After releasing his superb debut Faces Down in 2002 at the age of 19, the Norwegian protégé Sondre Lerche returns to the wonderful world of folk music to offer up his latest outing Two Way Monologue. For his sophomore release, Lerche has turned up the sound on his folk hush to incorporate a sound of twee pop that is familiar to those who love bands in the Belle & Sebastian or even Ben Kweller vein. While listening to Two Way Monologue a few of the tracks really reminded me of another of my favorite twee bands, The High Llamas. So it came as no surprise to me when I read in the liner notes that lead singer of the Llamas Sean O' Hagan was recruited to be the creator of half of the string arrangements lavished about on Monologue.

Does this new sound fit well into Lerche's already mentioned folk style? Absolutely. If anything it enhances Lerche's already sweet subdued voice into an almost dreamlike state of affairs. The self-titled track is a marvel to behold, with it's understated beginnings, but by the end it feels like you've been on a roller coaster ride full of zany keyboard crescendos. There is only one real weak point to Lerche's new album though, and that is his odd choices of songwriting structure. Some people like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco can get away with writing odd lyrics that don't make much sense, or strange rhyming patterns, but Lerche has not developed an A grade style of writing yet that would let him get away with lines like 'Thinking about writing it down seems pretentious, helplessness may be the word they nail to my name in a while," On one of weakest tracks, "Stupid Memory."

But at least Sondre saved the best song for last with "Maybe You're Gone," this one is without a doubt the most mature statement of his songcrafting skills in his short career. When he wonders if his love is still there when he turns around, or that if maybe she has gone, it makes you wonder how someone that is only 21 years old could write something of beauty beyond his years. Two Way Monologue is a gorgeous listen, even if it's not necessarily one of the most substantial releases of the year.