Lightspeed Champion - 'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge' (Domino) Released 21/01/08

The best things often come from the most unlikely sources, but this is just ridiculous. Formerly known for his work in the less-than-seminal Test Icicles (and for claiming post-split that none of them really liked the music anyway), Dev Hynes has created an alt-country album which is as good as it is surprising. Which is, well, very.

Better known for being a permanent fixture in Shoreditch's trendy nightspots, Hynes relocated to Omaha to record 'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge' with Saddle Creek uberproducer Mike Mogis. Also enlisting members of Cursive, Tilly and The Wall and Bright Eyes to appear on the record, it was never going to sound anything less than superb, but this would count for nothing if the songs weren't up to scratch. That they are is confirmed as early as the second track, previous single 'Galaxy of the Lost'. A plaintive opening section in which Hynes duets with guest vocalist Emmy The Great gives way to an infectious riff that recalls Weezer's 'I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams', and it rocks along so smoothly that lines like "as we kiss I'm sick in your mouth" slide by unnoticed for the first few listens, then somehow begin to sound beguiling.

Another highlight is 'Devil Tricks For A Bitch', a traditional-sounding country lament backed only by strings, making the opening lines "I'm going to assume my phone is broken/delivery reports have ruined my life" sound brilliantly incongruous. Hynes' songwriting comes to the fore again on 'Everyone I Know Is Listening to Crunk', putting an original twist on a break-up song with warm vocals buoyed by a choir and clarinet.

Not every track is a killer, but the Mogis' production, liberally sprinkled with pedal steel and harmonica, coupled with the odd lyrical gem, results in an album of real charm. From Nathan Barley-alike to Bourbon-soaked troubadour, Hynes has pulled off a metamorphosis of such magnitude it makes the whole caterpillar/butterfly trick look relatively prosaic. He has already hinted that his next record will see another change of direction, but in the meantime Lightspeed Champion has made an album to cherish.