Strange, but, well, fabulous; that’s about the long and short of it. Strange and quiet too, only rarely do the decibel levels rise above sotto.
Juanna Molina – Una Dia
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Strange, but, well, fabulous; that’s about the long and short of it. Strange and quiet too, only rarely do the decibel levels rise above sotto. Molina’s last couple of LPs left me cold, but this is out there to say the least.
The opener Una Dia is the key, and possibly the best expression of what Molina is trying to achieve on this LP. Multi-layered backing vocals do battle with the main melody line. Structurally the music is incredibly rhythmic and doggedly repetitive; Una Dia is at times tribal, at other moments playful. It’s a stunning piece. For some reason whilst listening to this track, I was reminded of anthill, in that you get the feeling that there’s a lot going on in an almost hermetically sealed structure.
Enough of this theorising. The following tracks, Vive Solo the beautifully dreamy Los Hongos de Marosa and Lo Dejamos, are softer and more introverted in nature, (if still a bit weird). The only one to approach a semblance of normal is El Vistado, which is a kooky folk tune of considerable charm. Closer Dar (Que Dificil) has an element of Cluster’s Zuckerzeit about it too, I suppose.
All in all a cracker of an LP. Check it out
Words: Richard Foster