With Test Icicles, vocalist Dev Hynes already had an intriguing band name to his credit. Lightspeed Champion is also a nice one, although it is a flag that does not cover the cargo. Whoever expects lightning-fast music will be disappointed. In contrast to his old work, Dev is influenced by folk and country on this record in twelve quiet songs that are doused with a thick sauce of violin parts and
… pedal steel sounds. Yet Hynes doesn't sound like a roots singer anywhere. His background as an alternative rock musician cuts through all the sweet arrangements, from his overdramatic, uneducated voice to the structures of his songs that don't want to obey the laws of traditional folk song. At the best of times this results in an interesting cross-pollination, at least as often it is neither meat nor fish. (MS)more
