Blood Orange

If Dev Hynes weren't just so damn cool, it'd be quite easy to resent the guy. Recently, he's been taking a break from his critically-acclaimed alter ego Lightspeed Champion, his Americana rootsy-country persona; this after having been credited, or accused, with the creation of nu-rave with his band Test Icicles. Now, whereas I would spend any break catching up on Loose Women and getting intimately, and perhaps irrevocably, acquainted with my pyjamas, that's just not Dev's style.

Instead, in the short time before his next Lightspeed Champion album comes out (supposedly February 2010, dependent on industry politics), he's created a whole new project. This is Blood Orange, a psychedelic rock and funk based outfit that he has been quietly introducing into society like a bashful debutante, teasing bloggers to the point of distraction. So far, Dev has sent out only a few tracks but the sexy groove of 'I'm Sorry We Lied' and the heavy plodding bass of 'Sutphin Boulevard' suggest something special. Not bad for something Dev himself labelled a "wanky experiment".