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Sondra Lerche, a prodigiously talented young Norwegian, makes the kind of
dreamy, folksy pop that belies his 19 years of age. Writing all his own
music, Sondre's influences are still highly evident, echoes of Nick
Drake and McCartney's Beatles and even a hint of Blur can
be heard throughout the album. On tracks like You Know So Well you'd be
mistaken for thinking the music was taken from the same sessions that
produced songs like I Am The Walrus, whilst as his voice rises and pushes
at its limits, it often takes on an uncanny resemblance to the late Jeff
Buckley.
It's an astonishingly accomplished album, and one that grows on the
listener with each listen. At first his distinctive voice left me cold, but
after a couple of repeats I had been won over. Where the album fails to
convince though is its occasional lapse into rockier territories. When he
keeps things nice and maudlin it seems to come much more naturally. With
just an acoustic guitar and a simple accompaniment his songwriting ability
is allowed to shine through much clearer than when buried under a morass of
guitars.
Another tendency that the young singer-songwriter could probably do with
reigning in is his occasional drift into novelty songs. It's a thin line
between the likes of Sgt Peppers and the Frog Chorus - one he sometimes
drifts across, most evidently on tracks such as Modern Nature with its
mawkishly upbeat vocals and, God forbid, spoon solo. It's a tendency that
hovers over half the album, but thanks to the quality of the rest never
threatens to overwhelm it.
The songs are often gorgeous. No One's Gonna Come Out and On and Off Again are
two of the most beautiful acoustic pop songs you'll hear this year, the
studio sheen removed, and the sound dirtied up a little. Faces Down ends
of a high note with the down, out and wasted Things You Call Fate,
which combines the best of the folksy parts of the album with a playful
approach to sounds and song structure. A great debut album, from one of the
most promising young artists working today.
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