Falling Off the Lavender Bridge
Falling off the Lavender Bridge | ||||
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Studio album by Lightspeed Champion | ||||
Released | 21 January 2008 | |||
Recorded |
2007 ARC Studios, Omaha, Nebraska | |||
Genre | Indie rock, folk | |||
Length | 43:00 | |||
Label | Domino | |||
Producer | Mike Mogis | |||
Lightspeed Champion chronology | ||||
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Singles from Falling off the Lavender Bridge | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 70/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Drowned in Sound | (6/10)[3] |
NME | (9/10)[4] |
Pitchfork Media | (6.3/10)[5] |
PopMatters | (6/10)[6] |
Falling off the Lavender Bridge is the debut album by British artist Lightspeed Champion, which was released on 21 January 2008.[7] The album features the singles "Galaxy of the Lost", "Midnight Surprise" and "Tell Me What It's Worth".[8]
Recording
Devonté 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.[9]
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.[10]
Track listing
CD WIGCD186, LP WIGLP186 | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Number One" | 0:25 |
2. | "Galaxy of the Lost" | 3:58 |
3. | "Tell Me What It's Worth" | 2:41 |
4. | "All to Shit" | 1:12 |
5. | "Midnight Surprise" | 9:56 |
6. | "Devil Tricks for a Bitch" | 4:40 |
7. | "I Could Have Done This Myself" | 3:26 |
8. | "Salty Water" | 2:26 |
9. | "Dry Lips" | 3:46 |
10. | "Everyone I Know Is Listening to Crunk" | 3:03 |
11. | "Let the Bitches Die" | 2:38 |
12. | "No Surprise (for Wendela)/Midnight Surprise" | 5:06 |
Limited Edition Acoustic Bonus Disc[7] | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Never Meant to Hurt You" (Good Shoes cover) | 3:29 |
2. | "Souvenirs" (Patrick Wolf cover) | 3:08 |
3. | "Flesh Failures" (from the musical Hair) | 4:05 |
4. | "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. [9]
Personnel
- Devonté Hynes - vocals, guitar
- Emmy the Great - additional vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- Tim Kasher - additional vocals (track 3)
- Derek Pressnall, Kianna Alarid, Susan Sanchez, David Coyote Bones, NIk Fackler, Joe Knapp - group vocals (tracks 7, 12)
- Clark Baechle - drums
- Kimberley Salistean, Cynthia Ricker, Donna Carnes & Tracy Sands - strings
- Nate Walcott - strings arrangement
- Tom Clarke - cello
- Miguel Picanco - oboe
- Mark Benson - clarinet
- Karen Murphy - flute
- Mike Mogis - producer, mixer, engineer
Charts
Charts (2008)[11] | Peak position |
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UK Albums Chart | 45 |
French Albums Chart | 105 |
References
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/falling-off-the-lavender-bridge/lightspeed-champion
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Drowned in Sound review
- ↑ NME review
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ PopMatters review
- 1 2 "Play.com listing". Play.com. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ↑ "Amazon.co.uk listing". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- 1 2 "Domino Records page". Domino Records. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ↑ "An Introduction To Lightspeed Champion (video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ↑ "Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
External links
- Dev Hynes talking in extensive detail about the album
- Lightspeed Champion official website
- Lightspeed Champion Domino Records artists page
- Lightspeed Champion Album Review on Audiojunkies
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