Ever (1996), the third album by Love Spirals Downwards, is a pivotal work that balances acoustic intimacy, ambient textures, and exploratory electronic elements. Described by the All Music Guide as a record where the band “finds a good balance between a more acoustic sound and modern electronica,” the album showcases radiant synth washes, rippling electric guitar, and dance grooves alongside folksier, contemplative moments. Suzanne Perry’s dreamlike, ethereal vocal delivery shines across the album, as she “sings and coos dreamily,” adding a timeless warmth to Ryan Lum’s inventive production techniques.
Similarly, Amazon Editorial reviewer Steve Landau praised Ever as “a languid, atmospheric, but unfussy affair,” blending Perry’s airy vocals with Lum’s echoing electric and calming acoustic guitars. Tracks like “Delta” evoke the dreamy atmospheres of the Cocteau Twins’ Blue Bell Knoll, while the album subtly incorporates denser mixing and light electronic percussion. These elements mark a departure from the more spare 8-track arrangements of Idylls (1992) and Ardor (1994), offering a glimpse into the band’s growing embrace of electronic innovation.
Ever stands as a transitional yet cohesive work, foreshadowing the confident electronic stylings and drum & bass rhythms that would later define Flux(1998). By forging new paths while maintaining their signature dreamlike charm, Love Spirals Downwards created an album that defied categorization and hinted at the band’s evolving creative vision.
Musical Inspirations and Technical Innovations
Ever finds the duo blending acoustic folk textures with ambient electronic grooves in ways that pushed the boundaries of their earlier sound. This shift was shaped not only by Ryan Lum’s changing musical inspirations but also by his growing expertise with innovative recording techniques and equipment, such as samplers, which deeply influenced his songwriting process.
Reflecting on Ever’s stylistic transformation, Lum noted in Acoustic Guitar (1997):
“One thing I like about our new album is that it’s almost impossible to categorize it with any of the conventional musical categories. There are really folky songs, really electronic ambient dance songs, and then these weird, loopy psychedelic songs. I think it all works together really well.”
The looser, exploratory structure of Ever was partially inspired by contemporaries like Seefeel, Mojave 3, and Perfume Tree, whose seamless blending of organic and electronic sounds resonated with Lum’s creative vision. Slowdive, in particular, was an enduring influence; their transition from dream pop to more experimental soundscapes validated Lum’s desire to step beyond the confines of genre. In a 1996 Daily Freeman interview, Lum described how his songwriting process often began in the studio:
“We’ve got our own home recording studio. We’ve had it for years and have just been growing and expanding it. In fact, the way we write, we have to do it at home. I’ll have some rough sounds or ideas and I’ll record them down on tape or into the sampler, and from there I’ll start getting more ideas. It will build from what I previously recorded.”
The use of a sampler, in particular, opened up new compositional possibilities for Lum, allowing him to layer sounds, loop melodies, and experiment with textural contrasts in real-time. This technique can be heard in the looping, almost hypnotic arrangements of tracks like “Sideways Forest.” Lum credited his experimentation with alternate tunings, inspired by Red House Painters’ Songs for a Blue Guitar, as a direct influence:
“‘Sideways Forest’ is in a weird tuning which I learned from seeing the set list of a Red House Painters show on the Internet. I saw one that looked interesting and I tried it, and that’s how ‘Sideways Forest’ came about.”
This willingness to experiment extended to the live setting as well, as Lum revealed in a 1997 KUCI radio interview:
“I have been thinking about fusion of influences, doing half of our set all acoustic and the other half bringing more electronic stuff out, samplers, and seeing how that goes. More groovy, dancey stuff along with our acoustic folk.”
Ever represents a unique confluence of inspiration and innovation, marrying the acoustic beauty of Love Spirals Downwards’ earlier work with a newfound embrace of electronic production. The result was an album that, as Lum observed, defied categorization while offering a glimpse into the creative potential of combining traditional songwriting with cutting-edge studio technology.
Lyrical Themes: Nature, Longing, and the Flow of Time
Suzanne Perry’s lyrics on Ever delve into themes of time, memory, emotional longing, and the ephemeral nature of human connections. Her words often evoke powerful imagery of landscapes, water, and emotional loss, blending these elements into the dreamlike atmosphere of the album. Perry has described her approach to lyricism as deeply instinctive, driven more by sound and feeling than traditional storytelling. In a 1997 KUCI radio interview, she explained:
“The lyrics in my songs have nothing to do with writers or poetry or any of that stuff, except for stuff that subconsciously influences me.”
