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Reviews

Lovespirals — Future Past
(Chillcuts CHL0901, 2010, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2010-07-01

Future Past Cover art

This is the fourth album by Southern California based Lovespirals, a moody, dreamy pop duo featuring vocalist Anji Bee and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lum, who carried the essence of the concept forward from his previous duo Love Spirals Downward, which recorded a number of excellent releases back in the 90s. While the instrumental work herein is nothing short of excellent (not to mention the great production by Lum), Anji Bee is the star here, with her sultry, soulful, and sometimes bluesy voice that soars and caresses the listener with warmth and tenderness. Often the voice tracks are layered over one another to stupendous effect, truly bringing this material to another level altogether. The eleven cuts are composed together by Lum and Bee, concise song-length statements that don’t overstay their welcome, embellished with solid instrumental flourishes (Lum plays acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums – what else do you need?) that support Anji’s powerful vocals without drawing too much attention to themselves, although close listening will reveal the myriad subtleties of sound working therein. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that many of the arrangements here might remind the listener of the somewhat funky downtempo grooves of Pink Floyd circa Obscured by Clouds or Dark Side of the Moon. All taken, this one is one excellent release that makes you feel good and stands up well to repeated listens.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 38, 2010 releases

Related artist(s): Lovespirals / Love Spirals Downwards

 

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