Category Archives: Press

All Music Guide Reviews Future Past

February 13, 2010 Anji Leave a comment

All Music Guide posted a positive review of Lovespirals’ new album, Future Past, which reads, in part:

The combined approaches of Bee and Lum have created what is essentially a slinky soul album for the 21st century. One senses on songs like “Home” and “Sinking” that Bee and Lum have found a lovely balance between shoegaze’s love of reverb and texture and the richness of ’70s quiet storm at its best. “Shine,” with its build into a multi-tracked harmony from Bee and a gently majestic guitar part from Lum, and the similarly slow-burning “One of Those Days” are among the best standouts for the two as a team in perfect sync. – Ned Ragett

Read the entire review on Lovespirals All Music Guide page.

News, Press, Reviews

Chillout Scene Reviews Future Past

January 26, 2010 Anji Leave a comment

Chris of the Chillout Scene just gave Lovespirals new album, Future Past, a very positive review this week. The US-based blog is centered around the music and culture of the Chillout genre, including new album reviews, favorite YouTube videos, recent finds from music discovery services including Last.FM, Pandora, Blip.FM, and LaLa, as well as suggestions for Internet radio and podcasts. Chris also maintains a Chillout Scene Facebook page and Chillout Scene Twitter account (mirrors of each other) you can follow to keep up with site updates and cool daily music suggestions, as well.

After giving a breakdown of his favorite tracks (“Home,” “Love,” “Meanwhile Irreplaceable Time Flees/Insignificant,” and “Sinking”,) Chris sums up his thoughts on the album:

Overall, I really like Lovespirals’ sound on this album, especially since it is similar to one of my favorite chillout artists, Zero 7. I think Ryan’s bluesy guitar playing is what makes them unique and makes them even more interesting than Zero 7 since they don’t just stick to acoustic guitar parts and electronic drum and bass tracks. Anji’s vocals also set Lovespirals apart from other artists as even the quieter parts are nice and smooth, rather than whispery. She makes her voice appear so delicate that it could fade away if any quieter, but it remains nice, smooth, and chill. Check out Future Past right away HERE.…I highly recommend it!

Read Chillout Scene’s full review of Future Past by Lovespirals.

News, Reviews

Lovespirals 'Future Past' now on iTunes

January 8, 2010 Anji 1 Comment

Lovespirals’ 4th full-length album, Future Past, was just released this week on the iTunes Music Store. Individual songs are available in non-DRM 256k AAC for just $.99 each or buy the full album for $9.99. The band offered Future Past digipac CDs and digital downloads over the holiday season exclusively on the Lovespirals Webstore, but the official album release date is January 1, 2010. Popular online music store, CDBaby, is also offering Future Past in both CD and digital download formats. More stores will be following soon.

Reactions thus far have been extremely positive, with many fans claiming Future Past to be Lovespirals’ best album to date. Even with the extremely limited holiday season release, some have included Future Past in their “best of 2009” lists, including Green Arrow Radio and several Last.FM bloggers:

Crap on a cracker, this album has gotten me so hooked, I can rarely pull away from it. Anji’s voice is like honey, very smooth. I was a bit concerned how the follow-up to “Long Way From Home” was going to sound, because it’s one of my favorite albums ever and very hard to surpass. But Anji and Ryan have done it. And how! – Escapings, Last.FM

Singer/songwriter, Beth Hirsch – who’s perhaps best known for her work with Air on their seminal Moon Safari album – has been extremely supportive, writing:

From the unforgettable chorus on “Shine,” to Anji Bee’s sultry vocal cadences on tracks such “Feels So Good”, “Love,” and “Rain”, to the stunning guitar riffs, Rhodes, and instrumentation by Ryan Lum on “Meanwhile, Irreplaceable Time Flees” and “One Of These Days,” Lovespirals’ latest CD, Future Past, is easily one of the best chillout albums to welcome in 2010. The album is sexy, moody, bluesy, ethereal – pure Lovespirals. — Beth Hirsch, CDBaby

Karmacoda frontman and producer, B, has shown his support as well. After attending an exclusive pre-release listening party, he had this to say:

Lovespirals combines seamless harmony and a relaxed tempo with guitar and synthesized instrumentals for a sound that is unique. ‘Future Past’ sounds both classic and yet completely new; it features the most compelling elements of seventies groups yet is completely rooted in today’s electronica/pop/alternative genres. — Brett Crockett

Anji and Ryan of Lovespirals would love to read your review of Future Past on iTunes!

