Lightspeed Champion
Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
Domino Records
By Eavvon O'Neal
It is interesting to see the direction artists go in after a group they were once in breaks up. Look at the Beatles, Heatmiser or the Unicorns; who could have suspected the direction of the careers of John Lennon, Elliot Smith or Islands? When the Test Icicles separated, there wasn't really a huge forlorn sigh from the listening public, but it was still sad to see them go. While For Screening Purposes Only was what the five fingers said to the face in musical form, it wasn't tight enough to keep the band together. From the embers always comes at least one member who needs to push on (not Jean Grey), and in Test Icicles case, that phoenix was Devonte Hynes and his new project Lightspeed Champion. His album Falling Off The Lavender Bridge is such a turn around that the idea alone sets your mind ablaze.
Greg Tate, in this year's Pazz & Jop essay, dropped a Lightspeed reference that piqued interest immediately. "...What a stone-cold genius freak singer/songwriter Lightspeed Champion must be to have crossbred Elvis Costello, Arthur Lee and Jim Henson." Puppets and Costello are to me one of the strongest calls to action, and with Sir Tate's word, I knew it had to be a sure bet. Of course, this all proved to be astute. Hynes, whose unique vocals were sometimes muted by the power of the Test Icicles, has created a landscape akin to his abilities. His roots in Houston also make more of an appearance on this album, which straddles the line between folk, country and timid indie rock. The elemental composition is so simple and clean that the slow paced tempo of the south seems to literally crash head on into the driven attitude of the north, creating what looks like dichotomy, but sounds like synergy. Each aspect of his talents skips whimsically in perspective and illuminates his creative faculties that draw you in to his realm of magical realism. Gabriel Garcia Marquez would be proud.
"Galaxy Of The Lost" is one of the keenest moments in the album, because it’s a wonderful introduction. Its air of melancholy doesn't present itself as an overbearing cry for help, just as the thoughts of a man trying to work through some things. Better still at every chance possible, there are drops of humor to take away the edge that may be associated with a Elliot Smith album. ‘Guzzle down / My neck will burn as we kiss / and I'm sick in your mouth.’ "Midnight Surprise" has the same feeling, with an almost coy hustle through the verses, and manages to extend the country/folk rock feel without belaboring the musicality across the rest of the songs. Following immediately is "Devil Tricks For A Bitch" with a soft violin with an andante mindset. It seems really harmless, but speaks to some of the pangs of racial expectations, music wise, which subsequently makes Hynes want to rip off his skin. Each of the tracks ties in neatly to the album as a whole, but has such developed contention to warrant its own focus on the album. Each one is vying for value, and is deserving of such.
This may be a divergent album from the work of his previous project, but Falling Off The Lavender Bridge stands on its own as a masterful work of "stone-cold genius." It takes it seriously to the point of excitement to see how quickly Lightspeed Champion will progress, and what other directions his talents will take him. It may not be a team-oriented mentality to think that the sacrifice of the whole justifies the worth of one, but there are always exceptions, and it looks like Devonte Hynes is in excellent company.
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