Greta Svabo Bech
'Shut Up & Sing'
July 29 2013 (Self-release)
8/10
Words: Dave Beech
Greta Svabo Bech is a woman of many talents. Since being noticed by Deadmau5 in 2010, her career has gone from strength to strength, including a Grammy nomination for her work with the aforementioned Canadian producer and a colab with The Bloody Beetroots. Three years later sees Greta release a run of solo singles, including most recent 'Shut Up and Sing' a fantastic fusion of both digital and analog sounds that marks a diversifying milestone in her career.
The record, though beginning with a guitar intro, quickly becomes an eclectic and impactive tour de force of sounds and shimmers that is a gritty as it is beautiful. Militant percussion is juxtaposed with vocal harmonies that soar, seemingly oblivious to the ominous soundscape beneath it.
There's a definite Scandinavian pop aesthetic at play too, as keys dart in an out of abrasive riffs, offsetting the darkness perpetuated by the track's bassier elements. It's these occasional moments of optimism, combined with the darkness that song perpetuates that stop the record from being “just another pop song”. There is far more to it than that; layers of analog instrumentation combine effortlessly with the synth loops of Bech's usual to fare, giving the song an unparalleled edge when it comes to pop music production.
It's rare that pop music grabs me the way that 'Shut Up and Sing' did. The sheer amount going on with the track means that it takes more than even a couple of listens before it's true complexities really begin to unravel. Every percussive nuance or digital bleep has been expertly put in place and it deserves multiple listens. I wouldn't be surprised if 2013 is the year that Greta Svabo Bech breaks though and hits it big. Move over Ellie Goulding.
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