Here's a verbose detailing of the project, courtesy of his MySpace bulletin: *With summer but a faint memory of delayed flights, lost luggage, and hours spent crying on the phone every day trying - and failing - to get someone - anyone! - to do their job and help recover said luggage, I now realise that I sort of have a new album coming out this fall. I think I may have mentioned it before, but I'll start from the top: I've been fortunate enough to end up scoring acclaimed novelist, screenwriter, director Peter Hedges' new film, "Dan In Real Life". Starring the incomparable Steve Carrell and the divine Juliette Binoche, it's a very funny, genuine and touching film that has proved a unique joy to be a part of, much thanks to the spirit of generosity and dedication that Peter has brought to the project and everyone involved. I promised to elaborate further on this process earlier, and with the soundtrack album coming out in North America next month, I guess it's time to talk. Early last year I was told some director named Peter Hedges wanted to meet me. As a point of reference I was informed that this was the author who wrote the book "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" that became the film for which he also wrote the screenplay, which in my book is really, really impressive. Peter had heard some of my records while searching extensively for a songwriter to involve in his new film project, Dan In Real Life. At that point the script was still being rewritten and only Steve and Juliette had yet been cast, but upon meeting Peter he gave a very distinct and enthusiastic impression of what he wanted to do. An impression that I am happy to say matches very well with the film that now opens nationwide in the US October 26th.
Since I'd never done anything remotely like this before I feel really grateful that Peter brought me in time and again to experience all kinds of unusual things that have helped me get into the right groove; attending the auditions for the three sisters in the film; spending the night in the house where the film was shot; backing the actors on guitar in preparing for their parts (fondest memory: teaching Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney to sing Dylan's "Forever Young" when I barely new the song myself); and lastly helping my hero Steve Carrell (I don't mean to ruin the mood, but if I hear one more ignorant bastard voicing the popular hipster opinion that the UK Office is "so much better", I may eventually resort to mild violence. They're simply two different, equally brilliant shows) with his performance of Pete Townsend's "Let My Love Open The Door" in one of the key scenes of the film (for the upcoming soundtrack album I've recorded my own version of that song, arranged for string quartet and acoustic guitar).
Furthermore, The Faces Down and I finally got our break in Hollywood when Peter had us perform "Modern Nature" on camera in the final scene of the film. As we've come to expect, Morten especially glowed in front of the camera, finally in his right element in the presence of A-list celebrities. However, on film all of this happens after the credits have started rolling, so please, in respect of Morten's big Hollywood moment, our hopes and Norwegian American dreams, do not get up from your seat until the screen goes black and the music dies out. I started writing songs immediately after I met Peter. I've not talked too much about it, as it was unclear exactly to which extent I'd end up being involved. Since I'm not John Williams of Hans Zimmer the idea was to just see how the stuff I came up with worked. Luckily, I was just about finished recording the Phantom Punch album which wasn't going to come out for another eight months anyway, so I had a lot of time to come up with differnt ideas and alternatives that might fit.
I recorded a lot of demos in my New York bedroom and did a session with the Faces Down in Duper Studio right after Christmas where we recorded a bunch of songs that I had written with Dan In Real Life in mind. Four of them ended up in the actual film along with instrumentals and themes I've written and recorded in Bergen and New York. While Peter, film editor Sarah Flack and my dear music editor Shari Johanson were busy, ehm...editing, I would stop by in between tours with new songs, bits and pieces to see what might work and what might not. By the time Disney were test screening the film, most of the score was already in place.
I've been told that this is usually when most studios hire a composer to score the film based on the so-called temp music used in the previews to indicate the required mood. It was Peter's profound ambition that we preview the film with only original music, and we did. On top of that, the film tested well and I didn't get fired. Peter was very determined that he wanted a "handmade" feel to the music in the film. Big orchestral sweeps and sugary strings were completely out of the question. In stead he wanted the acoustic guitar to be up front. He deemed Kato's piano playing on one track too accomplished, and so it was that my poor, poor piano abilities finally were needed. Peter kept talking about a sloppy trumpet, so I decided to give it a shot. I actually had to record my overqualified trumpet player while he was learning the melodies to get the right sensibility. By the time he knew what he was playing, he was simply too good. We didn't want the music to tell you how to feel or who to sympathise with. And with such great actors and a great script there's certainly no need for the music to take any responsibility in terms of telling the story. It's all there and the music is just supposed to underline the characters and what they go through.
In short, my job has simply been to create the music that Peter sometimes would hear clearly in his head and at other times would have no idea what was or could be. It's been such a refreshing experience. I mean, for so long I've been trying only to make the music heard in my own head. To step outside of your own world for a moment and become a small part of a big process that involves hundreds of insanely talented people and that's all about expressing the truth in someone else's life has been a very valuable experience. I could go on and on about all this and I guess I would if I wasn't starving to the extent that I may attempt eating my poor old computer any second if I don't get some food soon. Inevitably I highly recommend you all see Dan In Real Life when it comes out (I've seen it in bits and pieces, backwards and forwards, altogether, over and over and it still holds up remarkably well!). Meanwhile, here's the track listing for the soundtrack album that comes out through Virgin in North America October 2nd:
1. Family Theme Waltz - Sondre Lerche
2. To Be Surprised - Sondre Lerche
3. I'll Be OK - Sondre Lerche
4. Dan And Marie Picking Hum - Sondre Lerche
5. My Hands Are Shaking - Sondre Lerche
6. Dan In Real Life - Sondre Lerche
7. Hell No - Sondre Lerche and Regina Spektor
8. Family Theme - Sondre Lerche
9. Fever - A Fine Frenzy
10. Airport Taxi Reception - Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down
11. Dan And Marie Melody - Sondre Lerche
12. Human Hands - Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down Quartet
13. I'll Be OK (Instrumental Reprise) - Sondre Lerche
14. Let My Love Open The Door - Sondre Lerche
15. Dan And Marie Finale Theme - Sondre Lerche
16. Modern Nature - Sondre Lerche and Lillian Samdal
To be continued,
SL*
MP3: Sondre Lerche - The Curse Of Being In Love
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