That's what Sondre Lerche's concert at Largo last night was billed as. And it was exactly that, a pleasurable solo performance by the elfin Norwegian singer-songwriter; although the solo briefly became a duo when a gentleman named Van Dyke Parks (apparently a legend in the music industry) joined Sondre for a couple of songs. His songs have almost the cadence of childrens' tunes but the subject matter is heartbreak, regret, guilt, and self-loathing; I think one song was about attempting to seduce the neighbor upstairs, but with an air of joyfulness and sincerity. That tone is what I remember enjoying in
this song, which was at the end of a sweet movie called
Dan in Real Life, for which Sondre wrote the entire score. From my seat in the first row, I was able to experience the full force of his charm and his... I'm going with "sleepy-charisma" (he looked like he could have used a nap) and it was wonderful first night in L.A.
