Sondre Lerche
Two Way Monologue
(Virgin)
The Norwegian wunderkind has much to live up to on his second full-length—like Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, he’s been saddled with saving his generation. Good luck. Kids are much more content crying along to Oberst’s wordy, folky heartbreakers than Lerche’s pop poems. Lerche—a Heavy Blinkers fan—is rooted in the kind of sound no one but the Blinkers bothers to make anymore: lushly arranged ’60s-era pop. His lyrics could use some work, but hey, third time’s just as charming.
—Tara Thorne
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.