All posts by ryan

Stratosphere Fanzine Interview

Interview by Jen Stratosphere

JEN: Do you consider Lovespirals to be a continuation of Love Spirals Downwards or is it a totally separate creation?

RYAN: It’s a new band for sure. But on the other hand, I’m just doing my thing: making music. I never sat down and decided to make music in a way that wasn’t natural for me. I’m just doing what I’ve always done; making music that moves me, something that challenges me to grow musically, and something I’d want to listen to when it’s all done. With each album, I think I’ve been sucessful in being genre-less. That’s something I’ve pretty much always wanted to do; not be confined by the restrictions of making music that a certain kind of genre or following expects. I’m a free musical soul and I’ve always aimed at following my musical bliss. So older fans that got that from my music should still be just as pleased, if not more so, with Lovespirals. But if you liked my older music because you were a fan of the record label and their narrow genre and style, then you probably never really got what my music was about and won’t necessarily be into Lovespirals.

ANJI: This is a complicated question. You can look at it in different ways. Sam Rosenthal said that Lovespirals are to Love Spirals Downwards what Jefferson Starship are to Jefferson Airplane, or Pink Floyd are to The Pink Floyd Sound. In each case, a band member left and the name was shortened. Is it still the same band? Then again, Love Spirals Downwards were never really a band, per se, but a recording project headed up by Ryan. Of course, we don’t perform his old songs live, which fans would probably expect if they thought of us as being the “continuation of Love Spirals Downwards.”

Continue reading Stratosphere Fanzine Interview

Melodyguild on Projekt’s ‘Holiday Single 2’

Projekt just released a limited edition Maxi CD in their popular Excelsis series entitled ‘Holiday Single 2.’ Here’s what it posted on the Projekt website:

Limited edition of 1000! The companion to Holiday Single 1 presents more splendid music to get you in the winter mood! It features the recording debut of melodyguild, the new band from former Love Spirals Downwards vocalist Suzanne Perry (doing a cover of “Sally’s Song” from The Nightmare Before Christmas), another beautifully chilling original from Projekt’s own Unto Ashes, and an original song from Middle Pillar Presents recording artist The Mirror Reveals. Packaged in an environmentally friendly 5″ cardboard wallet. Cover Photo by Vaclav Jirasek (website). 

projekt.com

Check out Holiday Single 2 on Projekt

Quick News Update!

We’ve nearly completed our next album, tentatively titled “Free & Easy.” So far we have 9 tracks recorded and mixed, totalling 48 minutes. You can hear mp3 clips on our newly updated audio page.

Our prior album, “Windblown Kiss,” is now available through iTunes. You can also buy a cut-out copy from us via CDBaby for the bargain price of just $8.99. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lovespirals

Last.fm is now offering a 192kbps mp3 download of our out-of-print “Ecstatic EP.” The 6 track EP is a whopping 40 minutes long. http://www.last.fm/music/Lovespirals

Anji contributed vocals and lyrics for 2 songs (“Smoke” & “Love Me, Leave Me”) on the brand new Bitstream Dream CD, “Integration.” http://www.bitstreamdream.com

I’ve been contacting local musicians to put together a live band for future Lovespirals gigs. This should be an exciting new development for the promotion of the next album!

Lovespirals on Precipice Vol. 2

Pat Ogle has released the second volume of his new zine/CD series. Guest List: Precipice Vol. 2 features Lovespirals’ song “Love Survives,” alongside “rare, one of a kind unreleased, and out-take tracks” from Darling Kandie, Angela Bowie-Barnett, Thanatos, Buzz McCoy, Grove Mann, illegalteenagebikini, Queen Mary, mmnpltr, X-VoreteX, Dendron, Chris Connelly with William Tucker, Numb Ones, Prime Rib, Nikekka RPM, and Cinematik.

“Psyche” #1 on CNET’s Download.com

CNET’s brand new Music.Download.com site has posted the Top 50 Downloaded Songs for Week 2 on their forum, and it turns out that “Psyche,” from Flux, is #1! This 1998 track featuring the vocals and lyrics of Suzanne’s sister, Kristen Perry, has already had over 4,000 downloads from May 3rd to May 9th – not too shabby! LSD is featured on the site’s front page with this editor’s review:

Have a hit of Love Spirals Downwards, which otherwise goes by LSD. Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry make music that will set your mind drifting, inspired by such beautiful dreamers as the Cocteau Twins and Mojave 3. The difference is that this duo drops drowsy beats over their acoustic guitars.

Check out our page at music.download.com/lovespiralsdownwards!

Editor’s Pick on CNET’s Download.com

Lovespirals have joined CNET’s new music.download.com. The band is currently featured as the editor’s pick for 5/6/2004, highlighting “Love Survives” with the following editorial commentary:

The smooth grooves conjure comparisons to Portishead and Everything But the Girl. Combining jazzy torch-song vocal stylings with modern trip-hop sounds and rhythms, Lovespirals craft an infectious and exotic down-tempo sound that you might hear playing in an upscale New York club or Parisian underground lounge. 

Melodyguild EP Update

Suzanne’s band, Melodyguild, posted an update on their official website today:

Regarding the E.P. that you’ve all been waiting for….believe it or not, we are still hard at work in the studio. We are hoping we can post some music soon, but we haven’t decided yet what to post or when. We promise we will make a decision soon as we know you are all waiting!

– melodyguild.com