Appreciation for Love Spit Love, the Richard Fortus-Richard Butler '90s Band

Tonight at the Pageant is the long-awaited Pale Divine reunion show. I penned a story in this week's paper about the band, its history and its new boxed set. (Hopefully, I'll get a chance to check out a bit of the show after my radio show.)

In the article, I mentioned Richard Fortus' post-PD band, Love Spit Love. Since I found its 1994 self-titled debut in a Cleveland record shop over the break, I figured now was a good time to give it some much-deserved love. LSL was fronted by Richard Butler, who's known mostly for his work with the Psychedelic Furs, and also featured his brother Tim Butler on bass and drummer Frank Ferrer.

The band is largely known for its cover of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" (which you might know as the Charmed theme; clip after the jump). But the band's two albums, 1997's Trysome Eatone and 1994's Love Spit Love, are fantastic moodpieces. Eliminating the sparkling synths of the Furs' later albums -- and incorporating jagged guitars and majestic orchestration; Jon Brion added twinkly color and Fortus played guitar, cello and mandolin on the debut  -- they're bargain bin treasure. "Change in the Weather" in hindsight reminds me a lot of the Afghan Whigs, in fact.

MP3: Love Spit Love, "Change in the Weather"

MP3: Love Spit Love, "Am I Wrong?"