News, Press, Reviews

Green Arrow Radio Features Future Past

January 5, 2010 Anji 3 Comments

Mr. G of Green Arrow Radio has been spinning several of Lovespirals latest songs, including “Home,” “Love,” and “Meanwhile, Irretrievable Time Flees/Insignificant”. Future Past also made the Green Arrow Radio Tops of 2009 list, ranking #33 out of his unconventional list of 97 albums. This free-form show features an eclectic array of artists with an emphasis on world music and underground talents that you are unlikely to hear anywhere else. Green Arrow Radio airs on 91.7fm WSUM in Madison, WI, Saturdays from 10 am to noon. You can also stream the Green Arrow Radio show — and indeed, the whole station — over the Internet via iTunes, Windows Media Player or WinAmp.

Mr. G wrote a fun and quirky review of Future Past on the Green Arrow Radio blog, which reads, in part:

The latest release from Lovespirals has me softly speaking to myself and smiling. The down tempo music and vocal temptations seduce the parts of my ears that are connected right to the part of my brain that produces happiness. Highlight on this album for me personally [is] “Meanwhile, Irreplaceable Time Flees” right into “Insignificant”… This is a classy album that I am so happy to share with others; I think it’ll find many compatible ear-mates out there.

News, Press, Reviews

Music Tap Praises 'Future Past'

December 5, 2009 Anji Leave a comment

Matt Rowe penned a very positive review of Lovespirals’ latest release for the Music Tap site. It reads, in part:

I’ll say it now, Lovespirals is an undiscovered diamond, cut to a many-faceted perfection in their new album. Future Past is their masterpiece work to date. With Manzarek-like keyboards, a masterful bluesy guitar, and an angelic voice, the 11 tracks that you’ll find on this magnificent surprise are not to be missed.

He goes on to comment about the performances of Ryan and Anji individually, even encouraging the duo to pursue solo endeavors outside of Lovespirals. You’ll have to read the full review on Music Tap.

News, Reviews

This Truth Remix Release Tops UK Dance Charts

January 23, 2009 Anji 1 Comment

Hot new UK dance music label, Loverush Digital, is about to drop a “Damien.S VS Lovespirals” branded set of remixes of our single, “This Truth,” on February 9th. UK radio and club DJs, however, have already been spinning advanced copies the past few weeks. To our delight, the EP has been blazing up various club charts!

DMC is currently listing “This Truth” at #4 on the UK Club Chart and the World House Chart, #6 on the Club 2009 Test Chart, #10 for the UK Chart, World Commerical Chart, and World Chart plus #16 on the UK Monthly Chart and #18 on the World Monthly Chart.

We’re going up against some pretty steep competition from the likes of Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, and being a spot ahead of “Single Ladies” on the UK Club is just insane and surreal…

Damien.S VS Lovespirals "This Truth" #2 on DMC World Trance Chart — Damien.S VS Lovespirals “This Truth” #2 on DMC World Trance Chart

Support for the track has been great and we’re excited to be played on shows and stations including Housesssions with Denny Dowd on Juice FM, PH Factor on Energy FM, Club Control with DJ Confusion, and Twilight on Pulse. Reactions have been fantastic, as well. DJs are reporting lots of dancefloor love and even requests!

John McCormick (Deep 6, Fury Murrys, The Hive, Yates) 10/10
This has created one of the biggest buzzes on the floors I’ve seen in ages. Its an enormous winner and packs the floors everytime without fail. Superb mix package. Top stuff all round!

