Sondre Lerche - 'Faces Down' (Source)
4/5
By: Joshua K
Ah, music-scenes. Never as good as their best bands (we challenge you to listen to most of the Britpop CDs you own). Never as easy to pigeonhole as the marketers and style editors would like. And also, critically, only as good as their latest acts.
What, you may ask, does this have to do with the debut CD from 20-year-old singer/songwriter, Sondre Lerche? Well, rock(feedback) kids, Lerche is the latest export from the burgeoning Norway scene: an emerging pop byway encompassing everything from elegant strumming (the Norwegian Simon & Garfunkel, Kings of Convenience) to sensible beats (Royksopp and the Kings' Erlend Oye) to, er, pseudo-Appalachian country (St. Thomas).
However, while the concept of a 'Norway scene' may be completely dodgy, Sondre Lerche is unquestionably the real deal. A singer with a haunting voice and a deft way with a guitar. Not to mention an ear for sweet pop melodies that echo mainstays from the Beatles ('Sleep on Needles') to Serge Gainsbourg ('Modern Nature') while carving out a warm, classic sound all his own.
His first, 'Faces down' is an enchanting album, covering all the bases a good troubadour should - namely love, loss, longing and redemption. Add piano, keyboards and a touch of strings arranged by High Llama Sean O'Hagan (to the gorgeous 'You Know So Well' and two other tracks) and the results are clear. 'Magic in the air', as a certain poorly illustrated gentleman once sang.
Artists in this article: Sondre Lerche
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