Review: Sondre Lerche Heartbeat Radio
Sondre Lerche reinvents his style with every release. Back in 2004, Lerche’s Two Way Monologue included the poppy album-titled single, while the
“Heartbeat Radio” has the catchiness of “Monologue,” though the track’s lyrics reach too much for the rhyme. Lerche sings, “Tell me what you think about this song/ Sue me if you reckon it’s too long…. Tell me what you think this is funny/ Spending all my time and my money…” Once you get past the silly wordplay and actual listen to the story Lerche is telling, it is obvious that he is criticizing music played on the radio.
While some of the album’s lyrics are slightly simple, Lerche has an ear for when to incorporate additional, intricate instrumentation, such as the string arrangements on “Goodnight” and “Like Lazenby.” His accompaniments usually advance the overall outcome of the song; however, he misses the mark on “If Only.” He attempts to make an old-school R&B or hip-hop-sounding track by queuing a drum machine. The cheesy music and ridiculous programming don’t match the lyricism present.
Overall, the album lacks the amount of single-worthy tracks than usual for Lerche. “Easy to Persuade” starts off with a great guitar riff before revealing the catchy chorus “Cause I know I’m so easy to persuade.” But the song before is drab and boring (“Pioneer”) and the ones after “Easy to Persuade” fail to follow suit.
So are the really good songs actually good or are they only noticeable because of the songs surrounding them? It’s hard to tell. One thing is for sure, Heartbeat Radio is slower than what listeners are used to from Lerche, and the album drags more than anything Lerche has created to date.
Originally posted on StereoSubversion.com.