DJ Crispian Aldis (Elemental, Havanah, Paradise) 10/10
This is good and is causing quite a stir in my sets. Loads of fab mixes to choose from. Top track, top label. I can see big things for Loverush in 2009.

Beaker (Berties, Bunters, Divas, Red Square) 9/10
I love the feel to this track, she has such a haunting voice. You can’t help but hear it. It’s such a smooth chill out dance track that works really well.

John J (Club DNA, Liquid Lounge, Wigan Pier) 9/10
LOVIN THIS! Quality vocal trancer with a wicked package of mixers. Fave is Juno Synclair vs Craig Bailey Remix.

Lovespirals · This Truth (Damien.S VS Lovespirals Radio Edit)

Interviews

iProng Magazine Lovespirals Artist Feature

April 8, 2008 ryan Leave a comment

The April 2nd “100% Podsafe” issue of iProng Magazine features an interview with Anji discussing Lovespirals, going podsafe, getting into podcasting, music licensing, live performance vs studio recording, and much more. Also included this issue is a great article on eMusic vs Amazon downloads, interviews with fellow podsafe artists Geoff Smith and Natalie Gelman, and an article with Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, who released their new single to the Podsafe Music Network. By the way, you can check out tons of Lovespirals tracks on the PMN for use on podcasts, internet radio, Second Life DJ sets, and more!

Here’s an excerpt from the interview from iProng Magazine 4/2008:

April 2, 2008: 100% PodSafe Edition, iProng Magazine Artist Feature

For someone who isn’t familiar with Lovespirals, how would you describe it to them?

We write and record all of our music together in our own home studio. As such, our music has a very intimate feel. Our sound doesn’t follow any particular genre model, instead, we play what we feel at the moment. We tend towards very melodic, bittersweet, and dreamy music that focuses on beautiful vocal harmonies and soulful guitar work, with liberal sprinklings of electric piano.

There’s always been a sort of tug of war in Lovespirals between jazzy electronica and folky rock. Each of our releases have come upon a different solution to this tension between the modern and vintage sides of our musical personalities. One the one hand, we both love the old vinyl albums we grew up with as kids, but on the other, we’re drawn to contemporary music and production techniques. The interesting thing about this is that while the casual listener assumes a song like “Caught in the Groove” from Long Way From Home was recorded with a full band, in actuality Ryan programmed the drums using a keyboard controller and samples, the piano is recorded with midi, and the guitars and bass were performed one track at a time in ProTools. The thing is, just because we’re using computer based recording techniques doesn’t mean our music has to sound like it was made with a computer, you know?

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Interviews

Anji Bee Interview on Podfinder UK

March 20, 2008 Anji Leave a comment

Mini Interview with The Chillcast’s Anji Bee

Anji Bee is the soft, sultry, sexy voice of the Chillcast, and one half of the Lovespirals.

When & why did you begin podcasting?

I used to be a college DJ, hosting several music shows and working in station management for 3 years. After I left, I discovered online radio. I started a Live365 station back in January 2000. Eventually I produced some half hour interview features, such as one with Hungry Lucy in May 2005. Garageband had just begun their free podcast service, so I uploaded it there, too. I followed up with a feature on Lovespirals, and then decided it was high time I did a podcast proper.

My first podcast was Chillin’ with Lovespirals, which launched in early June 2005. The idea was that a podcast would be the perfect way to share information and music from our upcoming new album, Free & Easy. I had already been sharing audio interviews online on sites like Mp3.com and SoundClick for years, so I knew our fans enjoyed hearing us discuss our music. I had a hard time, though, convincing my partner, Ryan Lum, that it was a good idea because there weren’t any band podcasts out there yet and he was worried about our bandwidth. Our first episodes were fairly short because of the bandwidth issue.

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News, Press, Reviews

More Reviews of Lovespirals' 'Long Way From Home' CD

March 6, 2008 Anji Leave a comment

Reviews are still popping up of Lovespirals recent album, Long Way From Home, in partial thanks to the efforts of Ariel PR who helped to push the album when it was released this past October 23rd.

