Here's a review of Lightspeed Champion's Marlene EP for the marvelous The Fugitive Motel.
Lightspeed Champion // Marlene EP
Domino Records // 25th Jan 2010
A restless soul is Devonte. Since Test Icicles' noisily parabolic rise and fall there’s been many a change of musical heart and direction. The brief dalliances with Chicago’s art-scuzz geniuses Whirlwind Heat; the Harold & Maude/Cat Stevens tribute act persona circa 2009; the recent demos from the Blood Orange alter alter ego; writing credits for Diana Vickers (no, really). But it’s Lightspeed Champion that’s stuck, despite the documented troubles of following up the majestic debut Falling off the Lavender Bridge.
Marlene is the fruit of those labours. The wry, melancholic lyrics and delivery that lent …Lavender Bridge its charm remain, along with the expansive yet sombre strings. What is immediately present and sets this single apart from anything Hynes has offered before is a perky indie-pop bounce, reminiscent of the commercially friendly moves made by Mystery Jets’ Two Doors Down or Patrick Wolf. In fact, it’s as if it can’t quite make up its mind what it wants to be. The jangly guitars and “Stop being cool, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh” laments switch intermittently with haunting violins and esoteric, “I’m waiting ‘til the sun has gone down, I’m waiting for a strand of your golden locks to sew my stomach shut” fables, but the seams between the two are all too visible. Where the first record oozed eccentric and restless inspiration, Marlene seems to court convention without fully being convinced by it. There’s no doubting the joy in its playfulness, and Hynes’ voice is as crisp and pleading as ever, but from a man seemingly so full of ideas (as the classical instrumental Concerto .2 “So Long! So Long!” and French language Gainsbourg cover on the B-sides confirms) it leaves one somewhat unfulfilled.
Tracks:
1. Marlene
2. Marlene (Radio edit)
3. Concerto .2 "So Long! So Long!"
4. 69 Annee Erotique
5. He's The Great Imposter
6. Tete Morte
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