| Product Summary | | Label: Rounder Records | | UPC: 00011661909427 | | Release Date: 9/8/2009 | | Buy.com Sku: 211420641 | | Item#: M4PN3M | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Good Luck ~ Sondre Lerche |  | | 2. Heartbeat Radio ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 3. I Cannot Let You Go ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 4. Like Lazenby ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 5. If Only ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 6. Pioneer ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 7. Easy to Persuade ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 8. Words & Music ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 9. I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 10. Almighty Moon ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 11. Don't Look Now ~ Sondre Lerche | | | 12. Goodnight ~ Sondre Lerche | |
| Sondre Lerche, an award-winning singer-songwriter, newly minted Hollywood go-to man, and frequent sighting on critics' year-end "best albums" lists, is back with his fifth studio album, Heartbeat Radio. The songs mix acoustic guitars and grand gestures of orchestral pop with elements of anything from '50s Jazz via '60s and '70s Brazilian psych-folk to state-of-the-art '80s pop masters such as Prefab Sprout, Scritti Politti and Fleetwood Mac. While it maintains the studio polish of his groundbreaking debut, Faces Down, there's also a sense of musical adventure that stems from his later work. Having written, scored, and recorded all songs for the Dan in Real Life soundtrack, as well as earned Rolling Stone "top 50" nods, and Elvis Costello's fan-ship, Lerche is no stranger to acclaim. But the story doesn't stop there. Heartbeat Radio is Sondre Lerche's boldest and most challenging record yet.
"Lerche's most eclectic outing yet, with no overarching concept beyond a consistent level of excellence." Los Angeles Times
"...Sondre Lerche has done it again..." Steve Greenley, Boston Globe
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Sondre Lerche (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar). | | Audio Mixer: Joe Chiccarelli. | | Arranger: Sondre Lerche. | | Over the course of his short career, Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche has changed course more times than Steve McQueen racing through the streets of San Francisco in BULLIT. From the chamber pop he started out with on his first two albums (including his best until now TWO-WAY MONOLOGUE) to the late-night jazz album (DUPER SESSIONS), the punky new wave record (PHANTOM PUNCH), and the soundtrack (DAN IN REAL LIFE), he's been somewhat of a chameleon. Lerche's songwriting is tricky but light on its feet, emotionally nuanced and quick-witted, too. His voice is rich and sweet, the musicians he plays with are above par, and his musical taste is always spot-on. Rather than being some kind of surprising U-turn, HEARTBEAT RADIO is a consolidation of everything he's done so far. It has his best songwriting, most effective vocals, and most accomplished sound. Lerche draws from classic sophisticated pop throughout, whether making reference to Prefab Sprout on the wonderfully smooth "I Cannot Let You Go" or Randy Newman on the melancholy "I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today," dipping into loungy atmospheres on the swooning "Like Lazenby," or tripping through the flowers like a lovestruck sunshine pop singer on "Words & Music." He also adds some spunk to the proceedings with cynical slams on the music biz ("Goodnight") and the radio ("Heartbeat Radio") that call to mind Elvis Costello at his most bitter. It's a well-rounded, extremely listenable album from a really talented singer/songwriter. |
Producer: Sondre Lerche |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 09/08/2009 | | Original Release Date : 2009 | | Catalog ID : 90942 | | Label : Rounder Select | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 46m : 32s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00011661909427 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Spin (p.80)
- "Gentlemanly melodies glide across elegant guitars and High Llama Sean O'Hagan's swelling string arrangements."Paste (magazine)
(p.50)
- "[T]his is Lerche's orchestral-pop album, with everything from gorgeously ornate ballads to funky Brazilian-flavored R&B..." AllMusicGuide.com 8 of 10
Over the course of his short career, Norwegian singer / songwriter Sondre Lerche has changed course more times than Steve McQueen racing through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt. It's part of his charm that you never quite know what he's going to do next. From the chamber pop he started out with on his first two albums (including his best until now Two Way Monologue) to the late-night jazz album (Duper Sessions), the punky new wave record (Phantom Punch), and the soundtrack (Dan in Real Life), he's been somewhat of a chameleon. It's also part of his charm that everything he's done up to Heartbeat Radio has been very good. Lerche's songwriting is tricky but light on its feet, emotionally nuanced and quick-witted, too. His voice is rich and sweet, the musicians he plays with are always good, and his musical taste is always spot-on. Heartbeat Radio not only keeps with this tradition, but it's his best work to date. Rather than being some kind of surprising U-turn, the album is a consolidation of everything he's done so far. It has his best songwriting, most effective vocals, and most accomplished sound, and stands as some of the best modern pop around at the end of the decade. Lerche draws from classic sophisticated pop throughout, whether making reference to Prefab Sprout on the wonderfully smooth "I Cannot Let You Go" or Randy Newman on the melancholy "I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today," dipping into loungy atmospheres on the swooning "Like Lazenby," or tripping through the flowers like a lovestruck sunshine pop singer on "Words & Music." He also adds some spunk to the proceedings with cynical slams on the music biz ("Goodnight") and the radio ("Heartbeat Radio") that call to mind Elvis Costello at his most bitter, and peppy rockers like "Don't Look Now" and "Easy to Persuade." It's a well-rounded, extremely listenable album from a really talented singer/songwriter. If this is the style Lerche decides to stick with for a while, that will be cause for a round of hearty cheers from fans of smart, sophisticated guitar pop everywhere. If you are a fan of said music and you don't know Sondre Lerche, this is the place to start the discovery process. - Tim Sendra
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