Customer Reviews

Windblown Kiss

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Windblown Kiss" is obviously misunderstood by many Projekt Records fans. Clearly, this album was not recorded with them in mind. None -- or at least, few -- of the typical ethereal music cliches are present in the songwriting of this new Lovespirals release. While there is certainly an ethereal mood to many of the songs, there is never an abundance of quote-unquote ethereal style going on. Lovespirals compose songs, not ambient passages, with clearly defined verses, choruses, bridges, solos -- the whole nine yards. Not content to stick to simple mood pieces, they offer fine musicianship and variety in the sound and song structures of this unconventional offering. There's no easy pigeonhole for Lovespirals' music to fit into, least of all darkwave, gothic, ambient, or ethereal. Jazz is really not an apt description either, as jazz is merely one element of their songwriting. Folk is certainly also present, rock, even a bit of world music. This album doesn't cater to any one class of music genres, which makes it very refreshing to some folks, and fairly difficult for others. The fact that it doesn't live up to someone's idea of what a Projekt record -- or a Love Spirals Downwards record -- should sound like does not make it a "bad" record. This record needs to be discovered by a much broader range of music listeners to be truly appreciated for what it is; an extraordinarly brave new blend of musical genres, taking the most profound and beautiful essense of each, and wedding them in blissful harmony.

The first word that comes to mind on hearing Lovespirals' Windblown Kiss is sultry. Singer Anji Bee has a seductive coo in her full-bodied voice that immediately catches the ear and stirs the blood; instrumentalist Ryan Lum knows exactly how to frame it with lush guitars, tasteful keyboards and rhythms that draw from jazz and bossa nova as much as rock and pop. An outgrowth of the Gothic dreampop band Love Spirals Downwards, Lovespirals cast aside much of the previous incarnation's psychedelic gloom while retaining its romantic angst. The airy arrangements and acoustic guitars put a new spin on the kind of emotional claustrophobia at which LSD was so adept. "And it's oh so long to wait/I lack the patience/Give me strength" Bee sighs in "Oh So Long" as she waits to be reunited with her lover; "Swollen Sea" and "I Can't See You" also look for beauty in the pain of lost love. But Bee and Lum don't forget joy: "Our Nights," "He Calls Me" (which adds an overt spiritual dimension to the proceedings) and the title tune celebrate love instead of dreading it. Interestingly, Lum and Bee invite guitarist/songwriter Sean Bowley from Eden to contribute vocals and lyrics to two cuts; the results are strong Gothic folk/pop songs, but they don't fit with the rest of the record. Still, those songs don't detract from an otherwise consistently beautiful treatise on romantic expression.

Michael

Once again, this unusual Projekt Records band has managed to surprise me! I thought I was surprised by Flux, which was so different from the 3 other LSD albums, but Windblown Kiss is even more of a surprise. And a delightful one, at that.

I had wondered what they've been up to since Flux; Temporal, their best-of styled compilation from a few years ago, didn't really prepare me for this new sound change. I assumed that they'd be coming out with something even more dance based than Flux, actually. But instead it seems that all this time, Mr. Lum has been hiding away in his studio, honing his guitar chops in preparation for his most extensive guitar work to date! Hooray!

Maybe I'm the oddball fan out here, but the main reason I always liked LSD was more for the guitar than the vocals. To me the emotion of LSD's songs are born from the guitar, with the vocals being more of a sugary coating. It was with great pleasure that I learned Windblown Kiss was written with a number of guitars, played in a number of styles. Not only is there the usual steel 6 string of LSD past, but a rich 12 string, a nylon string and several electric guitars!

OF course, non-musically oriented fans might have a hard time picking out all the various flavors of the different instruments, but trust me, every guitar has a unique flavor. And each song on Windblown Kiss seems to highlight a new guitar sound, or combination of sounds. One song also includes a hammered dulcimer, which sounds somewhat between a guitar and a piano. (wasn't there one used on Ever somewhere, too?)

Some people seem to be afraid of the new use of Jazz chords and ideas here, but in most instances, you really aren't even aware that the big J word is going on, because its so seamlessly melded into the folk pop songwriting. There's one straight up Jazz song at the very end, but most of the songs here are just lightly sprinkled with Jazz elements, nothing too crazy. The sax is a new thing for the band, but its used tastefully and isn't overdone.

This new singer is similar in some ways to the old singer, but different in others. Sometimes she sounds flighty and ethereal, while other times she's Jazzy or soulful, kind of like Tracey Thorn, of Everything But the Girl. The lyrics seem to be in various languages, but their more understandable than past albums. Overall, I'd say the vocals are more pop than before, but that's not a bad thing. Anyway, like I said, I'm a guitar geek, not a big vocal fan.

I guess I might have hoped that Mr. Lum would twiddle the knobs a little bit more on his guitars now and then, as the overall effect sound tends towards the cleaner side of things. There are still lots of little Guthrie-esque bits throughout, though. My highlights are the ending ebo solo on "He Calls Me" -- which is very reminiscent of something from Ever or Ardor, and "Dejame" -- which sounds like it could have been done on Ardor, or even Idylls.

