Falling Off the Lavender Bridge

Infobox Album
Name = Falling Off the Lavender Bridge
Type = Studio album
Artist = Lightspeed Champion


Released = January 21, 2008
Recorded = 2007
Genre = Indie, Folk
Length = 43:00
Label = Domino Records
Producer = Mike Mogis
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:h9fexzlgldte link]
*Drowned in Sound (6/10) [http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/12703 link]
*NME (9/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/lightspeed-champion/9404 link]
*Pitchfork Media (6.3/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/48522-falling-off-the-lavender-bridge link]
*PopMatters (6/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/52478/lightspeed-champion-falling-off-the-lavender-bridge/ link]
Last album =
This album = "Falling Off the Lavender Bridge"

Next album =

"Falling Off the Lavender Bridge" is the debut album by British artist Lightspeed Champion, which was released on January 21, 2008 [cite web |url=http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/4156778/-/Product.html?searchstring=Lightspeed+Champion&searchsource=0|title=Play.com listing|publisher =Play.com|accessdate=2008-01-13] . The album features the singles "Galaxy of the Lost", "Midnight Surprise" and "Tell Me What It's Worth". [cite web |url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Falling-Lavender-Bridge-Lightspeed-Champion/dp/B000S9KSGO|title=Amazon.co.uk listing|publisher =Amazon.co.uk|accessdate=2007-12-17]

Recording

Devonte Hynes, the main musician in Lightspeed Champion, flew to Omaha, Nebraska in early 2007 to flesh out the songs that he'd written with Mike Mogis, resident producer for Saddle Creek records and a member of Bright Eyes. He stayed there for several months in a guest house decorated by Mogis and Conor Oberst. An assortment of musicians came around to hang out and ended up playing on the record including Mogis himself, trumpet player and pianist Nate Walcott, The Faint's drummer Clark Baechle and guest vocalist Emmy The Great - along with moonlighting members of Cursive and Tilly And The Wall. [cite web |url=http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/index.php?page=artists&artistID=248|title=Domino Records page|publisher =Domino Records|accessdate=2007-12-17]

According to Hynes, the album is in two halves; a mixture of his dreams and life experiences. The lavender in the album title refers to a toy frog (made from lavender) Hynes' mother gave to him as a child to help him sleep [cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1S6CSAcEbY&feature=user|title=An Introduction To Lightspeed Champion (video)|publisher =YouTube|accessdate=2008-08-01] .

Track listing

*CD WIGCD186, LP WIGLP186

Disc one

# "Number One" – 0:25
# "Galaxy of the Lost" – 3:58
# "Tell Me What It's Worth" – 2:41
# "All to Shit" – 1:12
# "Midnight Surprise" – 9:56
# "Devil Tricks For a Bitch" – 4:40
# "I Could Have Done This Myself" – 3:26
# "Salty Water" – 2:26
# "Dry Lips" – 3:46
# "Everyone I Know Is Listening to Crunk" – 3:03
# "Let the Bitches Die" – 2:38
# "No Surprise (For Wendela)/Midnight Surprise" – 5:06

=Disc two - Acoustic Bonus Disc [cite web |url=http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/4156778/-/Product.html?searchstring=Lightspeed+Champion&searchsource=0|title=Play.com listing|publisher =Play.com|accessdate=2008-01-13] =

#"Never Meant to Hurt You" (Good Shoes cover) - 3:29
#"Souvenirs" (Patrick Wolf cover) - 3:08
#"Flesh Failures" (from the musical "Hair") - 4:05
#"Xanadu" (Olivia Newton-John cover) - 3:46

Notes

Hynes claims "I Could Have Done This Myself" is "about losing [his] virginity" going on to state, "which is why it's called I Could Have Done This Myself. I later realised that it was actually referring to the second time I had sex; the first time was so traumatic I'd just blanked it out of my memory."

"Dry Lips" describes the last time Hynes - who has to lead a relatively sober life because of stomach ulcers - had a hangover.

The 'Wendela' mentioned in the name of the final track ("No Surprise (For Wendela)") is a reference to Hynes' mother. [cite web |url=http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/index.php?page=artists&artistID=248|title=Domino Records page|publisher =Domino Records|accessdate=2007-12-17]

External links

* [http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/index.php?page=artists&artistID=248 Dev Hynes talking in extensive detail about the album]
* [http://www.lightspeedchampion.com Lightspeed Champion official website]
* [http://www.dominorecordco.com/site/index.php?page=news&artistID=248 Lightspeed Champion Domino Records artists page]
* [http://www.audiojunkies.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=529&Itemid=60 Lightspeed Champion Album Review on Audiojunkies]

References