Love Spirals, "Windblown Kiss."

1. Oh So Long
2. Dejame
3. He Calls Me
4. Windblown Kiss
5. Our Nights
6. You Girl
7. How the Thieves Ride
8. You are the Gun
9. Swollen Sea
10. I Can't See You

Ryan Lum's Love Spirals Downward has come a long way from its
ethereal gothic roots. Gone are Suzanne Perry's wafting vocal
glossolalia, the dark Cure-meets-Siouxsie basslines, and the Robin
Guthrie guitar atmospherics. They have been replaced by the smooth-
as-silk vocals of Anji Bee; the mysterious Eastern-flavor by dashes
of flamenco, lounge, jazz and Brazilian pop, and e
ven—gasp—mainstream pop. Of course, this transformation has been a
long time coming. Lum has always pushed the envelope in atmospheric
music, assimilating electronica, drums and bass along side such core
foundations as folk and shoegazer into the mix. The last LSD
album, "Flux," was a successful mix of Massive Attack-style songs and
gentle breakbeats, not unlike those heard on the Six Degrees label.
This new incarnation, though, seems to model itself after the
sophisticated pop of Everything But the Girl, once and for all
ditching the Cocteau Twins blueprint that has dogged the band since
its humble beginnings. Opener "Oh So Long," with its late-night sax
and Bee's torchy vocal is as far from a Projekt-sound as you can
imagine. It's not until "He Calls Me" comes on that you recognize
some of Lum's mainstays—shimmering guitars, an uncomplicated melody,
and sweet female harmonies. Bee's touch, in addition to her voice,
are lyrics the avoid Perry's obscurantist bent. "He Calls Me" is
about is mystical as it gets—the thematic blending of the divine and
the sexual recalls Lamb's "Gabriel." "Windblown
Kiss," and the cover of the America song "You Girl," flirt with, but
never become innocuous soft rock—interesting chord structures and
complex harmonies forestall this. The conga-driven "Our Nights," is
frothy and light like a frozen daiquiri, with bluesy guitar fills.
Astrid Gilberto and the Captain and Tenille come to mind—it has the
breezy feel of a tropical classic. Two songs are collaborations with
Eden's Sean Bowley—"How the Thieves Ride," and "You are the
Gun." With Bowley's Peter Murphy-meets Brendan Perry baritone and
ponderous folk balladry, they are out of place on this collection.
Good songs, but they break up the flow. A nod to the old LSD is
present in the dulcimer-driven nocturnal "Swollen Sea," with Bee
sounding her most Perry-like. With its slick production, and
pleasant sounds, "Windblown Kiss" mostly succeeds in creating a moody
make-out album.
http://www.lovespirals.com

--Craig L. Gidney