Lightspeed Champion XPN FAN

Just when you think you’ve listened to it all along comes a guy like Lightspeed Champion...such great tunes, voice, so much talent.
Act was him on the guitar (and piano for a minute when there was one available) and a violin player (Tom Clarke?). Band was not missed (though the additional vocals in the cd, by Emmy The Great, are more than worth mentioning -to die for when they take turns at the end of Dry lips ).
I don’t think he realizes how strange he looks in the pics and vids he posts. But after listening to him for a minute that stops being of any importance. And when he’s in front of you he’s just a guy with a funny furry hat, not scary, who I bet has a great sense of humour.
Then you come across the lyrics, that’s dare nr 2. I still remember when I was like 12 and this teacher made us write an essay on whatever would cross our minds during some minutes, our train of thought. I took it literally and wrote down what passed through my head, and unfortunately later it was me who she randomly chose to read the composition to the whole class. I got the most what’s-the-problem-with-her stares I’ve ever experienced, felt so exposed. That’s what I think Dev is about to a much higher level, he says what comes to his mind, just writes what he feels without censoring nor disguising it, one has to be thankful for such pure sincerity, it's so brave. More so when his is a peculiar world too, he’s been different since he was a child (health problems, trouble sleeping, you name it). Still, I can relate to most of what he expresses. There's pretty much nothing he doesn't dare to do (all sorts of instruments, made up words, even a 10 minutes song... I guess they call him a mad genious for a reason!) But (unbelievably) he's only 22, so there's also room for some goofy teenage nonsense (a tiny little bit). He did some censoring on his lyrics on the XPN gig though, told me laughing shyly it’s not easy to sing that to some crowds.
Sorry for my personal blabla that is of no interest, but I didn't know how else to convey the idea-
Another fact I love about his music is that although what he writes about is tough times & tough issues, it's in an upbeat mood full of irony that makes you deal with it in a different, hopeful state of mind. You won’t end up sad and depressed, he’ll actually make you feel better-
Songs like Dry lips, with tension escalating till it chokes you and then releasing it all with a big bang are such a triumph. Wow. Plus, who hasn't had one or two two year relationships that ended up a mess?
So this one’s going to be one of my favourites for a really long time. It was great to get to meet him (so good when the musicians you admire are not “famous” and you can talk to them like that, a world of difference...).
And kudos to him: World cafe concert, he was there with everybody else before going onstage (a bit hidden) listening to a quite terrible supporting act. That says a lot about what kind of person he is.
Said they’ll be back in Philly in June with the whole band. Looking forward to it.


PS Clues to his music:
*Relates to the world of comics (cosmic superheroes,...he's a big fan), also likes to draw a lot (turns up in some songs). See this for his favs.
*He suffers of chronic cramps in his stomach (hence the boiling guts,etc...of Dry lips, etc) and many food allergies (alcohol too, he drinks..it's not pretty, so goes the line in Galaxy of the lost), problems with sleep too (brought up all the time in his songs).
*He talks openly about all this and more in many interviews.
*He's super prolific, from time to time he posts free songs to download in his blog, myspace etc.
*As said, he's very comunicative (but shy); he's a blogger. He did a post on the "Philadelphia day" on the 8th of March, brough back funny memories (fire drill!!!!)!!.
*I wish he wouldn't use words like guts and motherf*cker though. Hmm