Lightspeed Champion is Devonte Hynes, once a member of the short-lived but much hyped noise-dance-punk trio Test Icicles. I never cared much for the Test Icicles, – I didn’t care at all, I think. When I received the first single from Hynes new project Lightspeed Champion some months ago, I  did not rush to the cd-player to listen to it. It stayed untouched in the cover for several days, and I hadn’t high expectations, – if you could say that I had any expectations at all. When I finally sat down and listened to the songs, I was hooked. When I received the next single, I rushed to the cdplayer at once, and I’ve waited in excitement for the album to arrive. Now it’s finally here!

What do I love about Lightspeed Champion?
First of all, I love his playful approach to music.  I love his melodies, his folky-pop-country-hippie-indie and his warm, friendly vocals. I love the build-ups, where songs may start with vocals and an acoustic guitar, and end with an orchestra and a choir of voices backing Hynes. I love his approach to the audience and his fans, which seems very friendly and down-to-earth.
The instrumentation on Lightspeed Champion’s debut album "Falling off the lavender bridge" is interesting (strings, cello, clarinet, oboe, pedal steel, flute, acoustic guitars + the traditional rock instruments), and so are the guest musicians on the album. For me, it’s so nice to hear Emmy The Great‘s fine guest vocals (she made one of my favourite singles of 2007, the fantastic "Gabriel"). The Faint‘s drummer Clark Baechle + members of Cursive and Tilly and the Wall also participates.  "Falling off the lavender bridge" is a beautiful collection of warm, interesting pop-songs, and since I’m writing this early in January, I guess I can say that this is definitely the best album I’ve heard so far this year!

You can preview the full album + download the non-album track "Waiting Game" (it’s a b-side from the single "Galaxy of the lost") on Domino Record’s minisite for Lightspeed Champion. It’s also interesting to read his own blog, where he sometimes puts out demos and nice little musical gifts.

Here’s a little taster from us, – one of my favourite tracks on the album:

Lightspeed Champion – Everyone I know is listening to crunk

The album will be out on Domino Records on 21st January in all formats. Get it!

[rating:5.5/6]