Category Archives: Review

Review

Reflections on LSD’s Ever from Peru Avantgarde

Leave a comment

A lovely piece looking back on how the 1996 release of Love Spirals Downwards’ third album, Ever, affected listeners in Peru has surfaced. Dramatically entitled, “LSD IN LIMA: When the Ethereal Became a Trench”, Wilder Gonzales Agreda recalls how the duo’s ethereal sound arrived in Lima not through radio or TV, but passed hand-to-hand in the underground—photocopied tapes, hidden record shops, and shared rituals of listening that turned the fragile into a form of resistance.

“In a tense, brutal, and ugly city, Ever was like a crack of clean water. Music that didn’t scream ‘resistance’ but was, simply because it taught us we could also inhabit the fragile—that which lasts only an instant but stays tattooed in being forever.”

Part album review, part memoir, it’s an interesting read. Noticed he just posted a new interview with our Projekt label mate, Scott Cortez, as well as a review of Nearfield by my old buddies, Closedown, as well. Check it out!

Band News, Review

Opus Zine Reviews ‘Flux Deluxe’ Digital LP

Jason Moore wrote a mostly positive review of the original Projekt Records release ‘Flux,’ back in 2000 (“Love Spirals Downwards have released an album that’s incredibly listenable and quite beautiful”), and now he’s back to cover the new ‘Deluxe Edition’ two plus decades later:

Lum has remastered and reissued Flux along with a number of bonus tracks, including outtakes, remixes, and live performances. Which is a perfect way to discover one of my favorite Projekt releases, an album that I often turn to when I need to chill out and bliss out at the same time.

—Opus Zine

Check out the full Opus Zine review of Love Spirals Downwards ‘Flux (Deluxe Edition).’

Band News, Review

Preview of Lovespirals’ New Album on MusicTap

MusicTap made a little write up about our very soon to be released album, Life Goes On.

Since 1992, the genesis of the current Lovespirals began a recording career as Love Spirals Downwards (Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry) with four exquisite recordings (Idylls – 1992, Ardor – 1994, Ever – 1996, Flux – 1998), all on Projekt Records. After a short hiatus, the band regathered with a new vocalist by the name of Anji Bee, and released four additional excellent sets (Windblown Kiss – 2002, Free & Easy – 2005, Long Way From Home – 2007, Future Past – 2010) as Lovespirals. After a long, long break from recording as a duo (Anji Bee released a solo album, Love Me Leave Me, back in 2013), the Lovespirals iteration will deliver their fifth album, Life Goes On, with a collection of ten new songs written by the pair. Having been a fan from the beginning, I’m excited for this new collection of music from Ryan and Anji.

— Matt Rowe

Head over to MusicTap to read the full article.

Review

Echoes Reviews Ornamental CD

John Diliberto of the nationally syndicated radio show Echoes has reviewed the new Projekt holiday compilation CD, Ornamental. Entitled “It’s Christmas. Projekt Gets Ornamental,” reads in part:

There are a lot of post-Cocteau Twins shoegazer ruminations on the album.  Autumn’s Grey Solace … Ashkelon Sain & the Dorian Fields… Unto Ashes… LoveSpirals, who had a couple of my favorite Excelsis songs, (“Welcome Christmas” in their Love Spirals Downwards edition and “Aspen Glow” as LoveSpirals) return with another evocative seasonal song, an original called “Happy Holidays” featuring Anji Bee, who sings it with sophisticated élan,  like she’s casting knowing glances over her shoulder against Ryan Lum’s chiming guitars.

I’ve been begging for musicians to create a different kind of seasonal music besides the rote rendering of the same 25 or so holiday chestnuts over-roasted on an open fire.  Projekt has been fulfilling that since 1995 with Excelsis.  Ornamental takes them in a slightly less gothic and doom-laden mode and makes it a likely pick for the best seasonal CD of 2012, if your tastes in seasonal music heads towards the abyss.

The review, featured in the Program Highlights section of the Echoes website, also includes one of our Future Past band portraits taken by Susan Jennings — a nice surprise!

You can pick up a copy of the 2-CD holiday collection, Ornamental, from Projekt Records.

