrean” featuring Suzanne Perry’s classic glossolalia style vocals is included on the 2015 expanded version of Labyrinthine Heart. This song was previously only available on a Barnes & Noble exclusive compilation CD, making this the first time it’s been available on streaming services. “Empyrean” is 1 of 4 bonus tracks added to the 2009 album, which also features updated artwork.
Love Spirals Downwards Live brings the past to the present, putting you front row and center at a signature LSD acoustic show. This compilation of rare live tracks, taken from several shows including the Projekt Festival (1997), the Troubadour (1995), and a living room concert recorded for Echoes on Public Radio International (1996), has been lovingly assembled to provide a seamless concert experience. This collection features previously unreleased live renditions of “Kykeon,” “Stir About the Stars” and a cover of “Tear Love From My Mind” by Black Tape for a Blue Girl, plus the 9 songs originally included on a super rare mp3.com CDR back in 2001. Produced and mastered by Ryan Lum in 2014.
Digital album out now at Bandcamp for download in your choice or format. Also available for streaming on Spotify or Apple Music.
The first new single from Lovespirals since their 2010 album Future Past marks a return to form for band founder Ryan Lum. Lum burst onto the American dream pop scene in 1991 as Love Spirals Downwards on the Projekt label, quickly establishing himself as one of the best ethereal producers and guitarists in the genre. “Brother Against Brother” is a swirling, ambient, folk-tinged dream pop track featuring heavily effected ethereal guitar and female vocals by bandmate Anji Bee. You can grab the digital single from Bandcamp or watch the official music video on YouTube.
Love Spirals Downwards new Bandcamp page is now offering the 2007 remastered reissue of their seminal second album, ‘Ardor,’ Not only does this reissue offer excellent sonic quality, but an extended songlist including two never before released out-takes and a live recording. Plus, it boasts a beautiful new version of the cover art, expanded for the digipac format. Band founder, Ryan Lum, returned to his master tapes and re-mastered the entire album to ensure the highest sound quality possible. Lum has said that he “always felt the mastering quality was lacking, particularly with ‘Ardor'” and that “compared to the original” the reissue “sounds much cleaner and sweeter.” Indeed, the depth and clarity of the recordings is remarkably improved with greater definition and more sparkle. Buy either the Projekt Records CD or digital download in your choice of audio format on Bandcamp now!
“An album that is compelling, evocative and very, very beautiful.” -Singapore Vogue
Love Spirals Downwards have joined Bandcamp at long last, starting off with the remastered reissue of their 1992 debut album, ‘Idylls.’ This 2007 remastered reissue of ‘Idylls’ is much improved in sound quality from the original CD and cassette version, with more sonic depth and clarity. It also features 3 additional tracks, including Love Spirals Downwards first ever recorded song, “Mediterranea,” a live version of “Scattery January,” and a rare extended mix of “Love’s Labours Lost” from the out-of-print “Heavenly Voices Pt. 1” comp. Buy the Projekt Records digital CD or digital download in your choice of audio file format now!
“Like a cloud-ride to a heaven via angelic voices and delicate music.” -Industrial Nation
Ryan Lum performs the classic LSD song “Avincenna” from the 1994 album Ardor live in his studio. He also shares a few factoids about the song and his approach to playing it. This is the first of the bonus material that we promised to share on the Love Spirals Downwards YouTube channel.
Ryan Lum of Love Spirals Downwards and Lovespirals recreates his instrumental classic “Mirrors A Still Sky” from LSD’s 1994 album ‘Ardor’.
“I’ve been in the ethereal zone for some time while writing new material, and I thought it’d be a fun challenge to recreate an old LSD song with a superior recording studio. It’s not an exact duplication; I’ve kept the original’s vibe and intent while bringing in a few new elements to enhance the mood. It’s a very emotionally intense instrumental and revisiting it brought back a rush of the feelings I had while creating the song 20 years ago. I hope this new recording may bring a similar joy to the listeners as it brought me to work on this project.”
— Ryan Lum
NOTE: this re-recording is now available as a bonus track on ‘Temporal’ digital release on Bandcamp!
Ryan of Love Spirals Downwards has been quite active as of late with the band’s YouTube channel. Dissatisfied with the audio quality of the band’s tracks on previously found on YouTube, he’s has been uploading his own videos with the highest quality possible on YouTube. Already, Idylls is available in its entirety with most of Ardor as well. Expect to find rare bonus tracks and previously unreleased material in the not so distant future. Be sure to subscribe to the Love Spirals Downwards YouTube Channel to stay up to date.
Aubrey and Gregg of Golden Gardens were interviewed for the No Goddamn Dancing blog and were asked about the upcoming ‘Brickbat Boat’ event:
Did they have anything to do with this late-night, shoegaze/goth/ethereal-themed cruise down the Willamette River that I’ve been hearing about?
A: Nope! That was entirely organized by DJ Wednesday and DJ Curatrix, the ladies of Brickbat Mansion, a monthly shoegaze/ethereal/dreampop night in Portland. We met them when we played a show at The Lovecraft Bar (where Brickbat is hosted) in December of 2011. We’ve been good friends for a while and they regularly spin our music at their monthly night.
