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09/05/09 World Cafe Live @ Phila, PA
Discography
09/08/09 Bowery Ballroom @ New York 09/09/09 Williamsburg @ Brooklyn, NY 09/11/09 9:30 Club @ Washington, DC 09/12/09 Iron Horse Music Hall @ Northa, MA 09/13/09 Paradise Rock Club @ Boston, MA 09/14/09 Higher Ground @ S Burlington, VT 09/15/09 Petit Campus @ Montreal, QC 09/16/09 Mod Club Theatre @ Toronto, ON 09/18/09 Beachland Ballrm @ Cleveland, OH 09/19/09 Schubas Tavern @ Chicago, IL 09/20/09 Fine Line Cafe @ Minneapolis, MN 09/23/09 The Casbah @ San Diego, CA 09/24/09 Troubadour @ W Hollywood, CA 09/26/09 Soho Restaurant @ S Barbara, CA 09/27/09 Great American Music @ SF, CA 09/28/09 Doug Fir Lounge @ Portland, OR 09/29/09 Triple Door @ Seattle, WA 09/30/09 Biltmore Cabaret @ Vancouver, BC 10/07/09 The Garage @ London, UK 10/10/09 Queen Elizabeth Hall @ London 10/11/09 Ruby Lounge @ Manchester 10/13/09 Le Point Ephémère @ Paris
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Sondre Lerche – Heartbeat Radio
Last winter I saw Sondre Lerche at an outdoor flea market in Brooklyn, and we were both wearing those dorky yet ridiculously warm fleece-lined hats with ear flaps. He came off looking like a charming, appropriately attired urbanite, whereas I resembled a lost Himalayan Sherpa. Instant inferiority complex.
The keyword of that seemingly pointless anecdote is “charm” – the backbone of Lerche’s fifth album, Heartbeat Radio. As with his taste in hats, he manages to get away with a certain amount of corniness due to sheer charm and enthusiasm. Heartbeat Radio is a sweeping, often times beautiful, work of orchestral pop and a definite mark of Lerche’s growth as a musician. It’s just as appealing as his debut LP, Faces Down, but with an added sophistication and a keener attention to detail. Despite occasional forays into kitsch (check out the ode to one-time mechanic, one-time James Bond actor, George Lazenby, “Just Like Lazenby”), his intentions are true, and he’s bound to win you over.
Unlike his past two albums, Lerche does not attach a specific label to this one. Phantom Punch was his “rock” album, and Duper Sessions was his “jazz” album, but Heartbeat Radio benefits greatly from its lack of categorization. Lerche seems to enjoy the freedom on tracks like “Easy to Persuade,” where he blends guitars, synths, and even a sax to create a sound that eludes any easy classification. Without seeming schizophrenic, the songs on the album jump from genre to genre but all bear the mark of Lerche’s meticulous arrangements and infectious choruses.
Within such a broad spectrum of sounds, Lerche is able to strike a smooth balance between his orchestral grandeur and sincere, often amusing songwriting. On the wry track, “I Guess It’s Gonna Rain Today,” he pokes fun at himself for coming off as a “tired cliché.” It’s that sense of self-awareness and humor that allows me to forgive him –and inwardly swoon over—a song like “Words & Music.” With lyrics worthy of the best 1950’s musical, it wins the title for Lerche’s Cheesiest (and Sweetest) Song, a title previously held by “My Hands Are Shaking” off of the Dan in Real Life OST.
Lerche’s knack for romantic verse is not always sickeningly sweet though. On the buoyant single, “Heartbeat Radio,” things starts off typically with an unassuming acoustic guitar before blooming into a sweeping ode to unrequited love and second guessing. As he croons about “drowning in a sea of reverb” and “sad honkytonk,” the droll lyrics make way for the heartbreakingly delivered line: “my poor heart still beats for you.” All future boyfriends: please take note.
For all its romantic fanfare, Heartbeat Radio is still grounded in a slightly more mature, restrained sound. The two tracks that bookend the album, “Good Luck” and “Good Night,” are infused with all the right bells and whistles, but there’s still that sense of cynical, sometimes campy charm. On anyone else, it would come off as maudlin or overdone, but on Lerche it’s a natural fit.
Last winter I saw Sondre Lerche at an outdoor flea market in Brooklyn, and we were both wearing those dorky yet ridiculously warm fleece-lined hats with ear flaps. He came off looking like a charming, appropriately attired urbanite, whereas I resembled a lost Himalayan Sherpa. Instant inferiority complex.
The keyword of that seemingly pointless anecdote is “charm” – the backbone of Lerche’s fifth album, Heartbeat Radio. As with his taste in hats, he manages to get away with a certain amount of corniness due to sheer charm and enthusiasm. Heartbeat Radio is a sweeping, often times beautiful, work of orchestral pop and a definite mark of Lerche’s growth as a musician. It’s just as appealing as his debut LP, Faces Down, but with an added sophistication and a keener attention to detail. Despite occasional forays into kitsch (check out the ode to one-time mechanic, one-time James Bond actor, George Lazenby, “Just Like Lazenby”), his intentions are true, and he’s bound to win you over.
Unlike his past two albums, Lerche does not attach a specific label to this one. Phantom Punch was his “rock” album, and Duper Sessions was his “jazz” album, but Heartbeat Radio benefits greatly from its lack of categorization. Lerche seems to enjoy the freedom on tracks like “Easy to Persuade,” where he blends guitars, synths, and even a sax to create a sound that eludes any easy classification. Without seeming schizophrenic, the songs on the album jump from genre to genre but all bear the mark of Lerche’s meticulous arrangements and infectious choruses.
Within such a broad spectrum of sounds, Lerche is able to strike a smooth balance between his orchestral grandeur and sincere, often amusing songwriting. On the wry track, “I Guess It’s Gonna Rain Today,” he pokes fun at himself for coming off as a “tired cliché.” It’s that sense of self-awareness and humor that allows me to forgive him –and inwardly swoon over—a song like “Words & Music.” With lyrics worthy of the best 1950’s musical, it wins the title for Lerche’s Cheesiest (and Sweetest) Song, a title previously held by “My Hands Are Shaking” off of the Dan in Real Life OST.
Lerche’s knack for romantic verse is not always sickeningly sweet though. On the buoyant single, “Heartbeat Radio,” things starts off typically with an unassuming acoustic guitar before blooming into a sweeping ode to unrequited love and second guessing. As he croons about “drowning in a sea of reverb” and “sad honkytonk,” the droll lyrics make way for the heartbreakingly delivered line: “my poor heart still beats for you.” All future boyfriends: please take note.
For all its romantic fanfare, Heartbeat Radio is still grounded in a slightly more mature, restrained sound. The two tracks that bookend the album, “Good Luck” and “Good Night,” are infused with all the right bells and whistles, but there’s still that sense of cynical, sometimes campy charm. On anyone else, it would come off as maudlin or overdone, but on Lerche it’s a natural fit.
08/31/2009 01:04:52 ♥ kateg (
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