Olga Bell listed in Pitchfork's Overlooked Albums of 2016
July 5, 2016
“I wanna be a regular/Weary and wise and wizened,” Olga Bell sings on “Regular,” the centerpiece of Tempo, the Moscow-born musician’s foray into New York club culture. But rather than attempt to ingratiate herself in those scenes by creating replicas of their respective soundtracks, Bell captures the disorienting feel of being an outsider in that world, attempting to adapt to its dark corners and clandestine codes. She brought her classical scholarship to dance music and used her findings to throw astute curveballs that unnerve and thrill. “Doppio” flits from corrupted dancehall to stuttering strobes, while “Randomness” deconstructs and overheats rave staples in three-and-a-half exhilarating minutes. Although Bell’s lyrics jibe at the bros who think they own the floor, Tempo is a love letter that, like her last record, Край (Krai, an ode to her Russian homeland), makes the familiar uncanny, to be appreciated better. —Laura Snapes
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