Two Way Monologue

Sondre Lerche | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B0001DMUBS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,784 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #66 in Music > World Music > Europe > Scandinavia > Norway
  • #87 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Chamber Pop

Editorial Reviews

The follow up to the critically-acclaimed 'Faces Down', Sondre Lerche's second album is a tour-de-force of soaring pop melodies and rich technicolor arrangements. The 21-year old Bergen, Norway native recalls artists like Jeff Buckley, Elvis Costello, Beck, Brian Wilson, Rufus Wainwright, Burt Bacharach and Cole Porter. From the fragile acoustics of ‘It’s Too Late’ to the symphonic variations of the title track, from the no depression lilt of ‘Stupid Memory’ to the uplifting pop of ‘On The Tower’, this is an album of breath-taking diversity and imagination.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Track ME Down, April 1, 2004

By 

Matthew McGrath (Rockford, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two Way Monologue (Audio CD)

I'm quite thrilled that I stumbled upon the music of Sondre Lerche. This artist has such a compelling flare to his music, that it makes most other artists out there seem childish. Being that he is only 21 years of age, one would think his music would be quite naive and inexperienced, but it is delightfully the opposite. His tunes touch your heart and leave you wanting more...and more. "Two Way Monologue" builds upon the classics of "Faces Down" and takes them to a new level of wonderful song crafting, superior guitar work, and fascinating vocal melodies. This album will grow on you upon repeated listens and will quickly rise to the top of your list of favorites. Now, imagine what he will do next! If I were to sum this album up in one word...Jackpot!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, January 15, 2005

By 

Blackberries (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Way Monologue (Audio CD)

Two Way Monologue marked my first encounter with Sondre Lerche, and man, what a great introduction to a fantastic musician. This recording is all around sensational. Amazon's editorial review likened Sondre to some of his influences, Rufus Wainwright, Elvis Costello and Brian Wilson, but I think his work is quite distinct. Some elements of those artists might have been incorporated into Sondre's sound, but his delivery and song structure is entirely different from anything I've ever heard. As a 21-year-old, it's hard to imagine how he concocted such a stunning blend of lyrics and melodies. His words are quite lovely and poetic, as evidenced by the opening lines of Wet Ground, "Wet ground and the snow is still not falling/Circumstances are alarming, darling/The future is just a word, that's how I recall it/The past is much more present in our yawning" and the lilting It's Over, "When you could use the words reserved for a sad song/You'll find you've spent them up on God and everyone/Like anyone before." A number of songs left me completely awestruck, including the aforementioned songs and the title track, Two Way Monologue, the melancholy closer, Maybe You're Gone and the beautiful It's Our Job. This album is really great. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in advanced musicianship, evocative lyrics and a wholly breathtaking delivery.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Brilliance, May 23, 2004

By 

evergreen "Jerome G.V." (Cerritos, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Way Monologue (Audio CD)

In a world once devoid of singer/songwriters, we are now up to our necks with Gavin DeGraw's, Jason Mraz's, and John Mayer's. And once, we could measure an artist's integrity through their lyrics alone. But nowadays, as the need to sell that scrap of honesty away becomes more and more mandatory, they are able to peddle it away out of outlets not necessarily of a musical nature. The simplest example is Mayer with his blatant contradiction of his sensitive lyrical stylings in a late '03 interview in Rolling Stone, going as far as to say that he 'hates people calling him sensitive.' Then what do the lyrics mean to him? Not much, ostensibly.

But thankfully, every once in a while, in that flood of production line singers and songwriters there is an honest brilliance, a diamond in the rough. Sondre Lerche, a Norway native, and his sophomore album, Two Way Monologue, were just that.

Topped off with the beautiful instrumental piece "Love You," Two Way Monologue delivers with rousing arrangements and inspired lyrics throughout. The crowning achievement here however is the wonderful, intangible appeal of Lerche's voice, a thing of splendid range but with a touch of oldies' sensibility; it goes from unphased melancholy to quiet nonchalance to blinding optimism. There truly is something about it, alternating paces, changing utterances to whispers.

I would go on about standout tracks, but, honestly, all of them are something to talk about. My personal favorite however is "Counter Spark," a touching piece about falling in love with everyone's image of perfection. "On the Tower" is also a great song, with especially haunting vocals in the chorus: "Meet me halfway, by the bedrock, on the tower, on the tower." If you're like me, you probably heard his single, the titular "Two Way Monologue," first, which is also a spectacular song that well displays that "classics" sensibility he has; the music video furthers this feeling to quite an extent.

You could do no wrong at all by picking up Sondre Lerche's Two Way Monologue, a shining beacon in a world now degrading and disintegrating. All that could happen is he'd make another CD, and that wouldn't be bad at all.

So if you're "optionless, turkey-free, and blind," do yourself or someone you love a big favor and get this CD.