Saturday, January 5, 2008

Sondre Lerche is Cool and So Am I

I've been meaning to write this post ever since a few days after Christmas when I got the Dan in Real Life soundtrack from Michelle. I wasn't aware of it when we went to see the movie, but all the music in the film is by one artist, Sondre Lerche. He's kind of different, fun, optimistic, and cool. Which got me thinking about music, and indie music in particular, and why I don't like it. I remember being told about bands like Wilco, The Flaming Lips, and Pedro the Lion and I couldn't help but feel like they were tokens of membership in some club - I remember brushing off the suggestion that I check them out, mostly because I felt like people liked them in order to be cool rather than for good music. I'm sure they are excellent musicians, but doesn't the indie music scene seem a little superficial and clique-ish to anyone else? Maybe these are just the whiny rants of an outsider, but that's my point - this music isn't music, it's a way of excluding people. I remember when I was working in Mexico I met to a youth pastor who promptly flipped open my CD case to see if I had any good music, i.e. the type of music he listens to, i.e. to see if I was cool or not. Maybe this whole post is a lament about not being cool.

Well, I bring all this up because "discovering" Sondre Lerche made we want to ask other people if they'd heard of him, i.e. show other people how cool I am. And I don't think I like that part of me. So all I'll say is that I really enjoy this guy's music, and if you've never heard of him, don't worry; you're still cool. Probably cooler than me, especially if you own any Sufjan Stevens albums.

PS Do I sound a little bitter? I'm not real proud of my musical insecurities either...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sondre is one of the best musicians of his generation. He is a prodigy, a true musician, and nothing short of brilliant. He transcends any categorization (indie, etc.).
And yes, his songs reveal a complex mind, but an underlying optimism. He is a beautiful spirit, a gift to us all. Cool? Yes, you both are!

Jared said...

Thanks for your comments - I'm looking forward to getting another of Sondre's albums. Do you have a favorite you'd like to recommend?