Wow! Got a few pre-release copies of the new album today and they look great. We’re both really pleased with how the artwork came out, as well as the CD itself. It feels really good to have created the whole CD ourselves from top to bottom. Its been a lot of work, but I think all the love really shines through. I can hardly wait to send everybody who helped us out a copy!
All posts by Anji
Acoustic Set at ProjektFest
After long consideration, we decided to do the ProjektFest Bazaar show. Ryan had hoped to just fool around and see Philly, but I think it would be good for us to play twice. We’ll get the chance to meet some of the fans and be more personable than we would be the first night, too. Sam hopes we’ll do a totally unique show, but I don’t see how we can with only one album. We sure can’t do acoustic versions of our Ecstatic EP material, haha! I think we’ll play a few covers, for fun, and to spice it up a bit. Still working on our main live set, so no time to plot the acoustic set out just yet. Always working, it seems….
Windblown Kiss Press Piece by Alex Lang
Our friend, the poet and lyricist, Alex Lang, was kind enough to write up a lovely little press piece on our upcoming album:
WINDBLOWN KISS is the first full-length album by LOVESPIRALS, the beautiful, and beautifully surprising collaboration of RYAN LUM (the driving force behind legendary LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS) and avant-garde singer/songwriter ANJI BEE.
Renown multi-instrumentalist LUM once again creates musical landscapes of breathtaking beauty – and with vocal styles ranging from ethereal to earthy, sweet to sensual, BEE shows off her remarkable vocal range, and allows the full force of her voice to soar into the sublime.
Drawing inspiration from Flamenco, Bebop, soul, folk and the stacks of early vinyl they each grew up loving, LOVESPIRALS has created a timeless world of romance and intrigue. Leaving behind the conventional restraints of dance-floor tracks, this latest endeavor is at once a dreamscape of nostalgia, and a kiss blown to the future.
Using half a dozen different guitars, and featuring the extraordinary talents of DORON ORENSTEIN (of TOOF!) on saxophones, and SEAN BOWLEY (of EDEN) on acoustic guitar and vocals, WINDBLOWN KISS is a celebration of creative anachronism: the past and the future negotiate a gorgeous balance.
Ecstatic EP Charting on Mp3.com
The newly pressed Ecstatic EP has been featured all week on the Ambient Drum ‘n’ Bass charts for MP3.com, helping to drive Lovespirals back up the charts again. Check out the newly added “Ecstatic (Radio Edit)” which was remastered for the new chill-out compilation, Cool Terrasse.
Promo hell
Trying to perfect our band bio before it goes to press. It is really hard to be objective about your own art! We ran into a friend at Gabe’s the other day who writes for the WB network and he offered to help out, but he’s been too busy this week to hook up. Hopefully we’ll still get a chance to work with him on this, because I think he could spruce it up some. Luckily we had Sean Flinn to write our ProjekFest guide text. Seems like we’re always running around trying to get things together lately, with no time to catch our breath.
Ecstatic EP: Second Pressing
The Ecstatic EP has just been updated with new high quality 192 kbps files (as opposed to the old 128 kbps files) and new full-cover artwork featuring photography by Susan Jennings. Not only is the sound quality and appearance of the CD vastly improved, but an extra track has been added (the instrumental “Beatitude” featuring guest musicians Doron Orenstein and Gabriel D. Vine of Toof), bumping the EP up to 37 minutes in length. Order a copy online only at www.mp3.com/lovespirals!
Busy, busy month!
Now that we’re done redesigning the official website, as well as launching the Windblown Kiss press site (not to mention designing the album cover) it looks like its time to start practicing for Projekt Fest! Ryan’s pretty much gotten his stuff together, and I’ve more or less figured out which parts of the vocal harmonies I’ll sing, but we have yet to get together with Doron to play through everything together. Hopefully we’ll have a few good days to go through the set with him, so we’ll be nice and comfy for our first live show. Wish us luck!
Lucky us!
Tonight I really realized just how lucky we are to have awesome friends to work with! Dom and Susan have been so kind to grant us their immense visual talents for our site and album artwork, Sean and Doron were very generous to lend their tremendous musical talents to our album, Robert was a dream to work with on mastering… We also had friends lend us equipment — thanks John and Todd! Plus I can’t forget Gabe, who not only let us borrow Doron from his band, but also gave us some cool samples to use. Yeah, it is great to have good friends.
Getting closer to site launch
I think we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the website now. Ryan’s been working almost non-stop on all the nuts and bolts of the site. I have it pretty easy compared, since Dom did all the major design work. I’m just working on content, much of which I already created for windblownkiss.com last month. But I’m adding in new things, too, so that the two sites aren’t just mirrors of one another.