Ryan Lum expanded on this:
“It’s spontaneous prose. She makes words and sounds and uses them to enhance the feeling of the music. Asking her to write a real story or poetry would be almost a foreign concept to her.”
This improvisational, sound-driven method is central to the album’s abstract, dreamlike quality. Yet, within Perry’s lyrical fragments and fluid phrasings, recurring themes of impermanence, transformation, and emotional introspection emerge, tying the vocal-driven songs together in a cohesive and evocative narrative.
“El Pedregal” – The Sea as Time and Loss
Opening the album, “El Pedregal” blends acoustic guitar with swirling synths, Manchester-inspired drumbeats, and a soaring ebow guitar solo. The title, which translates to “The Rocky Place” in Spanish, evokes a stark, natural setting. Perry’s lyrics use the sea as a metaphor for time and emotional distance:
Still I wait by this cold sea / As time rolling over me / Promised I’d never be / Took this truth away from me
The imagery of the sea, paired with the song’s expansive production, creates a soundscape that feels both timeless and intimate, reflecting the tension between permanence and human impermanence.
“Sideways Forest” – Bridging Simplicity and Experimentation
The sole single from Ever, “Sideways Forest,” was inspired by the band’s live performances, where they experimented with a stripped-down acoustic sound. Projekt described the single as:
“A distillation of their sumptuous sound… featuring simple, flowing guitar melodies and a lone, singular voice, beckoning listeners to embellish the sound in their own minds.”
Perry’s lyrics mirror the song’s delicate arrangement, reflecting impermanence and transformation:
This is the time when water stops / History dies with you / Like rings of trees in sideways forest / Forgetting
The single’s sparse arrangement focuses on Perry’s plaintive vocals, while the accompanying “Quantum Remix” reimagines the song in a loop-based electronica style. This duality highlights the band’s ability to navigate both acoustic simplicity and experimental electronic textures.
“Delta” – Drifting in Emotional Dissolution
Contrasting its bright, Americana-infused arrangement, the river imagery in “Delta” conveys a sense of emotional drift and dissolution:
Stretch, stretching / Far beyond this delta between we / Dive, diving / Deep beneath the surface suddenly
The aquatic metaphors suggest the fading of connection, while Lum’s backing vocals create a dynamic interplay reminiscent of Mojave 3’s male-female harmonies. Lum himself cited Mojave 3’s Ask Me Tomorrow as a key influence on Ever, even performing Mojave 3’s “Mercy” and “Candle Song” in 1996 alongside Perry. These elements ground “Delta” in a broader conversation with contemporary dream pop, reflecting Lum’s admiration for the genre.
“Lieberflüsse” – A Language of Sound and Heritage
Blending German and French, the title “Lieberflüsse” loosely translates to “Love Rivers” or “Beloved Rivers.” Perry’s abstract, multilingual lyrics echo the album’s themes of constant motion and transformation:
Stil nicht, nebella glantze (“Be still, nebula’s shine”)
Flese flese lieberflüsse (“Flow, flow beloved rivers”)
The blending of natural imagery and celestial references, such as rivers and nebulae, enhances the song’s sense of timelessness. As with much of Perry’s work, her words lean toward impressionism, using phonetic invention to evoke mood over concrete meaning. The dulcimer solo in “Lieberflüsse” further connects the track to the medieval influences of Idylls, adding a cross-cultural dimension to its sound.
“Last Classic” – Memory and Melancholy
“Last Classic” stands as one of the album’s most somber and introspective songs. Its melancholic mood is reinforced by Perry’s lyrics, which reflect on the passage of time and the fading of memory:
These times I can’t forget / These songs, the charms / For now I can forget / It’s then, not now
The song’s minor-key composition and Perry’s wistful delivery capture the pain of letting go while clinging to the echoes of what once was. Lum’s arrangement, understated yet evocative, enhances the song’s introspective tone, making it a haunting centerpiece of the album.
Instrumental Elegance and Vocal Abstraction
Ever is often celebrated for Suzanne Perry’s ethereal vocals and poignant lyrics, but the album’s instrumental tracks and experimental vocal manipulations are equally vital in shaping its ambient and introspective tone. These pieces blur the boundaries between songwriting and sonic exploration, using layered textures, electronic techniques, and evocative melodies to immerse listeners in moods that feel deeply personal yet mysteriously abstract.
