Album Review: Nils Bech - Echo

Nils Bech's fourth LP finds the tremulous Norwegian warbler working with producer Drippin.

Bech's falsetto deals plaintive love songs exploring merciless, tortured break-ups, unrequited love and irrational jealousy. The layered vocals are a little wispy, folksy and fluid, giving these songs an almost androgynous perspective. Meanwhile, Drippin rolls out robust beats, danceable rhythms and gauzy synth textures that seemingly have a brash personality of their own. The emotions tend toward melodrama but Drippin's production - shifting from aggressive tech to dreamy layers of sound - softens the focus on Bech's somewhat over the top emotional outpourings.