Lightspeed Champion - Falling off the Lavender Bridge
When Dev Hynes split up shortlived dance-punk scenesters Test Icicles in 2006, he claimed that the Londoners parted because they themselves weren't even fans of their irritable, beat-fuelled mayhem. "We were ne'er, ever that keen on the music," he said. "I read that people liked it, only we personally, er, didn't."
It's no surprise then that Hynes has shuffled his way to the other end of the spectrum to create the country-rock flavoured 'Falling off the Lavender Bridge' - his number one album under the Lightspeed Champ cognomen. What is a shock all the same - precondition how poor people an turnout Test Icicles were - is that Hynes' solo debut oftentimes bristles with quality.
Produced by Brilliantly Eyes member Microphone Moggis, 'Falling away the Lavender Bridge' blends lush Britpop with folk, country and Americana, devising for a much more musically mature record than might make been expected.
Recorded in Bright Eyes' base of Omaha, Nebraska, Hynes' record is filled with emotive melodies, acoustic guitars and lilting strings. A figure of Brilliantly Eyes and Saddle Creek records regulars besides crop up to offer input, taking Hynes' emphatically low-key Jack London indie lullabies and propping them up with dark glasses of Nashville and Brilliantly Eyes flavoured common people rock.
Indeed, presumption Mogis' input, it's hard not to listen to Lightspeed Adept without Conor Oberst existence brought to brain. It's a comparison however which takes away from Hynes', highlight his shortcomings kind of than pointing out his positive attributes.
Such plus points to Hynes' songs ar his deft hand at twirl complex tonal pattern around simple guitar progressions, wholly of which he does to strong effect on the album's possible action brace of songs, namely singles 'Galaxy of The Lost'; 'Tell Me What It's Worth'; and the 10-minute folk-epic 'Midnight Surprise'.
Where the record album falters - in compare to Oberst - is that Hynes' rambles lack the poetic purl his former touring cooperator toilet on the face of it unleash at will. Non to say that Hynes' lyrics ar poor people, though they trap the album in 2008 and it's in all likelihood that 'Falling off the Lavender Bridge' won't years well.
Hynes' focusing is on pickings potentiometer shots at Jack London scene kids listening to whatever genre is 'hip' and getting so sot in Camden clubs that they get "sick in your mouth". Such lyrics drip mold in debt to Weezer frontman River Cuomo's dry slacker brainpower, though they don't sit down with Hynes' as well. Against the mature musical backcloth, such subjects seem trivial and immature, while Hynes' song delivery - akin to Bloc Party's Kele Okereke - doesn't always serve the songs well.
All over 12 tracks the album's initial burst of quality begins to wane, and by its ratiocination it feels like there's marginally more filler than killer here.
Still, at least heptad of the tracks featured item towards an interesting future tense should Hynes' relationship with his Omaha friends begin to flower. The singles away; 'Dry Lips' and 'Everyone I Know Is Listening to Crunk' in particular sales booth come out.
A better record than expected, then, only non as good as the recent epoch plug surrounding the Londoner might advise.
Steve Cummins
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