THE BOOK LA: At 24, you’re writing songs that feel like they belong to an era where Jazz and Swing were the pop music of that time. How did you develop your style, and what would you say to those who might label you as a “retro” artist ?

Sondre Lerche: I most certainly don’t set out to be a retro artist. I don’t really like, or maybe I just don’t understand the term. I love music, old and new. I make music that comes naturally to me, and I know I’m not alone in appreciating, say, Chet Baker or the songs of Kurt Weil. So why it’s viewed as more retro to be inspired by that era of popular music, than for instance the 1990s, I’ll never know. I was born in 1982 and to me it’s all the same. In the wider perspective of popular music I don’t think lines will be drawn between eras. I love My Bloody Valentine and Cole Porter and I see no reason why that shouldn’t be reflected in my different outputs.
I believe people these days are open to a great variety of sounds, without caring too much about when it was recorded.

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It’s about time! Artists are finally speaking out against war, the current political circus and the irreversible damage done to the environment. Neil Young leads the choir with his album Living With War, and countless others are finding their voice without fear of retribution. They are those who think it won’t make a dent, but Bono and Bob Geldof tireless activism has proven the contrary. The Dixie Chicks may get vindicated after all. Meanwhile, Madonna’s “cool cred” has forever evaporated in the Coachella desert heat by showing up late, finding out that bad attitude doesn’t equate rockstar status. Gnarls Barkley keep pulling all the right stops by removing “Crazy” from the top of the UK charts after 7 weeks before it drives everyone…. crazy, and to make room for other singles. Underworld has one more installment in their “download only” Riverrun series called: “I’m a big sister, and I’m a girl, and I’m a princess and this is my horse.” I’m sorry, what? Good stuff regardless how absurdly long the title is.

With its other vocalists gone in pursuit of their solo career (Mozez, Tina Dico, Sophie Barker), UK collective Zero 7 may need to convince new audiences that they’re not just Sia’s back up band. With the popularity of the brooding Australian diva exploding stateside, her contribution to the Garden (Atlantic/WEA) delivers a formidable blow in a two punch knock out. Except this time her lyrics are unusually upbeat, and though she seemingly made it out of her long introspective tunnel, she’s lost none of her irony. New to the gang is Swedish Spaniard Folk singer José Gonzales, whose voice and guitar picking bare an uncanny resemblance to another José… Feliciano. “Crosses” from his outstanding solo album Veneer appears with new tweaks, and is more or less a remix. Underneath the voices, Core members Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker work their subtle magic with great restraint and a bare bone approach rooted in 70’s pop. Even with the incidental brass band rolling in to add scope, fans of the lush and trippy grooves of their previous albums might find themselves wondering about this surprising shift in musical direction. Whether a weightless waltz, a hippy ballad or a pub sing-along, this is songcraft at its best, worth falling in love with the band all over again.

Everyone in France has their favorite Serge Gainsbourg moment: putting the first studio recorded (allegedly real) orgasm on top of the charts in 1969 with “Je t’aime… moi non plus” (featuring the then barely legal Jane Birkin, and later Brigitte Bardot). Chain smoking Gitanes lit with $100 bills. Victimizing Whitney Houston by politely letting her know he’d “love to fuck her” on prime time TV while smashed on gin tonic. Same with Catherine Deneuve, who apparently “loved it and couldn’t deny it”. A drinking binge with David Bowie after their day in court over an infringement dispute. Going to Jamaica to record two albums with the Wailers after Bob Marley’s death, leading to the controversy over the recording of the French national anthem as a Reggae song. He even predicted his death on a game show, saying he’d kick it on the eve of World War III and would enjoy all the booze, women and cigarettes he could in the meantime. Gainsbourg died a legend in 1991 at 63 the day before the launch of operation Desert Storm. He was sacred to the French, and after receiving national funerals, his grave at the Cimetiere Montparnasse became a shrine. To fill his shoes is impossible, and if you’ve heard countless musicians refer to him as one of their strongest influence, you must understand the deviant genius behind three decades of musical innovations and offensive behavior. For those who don’t speak the language, Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited (Barclay) offers a fairly accurate translation of his prosaic debauchery, and with most of the lyrics written in the first person, the singers also become actors in a biopic. The remarkable ensemble cast features Portishead, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Franz Ferdinand, Marianne Faithful, REM’s Michael Stipe, Tricky, Marc Almond, Placebo, Feist, Cat Powers and the list goes on. French chanteuses Françoise Hardy and Jane Birkin connect the project to its roots. This fine homage makes only one faux pas: you don’t call a revolutionary “monsieur”..

