The Evolution of Electro-Acoustic Pop: A New Chapter
Some albums are a snapshot in time; others are a statement of artistic growth. With Free & Easy, Lovespirals didn’t just refine their sound, they redefined it. Seamlessly blending electronic beats with live instrumentation, their sophomore album marked a confident expansion into “Electro-Acoustic Pop,” where jazz, house, and downtempo fused into a sound that was lush, sensual, and effortlessly cool.
Following the ethereal jazz-infused Projekt Records debut album, Windblown Kiss (2002) and the independently released drum ’n’ bass-focused Ecstatic EP (2001), Ryan Lum and Anji Bee fully embraced a genre-fluid approach, weaving together organic textures with deep grooves. The result was an album as emotionally rich as it was musically diverse.
Released on their own label, Chillcuts, Free & Easy was available as a CD through US distributors Metropolis and Projekt Darkwave, with Monitor handling Hong Kong distribution and Noise Kontrol covering Mexico. This ensured that, while the band was embracing new digital platforms, they were also reaching traditional physical markets.
On the podcast, Sonic Spotlight (2006), Lum spoke to the benefits of releasing music independently over going with a traditional label:
“Now we can do whatever we want musically, artistically without anyone expecting you to do the same thing for the rest of your life.”
A Musical Fusion: Electronic Roots & Organic Sounds
Where Windblown Kiss leaned heavily on organic sounds and more traditional songwriting, Free & Easy saw Lovespirals further embracing their electronic origins. Each track on the album showcases the duo’s versatility, offering listeners a broad range of musical flavors.
- “Free and Easy” — The title track opens the album with a laid-back, downtempo groove reminiscent of Morcheeba, enriched by old-school R&B touches, melodious Rhodes piano, and funky wah guitar. The lyrics celebrate self-discovery and emotional strength: “Learning to trust myself / Ain’t a bad place to start.”
- “Hand in Hand” — Originally recorded as a Jazz-Step drum and bass track in 1999, this song was reimagined with a relaxed liquid funk vibe, delicate vocal harmonies, jazzy acoustic and electric guitars, with a smattering of Doron Orenstein’s saxophone adding to the jazzy ambiance. The lyrics convey unity and partnership: “Face to face / Heart to heart / Hand in hand.”
- “Deep in My Soul” — The album’s funkiest moment, this upbeat deep house track features soulful vocals, a driving beat, and a soaring Hammond organ finale, exuding pure dance floor energy. The lyrics reflect the healing power of love: “I’m never alone / ‘Cause I’ve got you deep in my soul.”
- “Walk Away” — A downtempo gem, featuring Lum’s funky wah guitar and electric piano, perfectly framing Bee’s bluesy vocal harmonies. The introspective lyrics address vulnerability and emotional self-preservation: “Maybe I’m acting scared / See, I’ve been hurt before.”
- “Habitual” — With its sparse, hushed arrangement, this track slows the pace, recalling classic late-’60s and early-’70s rock inspirations. The lyrics delve into emotional stagnation and relationship malaise: “Tragedy or comedy / Pseudo-drama you and me / And what of the end: Habitual”
- “Trouble” — Taking inspiration from Orenstein’s house duo, Toof!, this smooth, jazzy house track is built around his catchy sax riff, demonstrating the band’s deep house sensibilities. The playful yet guarded lyrics warn against deceptive charm: “I’m old enough to know better now / You’re trouble.”
- “Abide” — Elegant acoustic guitar and piano arrangements conjure smooth jazz vibes, tying the album back to the jazzy side of Windblown Kiss. The reflective lyrics explore life’s constants and changes: “Some things abide / While others pass away.”
- “Love Survives” – A bittersweet trip hop gem—reminiscent of Olive or early Massive Attack—built around organic drums and electric piano, with a driving bass groove, funky guitar, and emotive vocal melodies. Its hopeful lyrics convey resilience and love’s endurance: “Even though it’s eating me alive, I still smile.”
- “Sandcastles” — Closing the album, this dramatic gospel-style composition builds to a stunning crescendo with layered choral vocals and handclaps, showing Lovespirals’ ability to turn a simple idea into a grand, genre-crossing statement. The uplifting lyrics emphasize living life fully: “We’ll build sandcastles in the sky / Never question how or why.”