The juxtaposition of vocal-driven abstraction and instrumental journeys showcases Ever’s ability to explore themes of transience, nature, and the interplay between acoustic and electronic soundscapes. Together, these tracks create an expansive, meditative atmosphere, moving seamlessly between introspection and dynamic expression.
“Above the Lone” – Abstraction and Mystery
Closing the album, “Above the Lone” is one of Ever’s most dynamically structured pieces, blending swirling synths, a driving bassline, layered drum beats, and soaring ebow guitar leads. Its enigmatic vocal roundelay—phrases like “into above the lone” layered with “hold onto” and “it just slips away underground”—creates a hypnotic effect, even as much of the meaning remains elusive.
The rising and falling syllables, paired with the track’s ebbing rhythm, mirror the flow of waves, reinforcing the album’s recurring theme of impermanence and natural cycles. Its evocative abstraction invites listeners to interpret the song as a reflection on mystery, solitude, and the unseen forces that shape our lives, perfectly encapsulating Ever’s ability to balance emotion with ambiguity.
“Madras” and “Promises” – Electronic Exploration
The album’s electronic heart shines through in tracks like “Madras” and “Promises,” where Lum delves deeper into loop-based production and vocal sampling.
- “Madras” builds on swirling synthesizers and layered samples of Perry’s vocals, repurposed from Depression Glass recordings, specifically her intonation of “Promises of love and light.” The track’s atmospheric manipulation shows clear influence from Seefeel, combining melody and abstraction into a textured, immersive soundscape. In 2006, “Madras” was highlighted in the iTunes Essentials: Shoegaze and Beyond playlist, placing it alongside genre-defining tracks by Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and Lush.
- Meanwhile, “Promises” experiments with forward and backward loops of the titular word, layered over a simple acoustic guitar melody and keyboards. The interplay of repetition and delay creates a hypnotic, dreamlike atmosphere reminiscent of Slowdive’s “Miranda”, blending minimalism and melodic depth with its looping repetition of the titular word amplifying its poignancy.
Instrumental Journeys: From Dawn’s Mist to Cosmic Serenity
Nearly half of Ever consists of instrumental tracks, which emphasize the album’s ambient and introspective character. These pieces act as meditative interludes, enriching the album’s emotional resonance and further exploring its themes of transience, natural beauty, and spiritual reflection.
Bikini Magazine aptly described these tracks:
“Even the half dozen instrumentals not graced by Perry’s remarkable voice deliver delicate foreboding allure, like mist at dawn’s break. This proves itself to be rather affecting mood music.”
- “Ipomoea” is the album’s most stripped-down offering, featuring only acoustic guitar. Named after a plant whose seeds are said to have psychoactive properties akin to LSD, the track evokes pastoral stillness and a sense of quiet reflection. Its connection to nature ties it thematically to the organic imagery found throughout the album.
- “Cay at Dawn” conjures a serene, otherworldly atmosphere. The title’s reference to a small, low-lying island surrounded by water reinforces the album’s recurring focus on isolation and transformation, while its shimmering melodies capture the delicate transition from night to day.
- “Ananda” takes its title from the Sanskrit word for “bliss” or “divine joy,” evoking a sense of spiritual transcendence. The track’s layered instrumentation and cosmic ambiance suggest a journey beyond the physical, into realms of acceptance and peace, aligning with the album’s contemplative tone.
These instrumentals lead effortlessly into the climactic final track, “Above the Lone,” where abstraction and melody intertwine. Together, the instrumentals and vocal abstractions create a sonic landscape that invites listeners to explore the interplay between sound, emotion, and meaning.
Bringing Ever to the Stage: Love Spirals Downwards Live 1996-1997
Following their belated debut in support of Ardor, Love Spirals Downwards continued performing selectively during the Ever era, refining their live approach while gradually incorporating electronic elements. Their 1996 appearances built upon their initial foray into the stage, culminating in a landmark performance at Projekt Festival 1996 (June 25, The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL). Months ahead of Ever’s October release, they debuted “Lieberflüsse” and “Above the Lone”, offering audiences an early glimpse of the album’s evolving sound. These tracks would also be performed during an intimate live session at KUCI 88.9 (November 1996, Irvine, CA) and featured in their Echoes Living Room Concert (November 14, 1996, broadcast December 13, 1996), further expanding their reach into the ambient and ethereal music scene.
