Lightspeed Champion is the name of the new musical venture by ex-Test Icicle Devonte Hynes, currently signed to Domino Records. Containing musical elements from a variety of genres, Lightspeed Champion is a radically different sound to Hynes' previous band. The band's name comes from a series of comic strips Hynes did as a teenager in his school maths books.
In early 2007, Hynes went to Omaha, Nebraska to record Lightspeed Champion's debut album with Saddle Creek producer Mike Mogis, also a member of the band Bright Eyes. A number of Omaha-based musicians appear on the record including Mogis himself, trumpet player and pianist Nate Walcott (also of Bright Eyes), The Faint's drummer Clark Baechle and guest vocalist Emmy The Great - along with moonlighting members of Cursive and Tilly And The Wall.[1]
The result of those recording sessions is the album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge which was released on January 21st, 2008. The first single from the album is "Galaxy of the Lost", which was released on July 30th, 2007.[2]
Hynes has also recorded a number of bootlegs and unofficial releases, made available to the public through his blog and MySpace, these include an album written and recorded entirley in a day and an EP consisting entirely of covers originally by the band Green Day.
Lightspeed Champion have also received airtime on Radio 1 during Hadouken!'s late-night one-off show 'In for Zane Lowe'.