Guest Artists and Collaborations on Free & Easy
Free & Easy showcases the talents of several guest artists who added depth and character to Lovespirals’ evolving sound:
- Doron Orenstein (Saxophone): Orenstein’s contributions date back to a 1999 recording session in Ryan Lum’s studio, along with his musical partner, Gabriel D. Vine. Orenstein’s saxophone improvisations were sampled and arranged into the tracks “Hand in Hand: and “Trouble,” lending a sultry, late-night jazz ambiance.
- James Moran (Drums): Lum had worked with Moran’s band Closedown in 1994 and the two had remained friends. Moran gifted Lum the recording of him playing drums that became the foundation for the 1998 demo that became “Love Survives.” A computer crash erased the initial project files, but Lum later recovered Moran’s drum recordings to rebuild the final version of the track for Free & Easy.
- Gabriel D. Vine (Rhodes Piano): Vine’s soulful electric piano playing was captured during the same 1999 recording session with Orenstein, when the jazz house duo were invited into Lum’s studio. Vine’s vintage Rhodes piano sound added warmth and texture to “Love Survives.” His performance, along with Moran’s drumming, formed the foundation of the track’s rich, layered arrangement.
These guest spots played a vital role in shaping Lovespirals’ dynamic, electro-acoustic soundscape on Free & Easy.
Embracing the Digital Future: Playlists, Podcasts & Online Radio
While Free & Easy was a fully distributed CD release, Lovespirals also recognized the growing influence of digital music and podcasting.
Anji Bee’s entrance into the band coincided with the digital music revolution, and from the very beginning, she helped position Lovespirals as pioneers in online music promotion. . Starting with an account on mp3.com in late 1999, Bee curated a popular playlist, The Lovely Ladies of Electronica, featuring Lovespirals alongside bands of a similar vein. The show expanded to streaming radio format on live365.com, featuring indie music from sites including mp3.com, BeSonic, SoundClick, and Garageband — where Lovespirals music could also be found.
When Garageband added a podcast feature in 2005, Bee immediately embraced the new format, rebranding her Lovely Ladies show to Chillcuts Chillcast to better align with the branding of the new music label she was launching, Chillcuts. Soon after, the duo launched one of the first-ever band podcasts, Chillin’ with Lovespirals. Through this podcast, Ryan Lum and Anji Bee shared insights into their creative process, discussed album tracks, and premiered new music. The podcast became an essential part of their promotional strategy, helping them stay conneced with a global audience.
Lovespirals’ forward-thinking digital strategy led them to join the Podsafe Music Network, a site founded by former MTV VJ Adam Curry to connect independent musicians with podcasters. In October 2005, Curry featured Lovespirals’ “Walk Away (Bitstream Dream Remix)” on his Daily Source Code podcast (#261). The remix quickly climbed to the No. 2 spot on the Podsafe Music Network’s Downtempo chart, just behind Lovespirals’ own track “Love Survives.” This exposure propelled the band into the forefront of the podsafe music movement, marking them as early adopters of digital distribution and podcasting as promotional tools.
The momentum continued as Bee was offered a contract with Curry’s new venture, PodShow, where she rebranded her music podcast as The Chillcast with Anji Bee. The show became an instant hit, and Bee was dubbed “The Sexiest Voice in Podcasting.” Both The Chillcast and Chillin’ with Lovespirals gained loyal followings on PodShow and the newly launched iTunes podcast subscription service, helping the duo build a global audience long before the podcasting boom of the late 2000s.
“Love Survives” The Fan Favorite That Spanned Two Eras
Some songs define an album. Others transcend it. “Love Survives” is one of those rare tracks that bridges two eras of Lovespirals’ evolution.
Originally composed in 1998, “Love Survives” was one of the first instrumental demos Ryan Lum ever shared with Anji Bee. Their earliest version surfaced in 2001 on mp3.com, at a time when the band was still credited as Love Spirals Downwards.
Bee later revealed in a 2003 interview with Reflektionen that they deliberately left “Love Survives” off of Windblown Kiss due to the differences in genre:
“I guess sometimes I wish we hadn’t decided to not include songs like “˜Love Survives” and “Sandcastles” on [Windblown Kiss], because it would have shown that we’e still working in electronic styles.”