After nearly a year’s break, the band returned to the stage in June 1997 for a small local show at Dizzy Debby’s in Los Angeles with Claire Voyant and Mine, two fellow ethereal acts. However, the most significant live appearances of the Ever era came during Projekt Festival 1997, where the band took their boldest steps yet into a more electronic direction.
ProjektFest 1997: An Experiment in Sound
Held at The Vic Theatre in Chicago on August 1-2, 1997, ProjektFest ’97 saw Love Spirals Downwards further embrace electronic elements on stage. Their set blended both acoustic and electronica songs, debuting “Sideways Forest” (Quantum Remix) from the Sideways Forest single and “By Your Side” and “Sound of Waves” from their upcoming album Flux. An Ephemera review noted the contrast between their established acoustic style and the newer electronic sound:
“Love Spirals Downwards usually plays a mellower type of acoustic rock, most easily compared to the Cranes. Tonight, they would debut a new style with more of an electronic feel. The electronic songs brought them up to comparisons with Portishead or Lamb and still sounded a bit rough around the edges, but eventually those gave way to the acoustic guitar style most are used to hearing from these two.“
Despite the experimentation, the show remained intimate and at times unpredictable. A Morbid Outlook review noted Suzanne Perry’s nervous stage presence, her humorous attempts to engage the crowd—including a song called “The Pickle Man”—and her frustration with audience chatter, which Ryan Lum later addressed in a blog post, lamenting the “rude loud motherfuckers” who disrupted the more delicate performances.
After an in-store performance at Borders in Chicago (August 2, 1997) and a follow-up Projekt Festival appearance in Mexico City (August 16, 1997, Cine Bella Época) with Lycia and Arcanta, the band scaled back their live presence. Their shift toward a more electronic sound on Flux made traditional live translation more difficult, and Perry’s well-documented stage anxiety made extensive touring unlikely. However, their Ever-era performances demonstrated their willingness to experiment, offering fans a unique glimpse into their evolving artistic vision—one that balanced the delicate intimacy of their acoustic roots with the hypnotic potential of electronic soundscapes.
Critical Reception and Legacy
Upon release, Ever was widely praised for its ethereal beauty and genre-blending approach:
- College Music Journal — ”An achingly beautiful, enchanting maelstrom of emotion that fuses honey-dripped vocals, delicate guitars and electronic backdrops of sedate, swirling synthesizers, effectively capturing what Halstead and Goswell missed in their transition.”
- The Onion AV Club — “Suzanne Perry has one of those high, hypnotic voices that swoop and soar dramatically, and it’s awfully pretty to listen to. Ever [is] a nice, airy surprise, recalling many of the best things about a lot of dead-and-gone bands.“
- Bikini Magazine — “Sailing on a gossamer sheen, swaying like a leaf lightly transversing the airwaves, Love Spirals Downwards unleashes achingly sweet melodies . . . tucked in a bed of soft ambient atmospherics and bittersweet acoustic strumming.”
Compilation Appearances:
- Beneath the Icy Floe Vol. 4 Projekt Records (1996)
- Beneath the Icy Floe Vol. 5 Projekt Records (1997)
- Splashed With Many a Speck Dewdrops Records (1997)
- Life is Too Short for Boring Music Vol. 11 EFA (1997)
- Indie Gestion: AP 12 Alternative Press (1997)
In 2020, Lum released a completely remastered digital version of Ever expanded to nearly twice the length of the original album. This followed upon the expanded digital reissue of the Sideways Forest single in 2017.
Conclusion:
Ever stands as a defining moment in Love Spirals Downwards’ evolution, showcasing their ability to blend acoustic folk, ethereal dream pop, and electronic exploration into a cohesive yet genre-defying work. The album’s thematic arc—from the natural landscapes of “El Pedregal” and “Delta” to the meditative introspection of “Ipomoea” and the cosmic transcendence of “Ananda”—offers a rich narrative about time, impermanence, and emotional longing.
Critics and fans alike praised Ever for its ability to push sonic boundaries while maintaining the band’s signature dreamlike charm. With tracks like the swirling, loop-driven “Madras” and the haunting, dynamic closer “Above the Lone,” the album bridged the organic and the experimental, paving the way for the fully electronic turn of Flux. Decades later, Ever remains a testament to the power of creative reinvention, its lush soundscapes and evocative themes continuing to resonate with listeners across genres and generations.
By weaving together lyrical abstraction, sonic innovation, and timeless emotional depth, Love Spirals Downwards created an album that transcends its era, cementing Ever as a landmark in the ethereal and dream pop canon.