Lightspeed Champion - Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You
Rating
RIYL
Bombay Bicycle ClubEmmy the Great
Mystery Jets
Good Shoes
Release Date
02/01/2010
Label
DominoTracklist
1. Dead Head Blues2. 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
Users RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
There's no denying that Devonte Hynes leads an interesting musical career. His best-known work is the work that he's done for other artists like Basement Jaxx, The Chemical Brothers, and X-Factor finalist Diana Vickers. Lightspeed Champion, his most recognized moniker, has yet to really pick up and garner the recognition people speculated it would. This is surprising because his debut album, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, was a cohesive piece of indie rock. While many hail him as the UK equivalent of Conor Oberst (it's easy to see why, given Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes fame's work on Lightspeed's debut), Hynes has branched out immensely and released an album that is entirely different from what most were expecting.
Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You is a sophomore album unlike most. While most artists seek to quantify their place in the music world by improving upon their original sound, Hynes chose to sidestep that process and entirely reinvent himself. The excellent guitar work and melodic structure so inherent in his previous work is still there, but the twangy southern feel has taken the backseat to a more showtunes-like sound.
The album opens up with "Dead Head Blues," a straightforward lo-fi indie gem that promptly reveals what’s to be expected on the album. Hynes has never been afraid to show how talented he is as an instrumentalist and that’s true here. That impressive work can sometimes be hard to find amidst the sea of gimmicks and experimental tweaks found within just about every song, however. The classical piano and ‘70s synth moments are intoxicating, but it’s still hard to question whether or not they should have been on the album.
There’s little reason to doubt Hynes’ capabilities as a songwriter. Some of the more stripped-down songs on the album, such as “There’s Nothing Underwater” and “Romart”, portray just how talented he truly is. The main downfall on the album is the excessive amount going on. The retro nods and the baroque elements work most of the time, but they also defeat most of the cohesion and make it difficult to tell just what here is tongue-in-cheek and what isn’t. At its best moments, Life is Sweet! is a knowledgeable and excellently produced indie treasure. At its worst moments, it is a sordid and busy album that is difficult to grasp. There are plenty of great ideas here, and just about all of them are executed well, but the end result is a little bit confused at times.
--Dant Rambo
Comments