Check out the brand new Lovespirals recording of an original holiday song by Lovespirals vocalist/lyricist, Anji Bee, for the Projekt Records holiday music compilation, ‘Ornamental‘ — available on double CD or digital download. Love Spirals Downwards band founder, Ryan Lum, returns to his vintage Projekt-era roots with melancholic dream pop guitars and lovely female vocal harmonies. Stream it or download it from Bandcamp or check out the official upload on YouTube.
Tag Archives: Lovespirals
“Little Drummer Boy” Single Now Available
It’s been a dozen years since Love Spirals Downwards founder, Ryan Lum, created this ambient drum & bass rendition of the classic Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy,” but at long last, it is finally available for sale! Originally conceived and recorded in 1999 for the Projekt Records holiday music series, Excelsis, this recording has never been properly released. This was the last song that Suzanne Perry contributed vocals to, and it’s sound is very reminiscent of the band’s final album, ‘Flux.’ Like the 1999 Lovespirals song, “Beatitude,” it features jazzy Rhodes piano by guest musician, Gabriel D. Vine, of Monkey Bars.
Over the past decade, 2 versions of this cover song have been floating around the Internet under different titles; there’s the polished aforementioned vocal version, as well as an earlier demo mix which features vinyl vocal samples from a classic old-school Christmas record. This demo mix is stripped down, with more emphasis on Ryan’s funky live bassline, and less use of synth pads. Both versions are quite catchy and a fun addition to anyone’s holiday music library. Pick up the 2 track single for just $2 in the high quality digital audio format of your choice from the newly launched Lovespirals Bandcamp Store.
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.”
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
Ecstatic EP on Bandcamp & Streaming Services
At long last, the Ecstatic EP is available again! Recorded at the turn of the millennium –post-Flux, but pre-Temporal — this early Lovespirals release was once sold as an on-demand CDR, but has been unavailable since mp3.com went out of business. You can now find this classic drum n bass gem on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or our fave new service, Bandcamp.
Idylls & Ardor Reissue CDs on Sale at Projekt
Projekt is currently offering the recently remastered reissues of Love Spirals Downwards’s first two albums, Idylls and Ardor — as well as the debut Lovespirals album, Windblown Kiss — as part of their 3 for $20 sale. Also included in the list of 84 discounted CDs and other items is the Projekt 100 compilation containing “Kykeon (50 Years of Sunshine Mix)”, which is a rare remix not available on any of the band’s albums. A Dark Noel (in the Excelsis series) ~ 3 — featuring LSD’s shoegazery version of “Welcome Christmas” — is also a part of the sale. This track is also not available on any of the band’s albums. Now would be a great time to fill in your collection!
Back From Our San Francisco Trip
Once again, we had a blast with Karmacoda! It was an honor for Anji to share the stage with them for their epic remix of “Motherless Child,” and fun for Ryan to do a DJ set for the Harlot crowd. A few of the songs for the upcoming Anji Bee album were shared for the first time, which was exciting. Local friends came out to hang. Good times!
Love Remixes EP Out Now
The first single from Lovespirals’ fourth album, Future Past, to get the full remix treatment is “Love” – an atmospheric drum ‘n’ bass tune that recalls some of the duo’s earliest work together. A half dozen producers from different musical schools of thought set Anji Bee‘s poppy yet ethereal vocals to completely new musical scores. From angular drum ‘n’ bass, to lush downtempo, to atmospheric ambient music, this moody collection covers a lot of sonic ground. And Anji’s Chillcast listeners should be familiar with most — if not all — of the contributing producers which includes: Chill Factor-5, 7 Day Visa, Divasonic, Soul Whirling Somewhere, Xurba and Falling You (who, btw, created the only mix which contains Ryan Lum‘s original guitar solo.) Purchase the full EP or individual tracks friTunes, Amazon Mp3, CDbaby, eMusic, Rhapsody, or Bandcamp
3 Remix EPs Now on Bandcamp
Lovespirals are now offering more material on their new Bandcamp account, which allows users to purchase music in whichever digital format they prefer for an extremely low price. Fans can now pick up the duo’s first-ever set of remixes from contests held by Peace Love Productions in 200 and 2007, plus the 2007 “Motherless Child” set of remixes created by friends of the band Karmacoda, MoShang, Hungry Lucy, Chris Caulder of Beauty’s Confusion, and Drew Pluta formerly of Arcanta.
Bandcamp offers all releases in a variety of formats including 320k MP3, AAC, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and ALAC files. They also allow the buyer to choose their price, so if you think the suggested price is too modest, feel free to “tip” Lovespirals with an extra buck or two. Buy single tracks or full albums, the choice is yours over at lovespirals.bandcamp.com!
Thank you San Francisco!
We had a great time in San Francisco. Our show with Karmacoda went well and so many friends showed up to support us including Susan Jennings — who did all the photography for ‘Future Past‘ (as well as our debut album, ‘Windblown Kiss‘), plus musical friends, Ashleigh Niblock, John Zorko, Dru Allen, Eric Shied, and our old pal, Al Chang. I’m sure I’m forgetting folks… It was fun to perform in such an intimate setting with a relaxed atmosphere plus the lighting and decor were so cool. We went with an electric guitar and vocal combo, rather than acoustic, which added some dimension to our stripped down set. We’ll be sure to post some video to our YouTube channel. For now, here’s a few shots from the night sent to us by various folks.
