Love Spirals Downwards Biography

Love Spirals Downward (LSD for short) formed in Los Angeles in 1991 when guitarist, keyboardist, and composer Ryan Lum asked Suzanne Perry to record vocals over some music he had written. The positive results led to a recorded demo, and by late 1992, the duo released their first album, Idylls, on the ethereal Projekt label. Their debut maintained a strong Cocteau Twins vibe, but they differed from that group by virtue of Perry’s distinct vocal style and a dreamier, folksier sound that manifested itself on subsequent releases, each of which have shown LSD more strongly defining their personal style, slowly but gradually stripping away the processing and becoming more acoustically based. In fact, their sporadic North American shows have generally featured Lum on acoustic guitar and Perry singing. Ever shows them experimenting with modern electronica, also evidenced by an ethereal drum’n’bass tune performed at the 1997 Projekt Festival in Chicago. Flux followed in 1998. Throughout their career, the duo have maintained a strong following among the goth set, even though their audiences are far more varied than that. Ethereal folk is the best way to describe them, for they fit neither the image nor the dark mood of the gothic genre, although their occasional melancholic edge does explain the connection. By the new millennium, Lum started the Lovespirals project with singer/songwriter Anji Bee on vocals. Lovespirals issued Windblown Kiss in summer 2002. — by Bryan Reeseman, All Music Guide

The All Music Guide (AMG) biography of Love Spirals Downwards provides a general overview of the band’s history, tracing their evolution from their 1992 debut Idylls to their final studio album Flux (1998) and the later Lovespirals project. However, the biography makes several broad claims about the band’s stylistic shifts—some of which warrant closer examination. Does Ever really mark their first experiment with modern electronica? Did their sound truly move from heavy processing to a more acoustic-based approach? And is “ethereal folk” the best way to describe them? Let’s analyze their discography and documented history to find out.

Claim #1: Love Spirals Downwards “Slowly but Gradually Stripped Away the Processing” and Became More Acoustic-Based

This claim suggests that each subsequent album moved toward a more acoustic, natural sound—but this does not hold up when looking at the band’s catalog as a whole.

• Idylls (1992): The debut was heavily processed, with reverb-drenched guitars, shimmering delay effects, and a strong Cocteau Twins influence. While some tracks, like “And The Wood Comes Into Leaf” and “Love’s Labours Lost” had more medieval acoustic leanings, most of the album was soaked in dreamlike, layered production.
• Ardor (1994): This album introduced more shoegaze elements, particularly on songs like “Will You Fade” and “Sunset Bell”, but tracks like “Avincenna” and “Sidhe” retained their earlier medieval feel.
• Ever (1996): Rather than moving toward a fully stripped-down acoustic sound, Ever actually reintroduced electronic textures while still incorporating organic elements. Some songs, like “Ipomoea” and “Lieberflüsse,” feature delicate, unprocessed arrangements, but others, such as “Madras” and “Above the Lone,” lean into looping, sampling, and layered synths.
• Flux (1998): This album completely rejects the notion of becoming more acoustic, as it fully embraces drum & bass, ambient electronica, and downtempo beats.

Verdict: This claim is misleading. While some tracks on Ever have a more acoustic presence, the band’s overall trajectory actually led to more electronic experimentation, not less.

Claim #2: Ever Represents Their First Experimentation with Modern Electronica

While Ever did introduce drum loops, electronic layering, and sequencing, it was not the first time Love Spirals Downwards experimented with electronic textures.

• Ardor already contained electronic and ambient elements and beats. Songs like “Sidhe” featured heavily processed backwards vocals, while “Sunset Bell” incorporated atmospheric vocal loop washes and beats.
• Idylls even had hints of early electronica, with heavy drum machines and synthetic textures driving tracks like “Forgo” and “Scatter January”.
• “Madras” and “Promises” from Ever use loop-based production and manipulated vocal samples, but this was a natural continuation of prior sonic choices rather than a radical first experiment.

Moreover, Love Spirals Downwards performed a drum & bass track live in 1997 at the Projekt Festival in Chicago, indicating that the shift toward electronic music was already well underway before Flux was released.

Verdict: This claim is somewhat inaccurate. While Ever saw a greater emphasis on modern electronica, the band had already been experimenting with electronic elements prior to 1996.

