Hiding behind a cant miss set of plastic frames, a thick mess of black hair that cant be real (can it?), and the kind of blinding outfits that could have those with migraine problems clearing out the cupboards in search of Advil,
Dev Hynes, a.k.a
Lightspeed Champion, sports the kind of extraterrestrial fashion sense that would probably closely resemble that of Rainbow Brights spunky, art school playmate (if, in fact, she ever had one). Of course all assumptions concerning the Essex bred songwriters hyper hipster aesthetic go poof in the night the moment his Mike Mogis produced album,
Fall Off the Lavender Bridge gets spinning in the tray. Flashy disco beats? Nope. A batch of twisty guitar cutters? Not here mate. Instead, the former
Test Icicles guitarist offers up a country kissed acoustic set, dabbed in lots of pedal steel, and plenty of melody from the equally victoriously named vocal contributor
Emmy the Great. Sure, the duo might quench the thirst of every emo kid longing for Dashboards glory days. But like Chris Carrabba, Lightspeed Champion offer musings of an addictive nature. I think you may have just found your new guilty pleasure.
David PitzFall Off the Lavender Bridge hits the US Feb 5th, courtesy of
the Domino Recording Company.
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Lightspeed Champion @ MySpace