On Surprise (Warner Brothers), Paul Simon plunges the needle in the vein of our zeitgeist in search of a pulse, musing on war, terrorism, global warming and the human condition. If the message is clear -we stand on the brink and will decide our own fate- this wake up call is without alarm bells, and Simon is the candid observer, not an apostle of truth. The musical architect here is Brian Eno, credited for his “Sonic Landscape”, revisiting familiar textures heard on U2 and Daniel Lanois albums, refined here to perfection with the help of such illustrious contributors as Bill Frisell, Herbie Hancock and Steve Gadd. The combined musical talents transcend the boundaries of pop music, and create an opus which is both lament and undaunted hope, likely to be remembered as Simon’s unbiased testament of our times.

In a sudden epiphany or stroke of genius, the Flaming Lips have crammed their best artistic inventions into one album, effectively combining the quirky pop of their beginning with the psychedelic progressions of the past two albums. At War with the Mystics (Warner Brothers) resonates with an engaging political message designed to rouse passions in an environment of sound bytes and endless spin. When channeled through the shrewd, eccentric and quasi messianic front man Wayne Coyne, truths spreads like wildfire.

A few years back, a friend came back from a downtown loft party psyched about a band: “I just saw this amazing band… they’re like the new Pink Floyd!!!”. I caught up with Secret Machines at a concert at the Avalon I was shooting for URB, and was completely blown away by the trio’s epic wall of sound. As for My Morning Jacket, Mars Volta and Flaming Lips, the band is representative of an increasing tendency towards progressive song arrangements typified by Pink Floyd in the 70s. In this evolutionary step, Ten Silver Drops (Reprise) alternatively takes you on 8 minutes psychedelic head trips, then drop straight forward Alt-Rock tracks tailored for a cue on the O.C. Rumor has it, the Machines want to establish themselves on the “Jam Band” touring circuit left vacant by the dissolution of Phish and Grateful Dead before them. The connection? Here’s a band who truly comes into their own when performing in front of a live audience, without worrying about their last single getting played on the radio.

buy it now

It takes the Black Angels two guitar chords to validate Austin as the current epicenter of Rock and Roll. Passover (Light In The Attic) will stir every impure thought in your body and soul. Defiant Lyrics and unholy guitar hooks are the driving force behind this murky garage blues, floating over a vortex of dirty beats and psychedelic organ drones. With enough grit to make post-Katrina New Orleans look like a resort town, fans of the Doors, Nick Cave and the White Stripes will approve… Abandon any morally sound resolution and give into temptation. You can always repent later.

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Band Of Horses rises from the ashes of its previous founder members Guitarist/vocalist Ben Bridwell and bassist Mat Brooke’s previous band Carissa’s Weird, a sadly unnoticed Seattle Indie cult fav. Everything All The Time (Sub Pop) shimmers with uplifting guitar anthems, vocals pitched so high that they tip the pop sensibility towards the ethereal. The lyrics are introspective, but avoid the narcissistic whimpers of other so called EMO bands. There are substancial references to Shoegazing bands like My Bloody Valentine, Catherine Wheel and Chapterhouse, but the occasional country twang brings the sound back to its American Roots, where this time hopefully, it won’t be so overlooked.

You can spend all day playing “sounds like” on Multiply (Warp), and if it does sound like the real deal, does that make Jamie Lydell a genuine artist? This white boy CAN play that Funky music: deeply immersed into R&B and Soul, there’s no attempt to conceal his love for the artists whom have inspired him. But unlike Van Hunt’s current obsession with Prince, or Jamiroquai’s deliberate pandering of 70’s funk, the winks and homage cover decades of music, from Sam Cook to Sly, P-Funk to Cameo, Stevie to Terrence Trent D’Arby. With this record as his thesis, Lydell is Dr. Funk, with a lot of talent to operate.

