After the rupture that ended Love Spirals Downwards, singer Suzanne Perry seemed to disappear while Ryan Lum formed the new incarnation of the band as Lovespirals. So the return of Perry fronting a new band in 2002 was a surprising delight, and following on from the occasional compilation appearance over the years, on 2008′s Aitu, the four-song debut of Melodyguild, it’s clear her sweetly reflective pipes haven’t deserted her at all. If she sounds a touch quieter in the mix, this could be the influence of the full band lineup; while not noticeably louder than Love Spirals Downwards was, the sense of a rock band performance is a subtle but clear change from the duo set up of the past. As a result, hearing the band kick into full towards the end of “Panamint” is an enjoyably dramatic touch, though to be fair the band is exploring a variant of a style Perry had long explored rather than trying something distinctly new, at least to start with. So there’s cascading guitar shimmers, a moody bass undertow and a general sense of wistful Cocteau Twins-into-Cure-style indie pop atmospherics at work — one could easily imagine the band appearing on the bill with the Autumns, and they probably have. It’s all enjoyable, though, and moments like the Slowdive-style guitar break on “Flicker” from Matt Gleason shows that it’s not just simply Perry and company but its own full band at work. – Ned Raggett
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