Many artists like to claim that their music cannot be tied to a particular genre in an attempt to convince listeners of the originality and uniqueness of their sound. Very few of these turn out to radically different, most of the time you can tell quite easily who their influences are.
Olga Bell is an exception that proves the rule. Perhaps if I were familiar with traditional Russian folk songs I might be able to pinpoint where some of her ideas come from but my guess that this is just one of numerous elements that feeds into this distinctive and truly unclassifiable album.
Born in Moscow and raised in Alaska, Bell is a composer, producer and performer now based in Brooklyn. In 2012 Bell joined Dirty Projectors for the Swing Lo Magellan album and remains a keyboardist and singer with that band.
Inspired by the lesser-known corners of Bell's homeland and sung entirely in Russian, Krai is scored for cello, electric guitar, bass, pitched drums, mallet percussion and electronics.
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The vocals are multi-tracked to create a self made 'ensemble of six Olgas - four female, two 'male'. There is an astounding complexity to the sound but a spontaneity and instant charm too.
Knowing that the lead single Perm Krai is about a region in Russia's interior and its 16th century Cossack inhabitants doesn't make the tune any more accessible but adds to the fascination.
All nine tracks have two word titles, one of which is always Krai, the Russian word for edge, limit, frontier or hinterland. This seems an appropriate metaphor for a compelling record that pushes at the boundaries of modern composition.
Olga Bell on Tumblr
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