There’s a lot of buzz around Corinne Bailey Rae (Capitol), the first British songstress to debut at #1 in the UK charts. Her self titled album is one for candlelight and early Sunday mornings, moments that stand still, summer rain and warm winds. Rae sings light heartedly about life and love in essence and in detail, with a remarkable absence of fluff. She’s already been compared to Norah Jones and Erikah Badu. But there’s really more folk then R&B here, echoing Rickie Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell as well. Her Bio cites Led Zeppelin as her single biggest influence aside from the church singing of her upbringing. One thing becomes quickly self-evident: an original talent with such a cool factor will impose itself of its own merit. Stay on the lookout also for her acoustic cover of “Munich” by UK band Editors, and put her record on.

If the cover of Scale (!K7) resembles the detailed photographic inventory of a scrap heap, it’s because if something makes a sound, than it becomes an instrument in Matthew (never samples anything) Herbert’s hands. Combining the minimalist sound experimentation of “Around the House” with the Big Band orchestration of “Goodbye Swingtime”, Scale reaffirms Herbert as a peerless master of the kind of Electronic Jazzmatazz that gets Gilles Peterson and the Worldwide listeners off. Soaring above the organized chaos are Dani Siciliano’s vocals, to whom every Herbert album owes its distinctive sensuality, infused here with a political message (notice a theme ?). A short film on the website www.herbert-scale.com, is a witty behind the scene look at the making of the record, flaunting the merits of recording drums in the backseat of a car while driving down the freeway at a 100mph, in the water, or at 5.000 feet up in a hot air balloon. Is Herbert trying too hard ? What becomes evident is that the process is as much part of the art as the final product. Or maybe with a recorder in hand, Herbert has found away to make everything he does a tax write off.

Keeping it fresh with the 5th. installment of its Rewind! series, Ubiquity’s favorite artists continue to apply their personal spin covering their favorite songs, without edit or remix, revealing many classic tracks in a new light. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” gets a dancehall makeover courtesy of Black Shakespear, Led Zep’s “No Quarter” becomes a Disco-Funk anthem in the hands of Nu Spirit Helsinki, and Sting’s “Be Still my Beating Heart” is now a soulful lullaby performed by the Randy Watson Experience. Just a few highlights short of giving you a full track listing, but with Rewind! 5 being perhaps the most accomplished in the series, it would be taking away the fun of re-discovering the 8 other tracks for yourself.

The massive popularity of new styles of music has caused every Jazz label to find a way to repackage and revamp the source material that has been shamelessly sampled for the past 15 years. No remix or cover on Blue Note Trip -find them on Blue Note Revisited and the upcoming Scrambled/Mashed- just the originals handpicked by Berlin Nu-Jazz DJ collective Jazzanova. It’s a tastemaker’s choice, and Jazzanova fans shouldn’t expect the vanguard fusion of their productions. The compilation showcases the diversity of Blue Note artists in a great variety of groove and flavor, some cocktail friendly, others intended for some old school leg shaking. This series is no substitute for any true Jazz collector, but if you’re not a purist, you’ll find a great overview of the talent that has made the label legendary.

MYSPACE MUSIC PICK OF THE MONTH: The Arbiters
A little misbehaving has never felt this good, and the Arbiters do plenty of that with their mash-ups. Also referred to as “Bastard Pop”, this underground practice directed at the bootleg “white label” market, combines several songs into one, creating musical relationships between elements to create a new hybrid entity. The Arbiters do their mashing (in their own words) “with great love for the original tracks and for the simple joy in creating them”. Sources close to the project have revealed under condition of anonymity, that film score composer Jesse Voccia, Latin Project producer Jez Colin, and KCRW DJ/music supervisor Thomas Golubic might have lend their expert hands in this covert operation, though these facts remain unconfirmed. At its simplest, “Papa Was A Crashing Car” merges Bono and the gang flawlessly with the Temptations. But “Missing Sweet Love” is crafted from so many different source material that you might as well be counting raindrops. It’s cool, fun and illicit enough be sold from under a raincoat in a back alley… Keep the contraband coming boys. www.myspace.com/arbiters

For questions or submissions email mgoldstein@thebookla.com

BKLA: the Duper Sessions are described as a side project. What makes this record and its songs different from your first two releases, as well as your upcoming new album ?
I’d hate it if Duper Session came across as some excuse for a side project as I am immensely proud of the record and I frequently feel I may never make a better album than that one ever. But I absolutely understand how it may be perceived as a departure in relation to my other two albums, cause it is. It’s a collection of songs that truly belong together and they are recorded with very much one idea: to keep it simple so that the song and the musicianship may alone carry the weight. So it’s very much one thing, and either you like it or it’s not for you. Luckily I find that a lot of people, especially here in the States like the record. When you think of it, there aren’t really that many records out there inspired by this kind of music, recorded without slick production, overwrought arrangements and some singer auditioning for the part of Sinatra. These are my songs, sung for better or worse with my voice, played with my band who I’ve played with for 6 years now. To me it’s the most personal, confessional and honest record I’ve made. It may be the world’s first indie/singer/songwriter/jazz record!

