Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio

Five years ago, Sondre Lerche stole my heart with his second album, Two Way Monologue. Since then, the Norwegian charmer has released one great album (Duper Sessions) and several not so great ones (Phantom Punch and, uh, the Dan In Real Life soundtrack). Still, he forages on, with the release of his fifth album, Heartbeat Radio, due out next month. Heartbeat Radio is a bit above the mid-level rock sound that Lerche churned out on Phantom Punch, with a handful of interesting moments buried amongst songs that go on a bit too long. There's a beautiful crazed string outro on "Good Luck," but that leads into the tepid title track which tries to relate illegal payola tactics to love. Uh, yeah. Elsewhere, a tired synth-filled chorus sags the otherwise catchy track, "I Cannot Let You Go," Top 40-style singing makes "If Only" sound like an unreleased Maroon 5 song, and the lyric, "Is it hot in here or is it only me?" is featured prominently in the song, "Easy To Persuade." I wish I was lying. There are several decent songs on Heartbeat Radio, so if you're a loyal fan, it may be worth a download. But for the rest of us, at least there is still 2004's Two Way Monologue.

DOWNLOAD: Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio [Rounder]
Recommended Tracks: "Good Luck," "I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today," "Don't Look Now."