Jason Moore of Opus writes:

Ultimately, Lum and Bee are all about creating a mood with their music, a relaxed and blissed-out vibe that should be no stranger to fans of dreampop, chill-out electronica, and atmospheric pop. This is music for both late night sessions and noon daydreams, for both listening to at work when you need to escape the pressure of the day and at home when you simply need to unwind with a good book and a glass of wine.

Miles Klee said in Hot Indie News:

Bluesy slide guitar work sometimes shades over into Santana-like finger-meandering, and vocalist Anji Bee’s layered voice paints bright glaze over already dreamy arrangements. It’s as though the glancing disaffection of 80’s and 90’s dream-poppers has been filtered through an AM radio, a mutation that works by dint of sounding completely natural on an evolutionary view.

From the Green Arrow Radio blog:

More than melancholic music, there is a sense that they traveled with you on similar & familiar roads with the radio tuned to the same left of the dial station in the middle of wherever. After nearly a decade of artistic collaboration between singer/songwriter, Anji Bee, & multi instrumentalist & producer, Ryan Lum, it is no wonder that they have managed to put together an album of answers to questions yet asked with a subtle sultry sense of sound security.

The Celebrity Cafe‘s Ray Anderson mused:

Empty and sad, but of full of emotion, their album Long Way from Home is medicine for those that dig the alternative. How can you take a gut-wrenching classic like “Motherless Child” and make it sadder? Let the “Lovespirals” get a hold of it. It’s easy to fall into the loose, country-tinged groove of “Caught in a Groove” and let your soul be taken for a ride. By the time the “upbeat” “Lovelight” comes on, you won’t mind being “A Long Way from Home,” and I think you’ll want to stay there.

Read or written a great review of Lovespirals? Then post a link here, by all mean!

Interviews, Podcast

Solipsistic NATION Lovespirals Feature

February 8, 2008 Anji Leave a comment

In honor of Valentine’s Day, the excellent Solipsistic NATION podcast is featuring Lovespirals! Bazooka Joe interviews Ryan and Anji via Skype about the band’s evolving sound, their musical history, the effect of technology on the band, the duo’s songwriting process, and much more. Interspersed with the interview are 7 full length songs — including several special permissions (non-podsafe) tracks — and a few of Anji’s side projects.

Interviews, News, Press

Anji Bee featured on Behind the Monitor

January 22, 2008 Anji Leave a comment

Woman Behind the Monitor (and the Mic): Anji Bee

“The Sexiest Voice in Podcasting” Anji Bee of the Chillcast talks about the show and her double life as both podcaster and musician.

TREVOR: How did the Chillcast get its start?

ANJI: I guess you could say The Chillcast got its start with college radio DJ’ing. After 3 years of doing various shows and working in management at a college radio station, I was pretty well hooked. Then I discovered Internet radio, and started creating both live and prerecorded Internet radio content – including interviews with indie bands like Hungry Lucy and Sunburn in Cyprus. Eventually podcasts were invented, and I put 2 and 2 together. Podcasting was better than radio because listeners could tune in whenever was most convenient for them – which seemed really revolutionary! My first podcast was actually Chillin’ with Lovespirals, which Ryan and I launched to help promote our 2nd album, Free & Easy. Shortly after, I started getting permissions from indie band friends to create a weekly music show podcast – because you have to understand that at this time the podsafe music movement was barely getting started! Adam Curry had just begun his Podsafe Music Network — which is actually how he and I met and became friends, when Lovespirals joined the site. Adam played us on the Daily Source Code, and then we started talking back and forth on his podcast about Creative Commons vs BMI and all those kinds of things. To make a long story a bit shorter, I put together a few fledgling episodes of The Chillcast, hosting them on the Internet Archive site and C.C. Chapman, who was really active with PodShow at the time, pitched the show to Adam and PodShow management, and I was signed as one of the first group of podcasters to the new PodShow Podcast Network.

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