SONDRE LERCHE - Heartbeat Radio

Already with five albums under his belt despite his young age (just 28), Sondre Lerche is one of those secrets that the alternative music underground keeps wanting to hoard for itself. Although he has repeatedly proven his worth as a pop songwriter ready to become the heir to Belle And Sebastian in the imagination of the average indie-rock fan, the Norwegian singer-songwriter churns out yet another solid album, full of hummable, seductive little tunes, but once again fails to break through.

The fascination with guitar-driven indie-rock, which seemed to come through more forcefully on "Two Way Monologue", recedes into the background again (though guitar does come roaring back on "Almighty Moon"), while Sondre's airy, graceful brightness once more takes centre stage. Strings and horns, used with meticulous restraint, recall the atmospheres of "Dear Catastrophe Waitress", while the boyish voice of the big lad from Bergen quivers, as loving and melodramatic as ever, if not more so, now carrying a greater sense of self-awareness.

The album, like any self-respecting pop record, sways between carefree lightness and melancholy, between wounded love and requited love. Expansive orchestration, not a single smudge, flashes of an almost Bacharach-esque airiness (see "I Cannot Let You Go"), intense and poetic lyrics that nonetheless slip by without leaving much of a mark. The record's high point is undoubtedly the gentle acoustic ballad "Pioneer", on which Lerche plays the part of a modern-day Nick Drake, descending into the depths of defeated love for an aching lament that sinks into a liquid swirl seemingly rising from some dark subterranean crevice.

Too little to rise above a barely passing grade. Sondre hasn't pushed himself beyond the bare minimum, and the risk he now runs, after nearly ten years into his career, is getting trapped in a limbo of eternal promise never quite fulfilled at the highest level. It's up to him to prove us wrong.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

22/11/2010