Claim #3: Love Spirals Downwards Fit Best Under the Label of “Ethereal Folk”

The AMG biography describes the band’s core sound as “ethereal folk”, positioning them outside the gothic genredespite their melancholic edge. This is only partially accurate.

• Folk elements were indeed present, particularly on tracks like “Delta” (which drew inspiration from Mojave 3), “Sideways Forest” (inspired by Red House Painters), and “Ipomoea” (Ever’s most stripped-down acoustic piece).
• However, electronic dream-pop, shoegaze, and ambient music played an equally—if not more—significant role in shaping their sound. Ever includes tracks like “Madras” and “Above the Lone,” which have no folk influence at all but instead rely on synth textures, layered vocals, and programmed rhythms.
• Furthermore, Love Spirals Downwards’ place within the gothic/ethereal scene was significant. The band frequently played to audiences that overlapped with the goth, darkwave, and shoegaze scenes, and their music was regularly compared to bands like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, and Dead Can Dance.

The College Music Journal’s review of Ever even explicitly compared them to Mojave 3, stating that Love Spirals Downwards “effectively captured what Halstead and Goswell missed in their transition”, further linking the band to the ethereal/shoegaze/dream pop scene rather than strictly folk.

Verdict: This claim is an oversimplification. While folk played a role in their sound, ethereal dream-pop, shoegaze, and ambient electronica were just as—if not more—important.

Claim #4: The Band’s Audience Was More Varied Than Just the Goth Scene

This is one of the most accurate points in the biography. While Love Spirals Downwards were embraced by the goth scene, their fanbase extended beyond it, drawing in shoegaze, dreampop, and ambient music listeners.

• They covered Slowdive and Mojave 3 songs live, performing “Visions of L.A.” in Seattle (1995), “Mercy” in Mexico City (1996), and “Candle Song” on a nationally syndicated Echoes radio broadcast—suggesting their overlap with the 4AD and dreampop audience.
• Their placement on the iTunes Essentials Shoegaze and Beyond playlist (2006) alongside Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and Lush further reinforced this cross-genre appeal.
• The Onion AV Club and Pitchfork both recognized their ethereal elements, rather than slotting them strictly into gothic music categories.

Verdict: This claim is true. While they had a strong goth following, their audience was indeed much broader, incorporating shoegaze, dreampop, and ambient listeners.

Final Assessment of the All Music Guide Biography

Correct Assessments:

✅ Love Spirals Downwards formed in 1991, debuted in 1992 with Idylls, and maintained a strong following among gothic/ethereal music fans.
✅ Their audience extended beyond the goth scene, appealing to shoegaze and ambient listeners.
✅ Ever features electronic experimentation, leading into the fully electronic direction of Flux.

Incorrect or Misleading Claims:

❌ The band did not become progressively more acoustic-based—Ever and Flux show an increase, not decrease, in electronic elements.
❌ Ever was not their first electronic experiment—previous albums already contained synthesized and programmed elements.
❌ Describing them as simply “ethereal folk” ignores their electronic, ambient, and shoegaze influences.

Conclusion: A More Accurate Biography?

If we were to refine the All Music Guide biography to better reflect Love Spirals Downwards’ actual sonic evolution, it might read:

“Love Spirals Downwards formed in Los Angeles in 1991, blending elements of dream pop, ambient electronica, and ethereal folk. Their debut album, Idylls (1992), introduced a lush, reverb-heavy aesthetic akin to the Cocteau Twins, with medieval folk elements while Ardor (1994) brought in more shoegaze influences while moving away from gothic overtones. Ever(1996) bridged acoustic textures with electronic loops and sampling, foreshadowing their final studio album, Flux (1998), which fully embraced drum & bass and downtempo rhythms. Throughout their career, the duo cultivated a broad fanbase, attracting gothic, shoegaze, and ambient listeners alike.”

This more accurately reflects their evolution from Idylls to Flux and beyond, acknowledging their cross-genre appeal and electronic experimentation while moving beyond the oversimplified “ethereal folk” label.

Assisted by Copywriter GPT

See also ‘Love Spirals Downwards: Cocteau Twins Clone?’ article