I don't know if you've noticed or not, but there's been something of a musical renaissance a-goin' on amongst the frozen denizens of Scandinavia over the past decade or so. From "quiet is the new loud" acts like Jose Gonzalez and the Kings of Convenience, to bands that prefer more of the old loud like The Hives and The Flaming Sideburns, there's simply an inordinate amount of great work coming out of the region (heck, there's even some fine alt-country to be found with acts like Olav Larsen & the Alabama Rodeo Stars and the late St. Thomas carrying the torch for a distinctly American form).

Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche burst out of that scene as a 19 year-old wunderkind with his 2002 debut, Faces Down. He's since fashioned himself part crooner (2006's Duper Sessions was modeled after classic Sinatra recordings, down to the cover shot), and part alt-popster (this year's Phantom Punch did, indeed, pack more punch, featuring nearly 100% more electric guitar). His latest release comes in the form of the soundtrack for the film Dan in Real Life, and features old and new material, among which is a duet with Regina Spektor and a version of Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door." Lerche plays Portland's Doug Fir with Dan Wilson (in real life) tonight.

Also tonight, it's the return of the Minus 5-- or at least one incarnation thereof. The rollicking, long-running, member-shifting band whose one constant is frontman Scott McCaughey plays the Towne Lounge tonight. The band's latest, a self-titled effort doubly known as "the gun album" was released last year and featured contributions from Peter Buck, Colin Meloy, Jeff Tweedy, Ken Stringfellow, and John Wesley Harding, among others.

Speaking of Mr. Harding, if you missed his set last night at Mississippi Studios, you can still catch his novelist alter-ego, Wesley Stace, reading at tonight's Wordstock LiveWire! taping at the Aladdin Theater. He'll be joined in the festivities by none other than Harry Shearer, Carrie Akre, and locals Weinland, whose in-studio session we featured last week on the show.

And speaking of the show, there's plenty of new or otherwise interesting material to get to on tonight's version, including music from Sea Wolf, Les Savy Fav, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Mira Billotte, Bruce Springsteen, and more.

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, November 10 at 9:19pm