Sondre Lerche has a new diary entry up talking about the new album, the artwork for said album (by BLKMRKT designer Dave Kinsey) and the new "All Luck Ran Out" EP, among other things: http://www.sondrelerche.com/diary/dagbok84.shtml

Don't forget those other special yuletime treats from Sondre Lerche and Uncle's Institution.

Sondre Lerche has a new web diary entry where he recounts his favorite records of the year.

Uncle's Institution - Everything a Man Can Dream Of (I Know What You Did Last Records)
Uncle's Institution is Egil Olsen, yet another entry in the long line of Norweigan singer/songwriters gaining prominence as of late. The most immediate comparison is Sondre Lerche of course, as they both share a lot of the same Beatle-esque qualities. But Egil is more like Sondre's more irreverent, michievious and indie cousin. Whereas Sondre is very earnest and great at what he does, Egil comes across much looser and is more likely to break out a string of profanity or let loose with distortion. The guy released a single called "Santa Claus is Gay" for crissake! Hard not to appreciate that. I'm not too into some of his choices for cheesy lead keyboard sounds or drum machine beats, but the songwriting remains strong regardless. I also like how Egil easily slips between whispered, low-key vocals such as on "Hey Paul" and still sounds just as great when belting it out on the louder tracks. Good stuff.

Sondre Lerche has posted a new webdiary entry detailing the finish of his recent US tour and talking a bit about plans for his new album "Two Way Monologue".

Norweigan singer/songwriter Uncle's Institution aka Egil Olsen will be counting down the days until Christmas with special exclusive content on his website including "brand new Christmas tunes, other tunes, cover tunes, videos, art, bravo and a whole load of Christmas fun." He'll be posting something new each day and today's treat is an mp3 for "Birds On My Oatsheef", a track written with lyrics by E of the Eels. Go check it out.

Egil's not the only Norde with a Christmas calendar either - Sondre Lerche's got one too, 'cept his has pictures from tour for each day until the 25th with the promise of a big payoff at the end. Go to his website to check it out. In other news, Sondre has confirmed "Two Way Monologue" as the title of his forthcoming record, due out late Feb/early March next year. They say that the title track will be the first single, too.

Sondre Lerche made #21 on Elle Magazine's hottest rockers list. Pretty silly. The only other Norde on the list is Pelle Almqvist from The Hives at #24. Sondre's also got a new webdiary entry from New York where is currently mixing his new album and preparing for a few solo dates.

Behold! A new web-diary entry from Sondre Lerche.

Not only has Sondre Lerche's "Faces Down" been selected by GQ magazine as one of the best albums of the 21st century, but he's also coming back to America for a few dates. Here's what I've got so far:

11/14 - T.T. The Bear's. Cambridge, MA
11/15 - North By Northwest. Philadelphia, PA
11/18 - Bowery Ballroom. New York, NY
11/20 - Uncle Pleasants. Luisville, KY
11/21 - Schubas. Chicago, IL
11/22 - Ascot Room @ Quest Club. Minneapolis, MN
11/25 - Crocodile Cafe. Seattle, WA
11/26 - Lola's Room @ Crystal Ballroom. Portland, OR
11/28 - Cafe Du Nord. San Francisco, CA
11/29 - The Troubador. West Hollywood, CA

The rest of that Sondre Lerche live set is up now for downloading. I'd recommend even getting the talking tracks, because he's just that charming on stage.

Speaking of Sondre Lerche, he's posted a bunch of pics from his recent US tour.

Sondre Lerche has posted a new diary entry on his website with some news about what he's been up to recently. Also from his website is this great article on the many faces of Sondre.

Added the first half of a great live set from Sondre Lerche today. Even the dialogue with the audience is a fun listen, so be sure to check it out.

Here's the scoop about Sondre Lerche's new EP "Don't Be Shallow": The CD comes out on September 23 and will feature four studio recordings including "Don't Be Shallow" and "I Know I Know" - both leftovers from the "Faces Down" sessions, along with "Living Lounge" and "Single-hand Affairs" which were recorded at Sondre's home studio back in 2001. But that's not all! There's also gonna be four live tracks: "Dead Passengers", "You Know So Well", "Sleep On Needles" and a cover of the Cole Porter classic "Night and Day". As for next full length, it's apparently due out in February 2004. Sondre and producer Sir Dupermann finished mixing all twelve as-yet-unreleased songs way back in April.

Here's a new webdiary entry from Sondre Lerche with him talking about touring with Liz Phair and Jason Mraz, seeing Justin Timberlake and more.