All about this artist
Biography:
Born Sondre Lerche Vaular, 5 September 1982, Bergen, Norway. This Norwegian singer-songwriter was still underage when he was discovered playing sets at clubs in his native Bergen. He signed to Virgin Norway in 2000, and released the You Know So Well and No One's Gonna Come EPs the following year.
Both releases drew favourable attention to Lerche's precocious songwriting talent and his mellow vocals, with many critics drawing parallels with the work of 60s singer-songwriter Donovan. Lerche's debut album was released in 2001 shortly after he had completed his A-levels.
The folk pop melodies and lush strings on Faces Down was reminiscent of fellow 60s obsessives the High Llamas, a comparison made more relevant by the fact that the UK band's Sean O'Hagan worked on the arrangements on Lerche's album.
Lerche returned in 2003 with an eight-track EP, Don't Be Shallow, with the full-length Two Way Monologue appearing early the following year. The album eschewed the lush orchestration of his debut but was a masterpiece of concise pop songwriting, with the credit in the sleevenotes to the "McAloon Brothers' of Prefab Sprout indicating an obvious reference point.
Lerche's third album, 2006"s Duper Sessions, was an unexpected but delightful detour into jazz pop, while the following year's Phantom Punch detoured into indie rock territory. In 2007, Lerche also provided the soundtrack for the US movie Dan In Real Life.