After a computer crash destroyed the original recording project, the duo rebuilt the song from the ground up, using the original recordings of drummer, James Moran, and Rhodes piano performance by Gabriel D. Vine, located on archival CDRs. The version included on Free and Easy, though similar to the original, had a number of revisions, as Bee explained in 2003 blog post:
“The new version of “Love Survives” is nearly complete, and it’s actually grown quite a bit from the old version. I love the new ideas I came up with for the chorus, and Ryan’s new bridge instrumentation! It’s much funkier and light hearted this time around.”
“Love Survives” won Track of the Day and Track of Week twice each on Garageband, as well as numerous listener-based awards for Best Female Vocals in Electronica. It also held the #1 spot on the “Most Played” chart for Downtempo on the Podsafe Music Network for many years, proving its staying power in the burgeoning digital music era.
“Hand in Hand” : A Timeless Gem with Deep Roots
Like “Love Survives,” “Hand in Hand” was another song that evolved through multiple iterations before finding its final home on Free & Easy. Originally conceived in 1999 as a Jazz-Step drum & bass track, the first version of the song was pressed to acetate for Lum’s DJ sets and later featured on the 2001 Ecstatic EP.
By 2005, Lovespirals had reworked the track to better fit the fluid, electro-acoustic vibe of Free & Easy. Slowing the tempo to a relaxed liquid funk groove, the updated version featured a rich, layered arrangement of acoustic and electric guitars and newly recorded vocal harmonies utilizing the full lyrics Bee had penned back in 1999. Doron Orenstein’s saxophone added a jazzy flourish in key spots.
On a 2006 Atmosphere69 radio feature, Anji explained:
“Hand In Hand” is also song that’s followed us throughout our career. When we first started recording in 1999, Ryan was a drum ’n bass DJ so we were recording these long songs that he’d burn to acetate for his sets. So he had this drum n bass song and he recorded me singing, then just selected some parts to use, like “here were are hand in hand” and the “da da da da da…” part — but there was more lyrics! So we made a new song using those lyrics.”
The transformation of “Hand in Hand” reflected Lovespirals’ broader evolution; taking electronic foundations and seamlessly integrating live instrumentation into their sound.
In 2008, the song had a resurgence when Below Zero DJ Mason Rothert featured it on his show. It climbed to #1 on the Below Zero Top 10 list after a four-week run, proving its timeless appeal. Rothert called “Hand in Hand” “a timeless gem.”
“Sandcastles”: A Song Worth the Wait
Another track with deep roots, “Sandcastles” followed a long creative path. Though performed live during their 2002 tour, including their headlining set at ProjektFest in Philadelphia, the song was left off of Windblown Kiss. Lum said in 2006 Music Tap interview:
“Some songs find their way really quickly, and others take a while. This one took a while, but it was well worth the wait. It’s probably my favorite song that I’ve ever made.”
For the final Free & Easy version, Lum and Bee expanded the song’s structure, adding new percussion, layered guitar elements, and an extended outro that builds into a dramatic gospel-style crescendo.
As Lovespirals continued promoting Free & Easy, they invited podcast listeners to vote on the next Podsafe Music Network single. Tim from RadioSpeljmr suggested “Sandcastles,” and Jakki Jelene of Angelic Voices likewise said “‘Sandcastles’”’ is one of the strongest tracks.”
Album reviews confirmed its standout status. Matt Rowe of MusicTap described “Sandcastles” as “definitely the single,” while Ned Raggett of All Music Guide called it “possibly one of the strongest tracks” on Free & Easy.
Encouraged by this response, Lovespirals created a shortened radio edit for podcasters, ensuring the song reached an even wider digital audience.
“Walk Away”: A Digital Music Revolution
Among all the tracks on Free & Easy, “Walk Away”played one of the biggest roles in Lovespirals digital music breakthrough. With its soulful blend of downtempo grooves, bluesy guitar licks, and warm harmonies, “Walk Away” was the first Lovespirals track to receive a remix package.
In 2003, Acid loop makers Peace Love Productions launched a remix competition for “Walk Away” sponsored by Ableton, attracting producers from around the world. One standout entry was by Bitstream Dream, the band of sometime collaborator of Bee’s, Rom di Prisco (Their track “Cykloid” was featured on EA Games’ Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.) His remix became one of the duo’s first tracks deemed podsafe, meaning it could be freely used by podcasters.
Debuted on the Chillin’ with Lovespirals podcast, as well as The Chillcast with Anji Bee, the song gained momentum when it was featured on Daily Source Code by Podsafe Music Network founder, Adam Curry. Other podcasts followed, including Dave’s Lounge, a friend since Bee’s early days on mp3.com, as well as fellow PodShow podcasts such as In Over Your Head, Accident Hash, PodShow Radio and more.
