Lightspeed Champion - Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 4 / 4 / 2010

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Review

Dev Hynes is a prolific artist, with a host of unreleased albums already in his locker since his days in Testicles, a band best forgotten. Recording under the moniker of Lightspeed Champion, 'Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You' is his second solo album released following on from the excellent Falling off The Lavender Bridge, that surfaced early in 2008. Whilst both albums bare the same trademark Hynes’ vocal style, an intriguing mixture of Damon Albarn, Murray Lightburn (of Canadian band the Dears) and Tiny Woods (of Ultrasound fame), the music on the new album takes on a more theatrical slant and the songs hang together in a way that could almost suggest they are the soundtrack to some classic lost 70’s musical in the same vein as 'Hair'. 'Dead Head Blues' opens proceedings, slowly building into a sing-a-long anthem, before 'Marlene', the first single to be lifted off the album, continues the quality. 'There’s Nothing Underwater', with its chorus of "Every second that you runaway/Makes me miss you more and more", is as catchy as anything off 'Falling off the Lavender Bridge', while 'The Big Guns of Highsmith', worms its way into your brain with the "Oh just stop complaining" chant that runs through the song. Forthcoming single, 'Madame Van Damme' has long been a live favourite under the working title of 'The Prostitute/Escort Song' and certainly justifies the its choice as a single, but it is the strength of the mere album tracks such as the piano led 'Romart' or 'I Don’t Want to Wake Up Alone', with it’s western theme tune feel that make this a superb collection.

Track Listing:-

1 Dead Head Blues
2 Marlene
3 There's Nothing Underwater
4 Intermission
5 Faculty Of Fears
6 The Big Guns Of Highsmith
7 Romart
8 I Don't Want To Wake Up Alone
9 Madame Van Damme
10 Smooth Day (At The Library)
11 Intermission 2
12 Sweetheart
13 Etude Op. 3" Goodnight Michalek
14 Middle Of The Dark
15 A Bridge And A Goodbye

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