Word: sweetness
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...played with a precise poignancy, spinning out an all-encompassing sound that mesmerized by itself, but otherwise delicately underscored the ensemble’s playing. However, he never completely came into his own on other pieces, oscillating otherwise between soul jazz and more straight-ahead playing without hitting the sweet spots of either modes...
This variety makes Hynes’ newest album, “Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You,” difficult to classify. It is too emotionally charged to be relaxed, but too relaxed to be emotionally moving. Hynes has settled down from the first Lightspeed Champion album, 2008’s “Falling off Lavender Bridge,” in which quiet and underwhelming music masked angry self-loathing lyrics. However, “Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You” is a confused record. It is comprised of angry break-up ballads...
...musical variety is the greatest strength of “Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You.” No two tracks sound even vaguely similar and this serves to liven up a lyrically simple album. When this music isn’t enough to carry the song, though, the lyrics are too thin to pick up the burden, and the track quickly falls flat. Most choruses are excessively simple—eight or nine word phrases that are repeated over and over again for the length of time necessary between equally short verses...
...Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You” is an enjoyable album with moments of true elegance and beauty. The instrumental numbers—which comprize four out of the 15 tracks—are all lovely, and when Hynes focuses on this aspect of his music, the album is exceptional. Unfortunately, when the instrumental innovation falls away, the lyrics rarely have the depth or character to engage, and Lightspeed Champion sadly slips into the shadows...
...some sweet pictures from the event, take a look at TED's slideshow or Flickr. And if you missed out on Harvard's little version of the conference, check out The Crimson's photo gallery or video from that night...