Album: Lightspeed Champion, Bye Bye (Domino)

Andy Gill
Thursday 09 December 2010 20:00 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

His recent Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You album found Dev Hynes, aka Lightspeed Champion, emulating Todd Rundgren at his most excessive and baroque.

Small wonder, then, to find him working on this follow-up 10-inch EP with Van Dyke Parks, the Grand Poobah of baroque pop and sometime accomplice of Brian Wilson's more extravagant ideas. Indeed, it's Wilson's most Zen-like rumination, "'Til I Die", which opens this set, Hynes approximating the fuzzy, amniotic texture of the original, if not its weightless sense of wonder. Thereafter, the tracks all feature Parks' quixotic, serpentine string arrangements, most successfully on "The Mess You're In". It's clearly a labour of devotion on the singer's part, and though occasionally their skills are somewhat clumsily allied, it's a far from pointless exercise.

DOWNLOAD THIS 'Til I Die; The Mess You're In; Bye Bye Icarus

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in