Lightspeed Champion

Lightspeed Champion is the brain child of Devonté Hynes and has been active since 2005. In 2007, he released Falling off the Lavender Bridge to critical acclaim. This record was recorded and produced in Omaha, Nebraska with the help of Saddle Creek producer Mike Mogis.   Mogis is most famous for his work with Connor Oberst and Bright Eyes. Falling off the Lavender Bridge has a star studded guest list, including Nate Walcott, pianist and trumpet player for Bright Eyes, and The Faint drummer Clark Baechle.

Now, in 2010, Hynes has finally released the followup to 2007′s Falling off the Lavender Bridge, titled Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You and is a bit more complex than the initial Lightspeed Champion release. Where Falling off the Lavender Bridge is often simple and poppy, the new record is thick and speckled with new sounds. Now, it’s not to say that Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You doesn’t feel like the same band that captured the indie folk scene’s heart back in 2007, but it is definitely a departure from the earlier release. Devonté’s voice is definitely stronger on this release. The 2007 release had a kind of sweet nervousness to the vocals, which have since been replaced with vocals soaring with confidence and intention.

You can currently purchase the both Lightspeed Champion albums at Domino Record’s website on vinyl for $12.99, CD for $8.99 and digital for $7.99. The band is currently touring the UK and western Europe.

Photo by Autumn De Wilde

Monsters of Folk, with its obvious tribute to the festival Monsters of Rock, is threatening to create quite a stir in the music world. Having already announced the concept — the band is comprised of Bright Eyes alumni Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, and songwriter M. Ward — they’ve now confirmed their plans to release a debut album on September 22, 2009. The album will be released in the U.S. on Shangri-La Music and internationally on Rough Trade in the UK, Spunk Records in Australia and New Zealand, and P-Vine Records in Japan.

The album was produced by Mogis and features all four members of the band performing every instrument on the album.

Source: Girlie Action Media and Marketing