In need of inspiration? Whenever I need to get the creative juices flowing, I simply pop in my ear buds, pull up this album, press play, and let the creativity flow. Ryan Lum and Anji Bee are modern day muses. Windblown Kiss is a welcome edition to my music collection, and I highly recommend that it be a part of yours.

I bought this CD over a month ago and just can't get enough of it. I'm reading these reviews now, and I think it deserves a higher rating than it's got. Well, I keep returning over and over to everything that Love Spirals Downwards has recorded, especially songs like City Moon and Sunset Bell from Flux and Noumena of Spirit and This Endris Night from Idylls, Madras, Will You Fade, etc. But this is fast becoming one of my favorite cds of all time. There are so many great things about this album. Anji Bee is just divine. Her vocals and harmonies soar into that perfect harmonious space that great singers know how to hit. What a great remake of America's You Girl. I listened to this song on repeat for about 8 hours over two days on my trip through Arizona and Utah. Her backing vocals at the end are just delicious. Same for how her backing vocal comes in with the lines "toda se pasa" on Dejame or "his voice is like a song..." on He Calls Me. The Spanish lines flow so nicely in Dejame- "y los suenos, suenos son." Oh man, more people should buy this CD. I can't get enough of the gorgeous and intricate saxophone melodies in the 3 songs that feature Doron Orenstein. It inspires me to get more sax cds now. Ryan Lum's guitar work is great as usual, but this album is so varied, with all the different styles. I love the solo on Windblown Kiss and his mood setting picking on Swollen Sea. Anji Bee sings just off key at times to also add to the atmosphere of Swollen Sea- "will you return here, engulfed by a bleak fear..." I drove through a Death Valley sunset listening to this great song. Then comes the last track, which is currently my favorite track. I just love the way the sax repeats his line about two minutes into the song and then she repeats "no I, no I can't see you..." It's just brilliant, and one of many brilliant moments on this album. If these songs are a sincere expression of their love for each other, then I feel it. You guys are great- I so much look forward to your next CD!

Let me start off by saying that Lovespiralsdownward has been one of my favorite bands for over 10 years. Suzanne Perry's delay laden, processed vocals were wonderful. Now with that said, Windblown Kiss is not a Lovespiralsdownward album. IT'S BETTER!
What we lost with the departure Suzanne Perry, we gained in the sweet voiced Anji Bee, who really shows off her talent with some sultry Jazz vocals. As for Ryan Lum, he's still creating great music. Windblown Kiss is more eclectic than some of his recent work, and reminds me more of his first album Idylls. The tracks I like most on Windblown Kiss are "I can't see you", and the America cover "You Girl". I can't really compare Lovespirals to another artist, but I will tell you that after listening to this album I had a strong craving to listen to artist like Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Chris Isaak, Leonard Cohen, Cocteau Twins, and Tricky.

Not many bands can make a transitional album and reinvent themselves to the form of true artists. From the ashes of the now defunct Love spirals downwards emerges Lovespirals. Is it possible for a band to get better. The answer is yes. The delicate title of the album is almost decieving, after the first listen you feel as if you've been hit by gale winds. This is truly one of the most creative and diverse albums I have ever heard. This is a jazz album, But you don't have to be a fan of jazz to appreciate the musicianmanship of this album. From lounge bossa nova to ragtime, Windblown Kiss is a must have in any collection. Every track is excellent. Still, if I had to choose my favorite song...I couldn't do it. Anji bee's soft sultry vocals is a perfect compliment to Ryan lum's jazz guitar mastery. In closing I would just like to say that Windblown Kiss is perhaps one of the most perfect and beautiful recordings ever. Still, don't take my word for it. Give it a listen.

Before I start, I can't help but laugh and correct what a previous reviewer said. First, there's no vocals by Ryan on this (read the credits; it's Eden's Sean Bowley), and second, Anji's vocals couldn't be futher from a gothic/darkwave style (unless you happen to consider a sexy jazz vocal to be gothic somehow?).

Like each of LSD's releases, Lovespirals continues the tradition of creating a surprising new sound different from anything their creators have done before. Windblown Kiss brings jazzier elements (saxophone and more complex chords), and sometimes flamenco-like elements to an atmospheric pop style, with sultry and diverse female vocals perfectly in step with each tune's mood. It's very organic and acoustic, and has none of the breakbeat/electronica sound of Lovespiral's pre Windblown Kiss materiral or LSD's Flux.

People, times, and life change, and I love how artists such as these have the innovation to change perfectly in step and not bore us to death with remaking the same-old music every album.

Gary

Nice sweet jazzy romanticly soulful tunes! I hope they finally lose the 'goth' tag that was never appopriate (nor deserved) anyway. I can't wait to catch the San Francisco show next week!

This cd is ok. Theres just nothing amazing about this album. I picked this cd up at the live show in Philly and the performance was alot better then this release (even though the show was filled with errors). The vocals are rather weak. Typical female goth garbage. I actually enjoyed Ryan's vocals a bit more but after a while theres nothing that can keep me into this cd. The programming is intermediate and doesnt change through out each song. The sax solos are definetely the most enjoyable part about this cd and they only appear on 3 songs. I wonder if that guy has his own cd out.