BKLA: You approached this production playing live sessions the way records were made all the way till the mid sixties. Did you rehearse a lot ahead of taping ? What part did spontaneity and improvisation play in the process ? What do you gain or loose overall from making a record this way ?
Oh it was very spontaneous. I would go through the songs beforehand with my pianist, Erik. He would then write the sheet music and as the band were setting up in the studio the two of us would go through the song one more time, trying out different intros, structures, etc. Then we’d just record it and try to get the song up and running with the whole band. I would be standing by the mixing board singing in front of the speakers, next to producer Jorgen, who would be sitting by his (myth spoiler alert!) Mac. The guitar and drums would be in the big room. The bass in the vocal booth and the piano out in the kitchen lounge. This is not a big studio but it never fails us. Doors would be open and we’d just run through the song, make stops at certain parts to get it right and suddenly we’d have a take, perfect in all it’s imperfection. And this is, of course, how they did it back in the 50s, 60s even 70s. Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix they would all be searching for THAT take where it all comes together and feels right. Now some songs we’d have within the first couple of takes, other we’d get on, say, take 21. But we would be doing to or three songs a day. Being blessed with such skilled and versatile musicians, Catching all those moments on tape was what I wanted.

BKLA: The Duper Sessions also includes a few covers. Tell us about them
I absolutely didn’t want to do the standard crooner repertoire, which is why I chose songs from different eras, that I though could be equally at home on this record as any old classic that’s been performed to death over the years. We had already recorded Chet Baker ‘s “The More I See You” with this band line up for a Starbucks compilation. That was kind of the starting point of the Duper Sessions. So we tried to include other favorites. I thought Costello’s “Human Hands” would sound cool with a shuffle groove that I’d heard on other records. It’s difficult to sing Costello songs because his lyrics are wordy to the point of wiping out the melody. Then there’s “Nightingales” by Prefab Sprout, a song I’ve played live a couple of times. I knew the guys liked it, and I though it would work well as a really stripped down version. There’s one classic song I had to include because I’ve performed it ever since I was 14 and it’s been essential to my appreciation of the music I’ve discovered since: “Night And Day” by Cole Porter. possibly my favorite tune ever. We did try to cover Madonna’s “Take A Bow”, but never got around to finish it.

BKLA: If you could go back in time to the 50’s or 60’s, and share a stage with anyone, who would it be ?
I’m a big fan of Andy Williams. I have a collection of his that I’ve played a lot through the years. I heard he used to have his own TV show in the 60s, so I would have loved to be on there, singing with him.

BKLA: In your musical kitchen, what ingredients give a song its unique flavor? What is your favorite recipe ?
I always like when unexpected things happen that kind of throw you off and have you revisit a song over and over again to “crack the code”. I must admit I’ve been trying to write more natural songs lately, resulting in the Duper Sessions.

BKLA: As both a singer and guitar player, what comes first when writing a song, lyrics or guitar parts ?
I always start by playing around with chords and singing with the guitar. As I grow more accustomed to the song, I work out the words and the guitar parts later. Duper Sessions was the first record I ever did playing without almost any guitar. I just wanted to sing and try to communicate the song. But in general, I really feel like a song and guitar man, rarely doing one without the other. Because I know very little about guitars I just choose them by color. I’ve found out that I enjoy playing Gretsch electric guitars and Gibson acoustic, and that’s about all I know. So when I buy a guitar I just try to find the one that looks better. I have a golden, a blue, and most recently I bought an orange Gretsch that really lights up the stage.

BKLA: The central theme of your songs is love. Is romance a part of your everyday life as well ?
I really enjoy writing about romance and these slightly humoristic but yet somehow melancholic things that happen when you’re in love. And I find that being young there’s a lot to draw from. When you’re young and in love they always tell you it won’t last, that it isn’t love. Or you feel you don’t have a clue what to do in all these situations that come with being in love. Then there’s longing, distances, uncertainty… I felt all these things would go well together on a record with some old school pop tunes. And I guess I wouldn’t be writing so much about it if I didn’t experience some of it myself.

