Sondre Lerche - Faces Down
(Astralwerks)
Norwegian orchestral pop from 19 year old Lerche (full name: Sondre Lerche Vaular), whose voice is a combination of Robyn Hitchcock and Al Stewart and whose tunes combine the bland pop trappings of Matthew Sweet and the fey pleasantries of Belle & Sebastian. In other words, the girls're gonna eat this shit up.
"Sleep on Needles"' driving beat and Bacharachian fadeout manages to work up a sweat and the theremin solo on "Suffused With Love" adds a nice, unusual touch. The catchy duets with Lillian Samdal ("Modern Nature," "On and Off Again," and "Virtue and Wine") are among the more memorable tunes, with Bacharach's ghost hovering all over the latter track. As a matter of fact, High Llamas/Stereolab orchestra leader Sean O'Hagan arranged the strings on three of the tracks, giving the album a smooth, loungy vibe. Overall, a promising debut and a pleasant diversion for fans of quirky, loungy orchestral pop.
|
