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8.0
8481
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
While everything about this album indicates that Hynes has done a lot of growing up, there is still a sense of fun as well. If his audience can mature with him, there's a huge amount to enjoy here, and his even keel is to be welcomed
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8.0
8489
8.0 |
Uncut
Print edition only
-
8.0
8682
8.0 |
musicOMH
While everything about this album indicates that Hynes has done a lot of growing up, there is still a sense of fun as well
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8.0
8543
8.0 |
The Fly
Slick, accomplished, witty and, above all, utterly charming, ‘Life Is Sweet!...’ is a record to fall in love with at every turn
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8.0
8632
8.0 |
The Scotsman
A gauche indie pop collection, yet one scattered with nicely judged strings, ukulele, woodwind, baroque piano, Eno-esque analogue intermissions and a lusty Brechtian male chorus
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8.0
8965
8.0 |
Eye Weekly
Save a slot on your next mixtape for baby-mama-drama funk track “Marlene,” replete with orchestral string swells and an aching narrative that’s practically Bronte-esque
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8.0
9018
8.0 |
The Guardian
What the songwriter does – simple country-twinged, piano/guitar music – he does very well
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8.0
9050
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Hynes may occasionally be guilty of trying to be all things to all people, but his talent, range and sheer joy make him a little treasure
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8.0
9077
8.0 |
Clash
A solid second record with tinges of brilliance, it’s another fine piece of work from the busiest man around
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7.0
8911
7.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
After the unpredicted turn to theatrical sounds and a varied library of instruments, it is a shame that the lyrics couldn’t match the impressive level of development that has occurred in the other elements of Lightspeed Champion’s music
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7.0
8942
7.0 |
The Digital Fix
Each of these songs could easily stand alone, but when combined into a performance as lavish as this they prop each other up and create an exquisite listening experience
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7.0
8949
7.0 |
NME
Print edition only
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7.0
9120
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
What this second Lightspeed LP reveals is a craftsman deliberately and painstakingly raising his songwriting game one chord change at a time
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-
7.0
9171
7.0 |
PopMatters
In opening up to his own possibilities, Hynes risks the occasional mishit, but he also allows himself, when the connection is clean, to strike compelling new heights
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7.0
9174
7.0 |
Spin
This quintessential outsider may not win back his sadistic sweetheart, but he's found a far more flattering mask
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7.0
10188
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
No matter how many gems are in this album – and there are a few – stylistically, it’s a dog’s breakfast
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6.7
8634
6.7 |
Pitchfork
Alternately inspired and frustrating, it addresses themes of lost love (and lost chicness) with Queen-size 70s-rock pomp, neoclassical interludes, and one ukulele-based chamber-pop song
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6.0
9021
6.0 |
The Independent
It's as if he's deliberately posing himself problems of musical congruency
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6.0
9105
6.0 |
Independent on Sunday
...not a genius, but a nice guy who's mastered the knack of emoting without being an emo ting
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-
6.0
9106
6.0 |
Independent on Sunday
...not a genius, but a nice guy who's mastered the knack of emoting without being an emo ting
Read Review
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6.0
8525
6.0 |
The Irish Times
If there’s one quibble, it’s that several songs seem to gather pace before receding, their stop- start thrust making it difficult to fully engage
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6.0
8485
6.0 |
Q
Print edition only
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6.0
9139
6.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
This is quality inventive pop music which could just benefit from some self-indulgence control
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4.0
8488
4.0 |
Mojo
Print edition only
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4.0
9067
4.0 |
The Sunday Times
What is lacking, though, is any real sense of Hynes himself. He’s here, of course, but as a skittish, dilettante presence, spread far too thin
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