Thank goodness Gabe is having a party this Sunday, we could REALLY use a little fun break this weekend!
Sean Flinn Pens Bio for Lovespirals
Sean Flinn of RadioSpy wrote us up for the upcoming ProjektFest 2002 music guide.
Lovespirals is, in some sense, a reincarnation of the now defunct but long beloved Love Spirals Downwards. The two bands share in common multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lum, whose shimmering guitar work and lush electronic soundscapes helped define the ethereal genre in the mid to late 1990s. And they share a certain aesthetic — a languorous fascination with gossamer guitar textures and celestial female vocals. But it’s also — make no mistake — its own entity, having formed in 1999 shortly after the fruitful partnership between Lum and vocalist Suzanne Perry dissolved. Partnering with vocalist/songwriter Anji Bee, Lum formed Lovespirals, a new band with a name that evokes the familiar while creating space for the provocative — a one-word manifesto for a two-person union.
Inspired by their emersion in the California drum ‘n’ bass scene, Lum and Bee initially led Lovespirals down the sonic trail that LSD blazed on its final album, Flux. The group’s early tracks blended jazz-step breakbeats with relaxed saxophone workouts and Bee’s warm, enveloping vocals — elements that epitomized the California downtempo underground. After appearing on a number of popular chill-out compilations, and following the smashing success of several tracks released through MP3.com, the band set out to record a full-length album for Projekt. Radically changing courses, Lovespirals began composing new material with a stronger pop sensibility, building songs around narrative lyrics, sharp melodic hooks, and organic instrumental sounds. The resulting album, Windblown Kiss, marks another step in Lum’s evolution, and signals the arrival of Bee as a mature vocalist/songwriter. Saxophonist Doron Orenstein, of Toof!, and Sean Bowley, of Eden, provide further departure points, coloring the album with subtle hues of Jazz and World Beat, and helping to produce a post-Shoegazer masterwork.
The irony in all of this, of course, is that the band has managed to defy its fan base, its label,the very confines of genres with an album that’s gentle on the ears and soul — a gauzy confection that challenges without confrontation. Lovespirals’ performance at ProjektFest 2002 will mark a rare live appearance by the group, which plans to support Windblown Kiss with a few exclusive shows before diving back into the studio to resume its obsessions with the almighty breakbeat; or perhaps to completely redefine themselves and their fans’ expectations all over again.
Lovespirals play the headlining slot of the 3 day festival’s opening night, as well as an intimate, stripped down performance the following evening for the Merchant’s Bazaar. Get more information from the ProjektFest site.
Lovespirals Biography
Lovespirals are gearing up to release our first full length album this Summer on Projekt Records. Are you excited yet? You will be after you read our snappy new bio:
Lovespirals are musician/producer Ryan Lum and singer/songwriter Anji Bee. This duo’s lush, sensual collaborative songwriting embraces numerous styles and sounds, creating a unique blend which defies genre categories altogether. Beginning their collaboration in 1999 with Jazz Step Drum & Bass dubplates spun in Ryan’s DJ sets, then continuing on with a series of singles released on compilations for various labels (including Water Music and Metropolis Records), the band has traversed vast musical territory to arrive at their first full-length album for Projekt Records. Due out June 18, 2002, Windblown Kiss, is focused on beautiful melodies based around Ryan Lum’s dreamy acoustic and electric guitar playing and Anji Bee’s versatile vocal work. This first full-length album also features special guest musicians Sean Bowey, of Eden, and Doron Orenstein, of Frescoe, on several tracks. Slow-burning Blues, Bebop Jazz, Flamenco-spiced Folk Rock, Western-tinged Dream Pop – Lovespirals blend all these influences and more into heady, intoxicating mixture. Romantic, spiritual, and utterly heartfelt, Windblown Kiss envelopes one in a beautifully soothing dream-drenched world, timeless in quality and essence.
New song, new Yahoo! Group, & ProjektFest
We’ve updated our Mp3.com page with brand new artwork and a new song, “Windblown Kiss”, from our upcoming album on Projekt. Special thanks goes out to our wonderful photographer, Susan Jennings, for all her awesome work with us!
Speaking of Projekt, looks like we’re doing the Projekt Fest 2002 this May, just in time for the release for our new album! We’re still working out how we’ll peform our set live, which will be a bit of a challenge, but fun. Doron plans to come with us, so you can expect a little more sax live than on the album, which should prove interesting.
Lastly, we now have a Lovespirals Yahoo! Group for those seeking a public forum about the band. Included on the newsgroup is lyrics, band photos, links to various interviews, reviews etc on outside sites and other fun stuff.