Band News, Review

Gothic Beauty Reviews Future Past

To our great surprise, Gothic Beauty included a review of Lovespirals’ 2010 album, Future Past, in the latest issue of their 80 page glossy color magazine. Gothic Beauty Issue 33 is available now at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Hastings, Chapters, Walden Books, Book World, Sheltam Books and Copperfield’s Books – or directly via gothicbeauty.com. Reviewer Michael writes, in part:

“This album is designed for chill atmospheres. It reminds me of late nights at the bar and a jukebox loaded with good music. The song “Rain” is not to be missed — I’ve fallen in love with the song and want to have the song’s babies.”

Band News, Review

Re:Gen Mag Reviews Future Past

Re:Gen online magazine review of the latest Lovespirals album:

Ryan Lum and Anji Bee go big on their fourth full-length album, adding ‘70s blues and progressive rock elements to their chilled out soul-tinged electronica.

Their fourth album together is a step into a bigger sound for Ryan Lum and Anji Bee. The duo’s fascination for ‘70s soul and jazz is amplified in Lum’s production, with the Rhodes piano that gave 2007’s Long Way from Home so much of its signature warmth joined by lush, almost disco-tinged strings on the languid, smokey “Rain” and the laidback but funky “Water Under the Bridge.” The guitars are bigger too, the spaced out progressive instrumental “Meanwhile, Irreplaceable Time Flees” segueing into the wah-wah-laced soul of “Insignificant.” Bee’s voice is stronger, more mature, and more powerful this time around as well; Lum and Bee have a reputation for love songs, but “Feel So Good” and “Shine” are positively lusty, highlighting both Bee’s range and her sensuality. The real standout on this album, though, is “Home,” which is more reminiscent of earlier Lovespirals songs in its cozy romantic vibe but features the best singing the pair have ever recorded, with subtle multi-tracking enhancing an already impressive vocal showing.

Continue reading Re:Gen Mag Reviews Future Past →
Review

Hypnagogics ‘Flux’ Review

A retrospective look back at Love Spirals Downwards album, ‘Flux,’ appeared on the Hypnagogics blog. Unfortunately it includes an illegal download of the album, as well, when they could have simply added links to legal streaming files, but since they aren’t respecting our content rights, it seems fair for us to share theirs, in turn.

‘Flux’ Review by Autech

For a couple of years in the mid to late 90’s any movie trailer that you saw that had any sense of futuristic action featured a generic breakbeat track typically over some throaty unintelligible female vocals. For some reason, the drum and bass breakbeat became shorthand for futuristic action movies. Some of these films actually featured full soundtracks in the same vein, like The Matrix movies. The funny thing about all of this is D&B didn’t become the music of the future, and pretty much all of it sounds incredibly dated. Even current artists who produce within the genre have a hard time breaking out of the box that they got put in in the 80’s.

Continue reading Hypnagogics ‘Flux’ Review →
Review

Future Past Review on Music Tap

Matt Rowe has posted a glowing review of Lovespirals new album on Music Tap which reads:

Wow!

You only need one listen to the latest album from Lovespirals to realize that we’re enjoying a hyper-evolved band that has become a vastly superior duo since their last release by light-years.  For those that know Lovespirals, Future Past is their masterpiece work to date.  In addition, Lovespirals have broadened their appeal with music that bridges generations.

Utilizing a multitude of styles that not only revisit the pre-Lovespirals entity (Love Spirals Downward) with their “Love” track but also gives us several ’70s-era Pink Floyd-like tracks in the too short instrumental (but oh so wonderful) intro (“Meanwhile, Irreplaceable Time Flees,” a Wish You Were Here nod) to the following vocal track, “Insignificant”.  Both songs are extraordinary and lifts an already excellent album even higher.  Lum’s music on “Feel So Good,” especially his guitar-work, is a grand complement to the Anji Bee’s vocals heard on this cut.

Continue reading Future Past Review on Music Tap →
Review

Opus Zine Reviews Idylls

Jason Moore has posted a review of the original 1992 Projekt Records release of Idylls to his Opus Zine. The following is just an excerpt. Read the full review on the zine’s website.

Let’s get the obvious out of way: the Cocteau Twins are Idylls’ most obvious point of reference, particularly Treasure and Victorialand. Ryan Lum’s guitars create the same sort of jawdroppingly gorgeous soundscapes as those produced by Robin Guthrie, Suzanne Perry’s gorgeous voice echoes Elizabeth Fraser’s gossamery glossolalia, and beneath it all, there’s the cold, artificial thump of a drum machine (which serves only to highlight the music’s ethereal aspects).

Continue reading Opus Zine Reviews Idylls →