The exposure solidified Lovespirals’ reputation in the podsafe music movement. Macedonia of Radio BSOTS reflected on the song’s impact, stating:
“Somewhere in the podosphere, someone is keeping an all-time Podsafe Music chart topper list. I would like to think that Lovespirals is somewhere within the Top 30, if not the Top Ten. Personal faves include “Love Survives” and “Walk Away (Bitstream Dream Remix).”
The remix’s popularity led to Lovespirals compiling six remixes into the Walk Away EP (2009), released on AmieSt, then later expanded in 2012 for Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Even though PodShow and its music site are long gone, the success of “Walk Away”remains a defining moment in Lovespirals’ history; where their early embrace of digital music set them apart from the traditional industry model.
Expanding the Legacy of “Walk Away”
The success of “Walk Away” didn’t stop with the remix competition. In 2009, Lovespirals released the Walk Away EP, featuring six remixes of the track. Additional remixes were added for a 2012 re-release on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, and other major streaming platforms. These remixes showcased the song’s versatility, blending downtempo, chill-out, and electronica elements.
Critical Reception and Industry Praise
The release of Free & Easy garnered attention from critics and music enthusiasts alike, with many praising Lovespirals’ evolution and Anji Bee’s captivating vocal performance. Matt Rowe of MusicTap wrote, “Lovespirals’ evolutionary path has brought it down the road from gothic shoegazer pop to hypnotically provocative jazz that is, at once, sexy, sultry, and dreamy. Anji Bee possesses a voice of honey—adding color and flame to songs that explore realms of varying intensities.”
Ned Raggett of All Music Guide compared Lovespirals’ creative direction to Thievery Corporation, praising Lum’s blend of DJ and techno influences with Bee’s mid-century jazz-pop flow. Meanwhile, John Evanstan of Pop Stops drew comparisons to Sade, noting the duo’s “deliciously soothing combination” of sultry vocals and gentle jazz instrumentation.
CNET’s Editor’s Pick praised the album’s “smooth grooves” and described Lovespirals’ sound as one that “you might hear playing in an upscale New York club or Parisian underground lounge.” RadioGirl similarly reviewed the album as, “chill music that makes us feel all swank, adult, sexy and in love with love… all at once!!!”
Licensing Success: Lovespirals on TV and Beyond
Several tracks from Free & Easy found homes on popular TV shows, further expanding the band’s reach:
- “Deep in My Soul” was featured on Oprah and My Super Sweet 16.
- “Trouble” appeared on Gastineau Girls and Cribs.
- The title track, “Free and Easy,” was featured on Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E).
- “Love Survives” made its way into Dan Myrick’s web series The Strand: Venice (later released on DVD).
- “Walk Away” was featured on the WB’s Popular DVD release.
This extensive licensing highlighted Lovespirals’ knack for creating emotionally resonant, genre-blurring tracks that fit seamlessly into a variety of media formats.
Returning to the Stage: Lovespirals Live in 2005-2006
After three years away from the stage, Lovespirals made their live return on April 14, 2005, headlining a show at 14 Below in Santa Monica, CA alongside The Flir —whom Bee met through her playlists and podcasts— as well as local bands, Red Lily, and Honeybreath. Rodney Rodriguez, who had worked with Lum briefly during Love Spirals Downwards’ Flux era, joined the duo as a second guitarist for this special one-off show.
The following year, Lovespirals traveled to Mexico City for their first official Free & Easy tour date. On March 25, 2006, they performed an intimate set at Club Dada X as part of the venue’s 7th anniversary celebration, hosted by their Mexican distributor, Noise Kontrol. Afterward Lum and Bee held a meet and greet, autographing fans CDs.
The duo performed their first-ever hometown show at Blue Café in downtown Long Beach on April 23, 2006. Their intimate, stripped down set was captured by the Jason Know podcast, who also interviewed the band for a special Lovespirals feature.
Conclusion: A Lasting Legacy
More than just an album, Free & Easy was a manifesto for reinvention—both in sound and strategy. Lovespirals not only evolved their music but helped shape the digital landscape for independent artists. Nearly two decades later, its timeless grooves, soulful melodies, and groundbreaking approach to online promotion remain as fresh and relevant as ever.