BKLA: You are currently living part time in New York and in Bergen(Norway), and recently have spent a few week s in Los Angeles putting the finishing touches to your next record. Do you get inspiration from a certain place , and does each city influence you in a particular way ?
I don’t feel more inspired by some places rather than others. Inspiration happens in the weirdest places at the weirdest time. Last year I wrote three songs I am immensely happy with during one night in Bristol, UK. Now, Bristol’s a nice city, but I don’t think it was just the fact that I was in Bristol that spurred all this creativity. It’s impossible to pin down, that’s why I love doing this. Just when you think you’ll never make anything worth your while again, it just happens.

BKLA: Traveling so much must give you a very broad view of the world. What’s your perspective ?
There’s so many nice and cool things happening that a lot of the time you can forget what a fragile state our part of the world is in. But more and more often I feel a sense of unrest and worry about what the future will be like. It could just be me getting older and boring, I don’t know. I think about wars, the ecological system, car accidents, freak accidents, mass murderers, so many people being lonely, or just people who want to express themselves but just can’t find a wayI don’t know a great deal about politics or half of what’s going down, but I don’t think my lack of knowledge is the reason I worry. It’s rather my lack of knowledge that keeps me from giving up. And I live a very exiting life doing exactly what I like, playing, singing and dancing, and doing it well enough to get by and travel here and there. It’s strange seeing how the western world is still diplomatically intent on fighting poverty, disease and death in the third world, while not acknowledging the fact that our unsustainable standard of living relies solely on exploiting the rest of the world. That seems to be a hidden truth, but it should be oh, so obvious. I’m not saying this because I have a master plan or have personally tried to do something about this. I’m as bereft of initiative in this matter as anyone. I mean, how do we turn this around ?

BKLA: The last 5 years have seen an explosion of musical talent coming from your home country, and Bergen is often referred to as Norway’s Manchester. What can you tell us about the music scene there, do you consider yourself a part of it, and who are some of your favorite Norwegian artists ?
Bergen is a great music town. I have a lot of friends there who make the most wonderful music and for most parts the community there is very creative, very grounded, independent and eccentric. In other words, great. I’ve given up trying to give a good answer why, it just is. Bergen may not be as hip now as last year, but if anything what’s happening there is greater than ever. My buddy Julian Berntzen is a great songwriter, Matias Tellez has a remarkable energy and imagination, Stockhaus Har has released two fantastically eclectic records as well as performing with his band Ungdomskulen, an intense rock group, Sgt Petter is another fine songwriter and Helen Eriksen just released a beautiful album called “Small Hall Classic”. She’s been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager.

BKLA: Back in 2003, you did a solo performance at the Hollywood Bowl, opening for Stereolab and Air. How did it feel to stand on that huge stage by yourself ?
it’s a bit overwhelming performing on such a huge stage by yourself and in front of so many people. But it’s a great feeling cause I’ve got the microphone and I’ve got the distortion pedal so you just have to embrace it and try to communicate. But obviously, the solo format works best in a more intimate setting and it is difficult to try to engage 16.000 people at once, when you barely can spot their faces. Ah, but I loved it!

BKLA: What’s in your I-pod these days ?
I just got the new Scritti Politti record, which sounds really weird. I’ve got a Duke Ellington and John Coltrane record that’s really pretty. The new Loose Fur record gets a lot of spins, it’s great. And then I’m listening a lot to the mixes of my new recording, which we just finished in LA.

BKLA: What can we look forward to with your next album ?
It’s a very energetic record, primal and raw, more tempo driven, not too subtle. Great performances by my band The Faces Down who tear it up with a more aggressive attitude. And of course a couple of romantic numbers !

Words and photos: Marc Goldstein (www.myspace.com/mar©). Make Up: Michelle Morgan. Wardrobe stylist: Thuy Nguyen. Location courtesy of the historic Hillview Apartments in Hollywood. Special thanks to Katie Dietrick and Steven Hall at Astralwerks, Stuart Patterson, Cari Chanin and Francis Ten.

Sondre Lerche online:
www.sondrelerche.com
www.astralwerks.com/lerche
www.myspace.com/sondrelerche

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