Lightspeed Heat - How Do You? (Brille)
3/5
By: Dan Monsell
This was quite a strange thing to arrive through the rockfeedback letterbox. We read the press blurb inquisitively, to reveal that this extremely yellow disc is a two track side project from members of Michigan quirky power-poppers Whirlwind Heat plus ex Test Icicle ('Lightspeed Champion') Dev. The result is 'Lightspeed Heat', with the story going that Dev travelled out to Grand Rapids, Michigan; to hang out, play some basketball, and write some songs. It's an indie folk story of sorts.
The result is, to my surprise, pretty good. While nothing at all like Test Icicles, it adds nicely to Whirlwind Heat's brand of American, early 90s fuzzed-up and weird pop music. This is guitar-music akin to Beck and other talented American weirdos who make inappropriate jokes, know their way around a good book and usually come from curious small towns.
'How Do You?' is full of straight up loud-quiet changes, with great ooing choruses to give the catch before it descends into a Pixies-style chaos for the end section. We like. Second track 'My Dreams' is admittedly a bit weak, but still a nice enough lo-fi affair. It does however perk up at the end when the fuzz kicks back in - in fact the whole thing is, overall, a good record for fuzz, putting it in the same bracket as unusual distorted American pop stuff like Ben Kweller and Weezer. Heck, as this gets a few more listens it just sounds a hell of a lot like Pavement.
Not to worry though, they wear this influence well; and this is a record to soundtrack the ritual donning of the chequered shirt and ripped jeans in the morning, which make us feel just right. We're glad he went to Michigan - a worthwhile trip.
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