The ear pleasing, easy listening journey of the first album 'Faces Down' became an exceptional pop record that broke Lerche into the earnest singer-songwriter mainstream
At the tender age of 21, Sondre Lerche prepares to release his second album 'Two Way Monologue'. The ear pleasing, easy listening journey of the first album 'Faces Down' became an exceptional pop record that broke Lerche into the earnest singer-songwriter mainstream, earning him comparisons with Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and Prefab Sprout. The follow-up stays in similar territory to the debut.
Recorded in his hometown of Bergen, and employing the string arrangements of Sean O'Hagen from the high Llamas, the arrangements assimilate decades of chamber pop, folk and even jazz. String, horns and keyboards set the tone on what appears to be a fairly mixed album.
Album opener "Love You" is a bizarre folky instrumental, with a slide guitar arrangement coming over all dreamy - think Air. The songs possess a jagged, hard edge, backed by the fragility of his voice. This is highlighted in particular on "Track You Down", although the emotive vocals can't save the song from the lyrical wreck that ensues. The perfect Nashville soul of "On the Tower" is one of the standout tracks of the album, with the tempo shifting to dramatic effect when the catchy chorus kicks in.
The title track and single "Two Way Monologue" is a layered guitar-driven song, with the effective keyboards acting as a prop to change the mood setting of the song. "Wet Ground" and "Counter Spark" follow, recalling the sounds that the Lemonhead's looked to replicate from their hero Gram Parsons.
Where the album does fail is in the latter stages; "It's Over" comes across like a Disney orchestration, going pretty much nowhere. "Stupid Memory" bases itself around a heavy bassline, which drowns the intricate guitar noodling into a mire of unnecessary noise. The best is however saved for last - the closing track "Maybe You're Gone" may be the mark of this young man, clearly identifying Lerche's growth and challenges that he has encountered, purporting a progression to his own self identify.
This is a good effort. The disappointment lies in the fact that Lerche has not really developed as an artist since his last album. When he does, the success he can attain will be remarkable.
~T.J.Hart6.
