Sondre Lerche of Norway may be only 21, but he sounds as if he is a child of the '60s. Echoes of the Beatles, Burt Bacharach and the Beach Boys permeate the singer-songwriter's cool cocktail pop on this follow-up to his 2002 debut Faces Down. With sunny harmonies, breezy horns, lush strings and swirling, psychedelic-tinged keyboards, Lerche crafts a sound that is both hip and hippie. The far-out title track showcases Lerche's airy melodies, nimble acoustic guitar work and quirky vocal delivery! Sonic surprises pop up, such as French horn on the opening instrumental "Love You," pedal steel guitar on the country-tinged "Stupid Memory" and accordion on the bittersweet ballad "Maybe You're Gone." On the latter Lerche achingly sings of a lost love: "I may turn around/ To see if you're still there. ...Maybe you'll wait for me/ Maybe you're gone."
ALT-POP
