Customer Reviews

Un Dia

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first encounter with Ms. Molina and I must say, this recording just blew me away. It's hard to know how to classify it. Is it electronica? Pop? World music? Jazz? It has elements of all of these, but Ms. Molina has created a totally distinctive sound that is listenable, danceable and still complex enough to grow with each hearing.

She uses simple, pentatonic melodies that make the tunes quite accessible, almost folk-like. Then she adds shifting, hypnotic rhythms, and the sort of variations in sound and dynamics that typically drive electronic/trance music.

But what is astonishing is her voice. She uses legato tone sequences, percussive chanting, shouts, howls and a huge range of other non-lexical singing techniques - often looped over each over - to create a fabulously rich texture of vocal sound. It's like nothing I've ever heard before.

Despite the sophistication of this music, it has the drive and appeal of pop. You don't need to steel yourself to listen to this, as you do with some avant garde artists. Quite the opposite. It sounds great out of the box; and it sounds great after listening a couple of dozen times, too.

I'm awfully glad I found this record. If you like music that has some depth and you appreciate innovation, this should definitely be part of your collection.

For Juana Molina, creating world music that sounds 'different' is by now something she is used to. On what I consider her best album, "Son", she took the tempo down even further and created a set of slow, intimate groove numbers that also worked as spacial, orchestral masterworks. The artist is indeed an experimentalist, but its quite something that she manages to remain mainstream while doing so, with enough 'pop' elements in her records so as to not be classified 'aloof'.

Things should change with "Una Dia" though, as this is by far her least accessible record. For long term fans such as myself, the album is yet another departure, as it is definitely 'faster paced' than her last two languid, almost breathtakingly slow albums. But for listeners who come trying to discover a new world artist, this might not be the best place to start. I highly recommend her far more intimate debut album for that. On "Una Dia", some of the set pieces are almost like intricately designed soundtrack-vignettes from some lost Spanish arthouse film. All of her 'nature' elements are still present, but there is a darker, more elusive quality to the music, almost bordering on trip-hop but without the beats (think a stripped down Tricky, or Martina Topley-Bird).

Personally I found the album too short, and the last three tracks a tad meandering, but its still essential if you are at all interested in Molina's musical output. She is the Frida Kahlo of the Spanish music world - underappreciated, yet eccentrically talented. Give this a spin, and check out that gorgeous cover art (all of Molina's album artwork are masterpieces in their own right - I have the artwork for her third album as a poster print, framed)

Four Stars.

Tracklisting:

1. Un Dia
2. Vive Solo
3. Lo Dejamos
4. Los Hongos De Marosa
5. ¿Quien? (Suite)
6. El Vestido
7. No Llama
8. Dar (Que Dificil)

The first track, Un Dia, begins without hesitation and catalyzes the listener into a rhythmic soundscape of multi-layered vocals that reminds me of no one so much as Philip Glass, though the comparison with Glass pretty much ends there. The songs, fast and slow, are kaleidescopes of beats, sounds, melodies and words. A woodsy, psychedelic feel permeates the album from the artwork to the music, and it makes me think of some forested fantasy world full of lush vegetation and bizzare creatures juxtaposed with a slow Sunday morning. This is the first Juana Molina album I have listened to, and it has given me a wonderful impression of the artist and compels me to want to hear more from her.

This album has brought me nothing but bliss and joy for two weeks now. Imagine the kind of album you would get if Lemon Jelly and Cornelius made music together, and that's the kind of album this is, with the added dimension of her voice, which manages to be both breathy and clear, the star of the show without drawing undue attention to itself. Her voice has been compared to Bjork's, but there's none of the histrionics and ingenue affectations. There's no angst here, only a mildly euphoric sense of pleasure in voice and harmony and layering and rhythm that will have your heart floating skywards like a balloon until you decide you have to tie a string to it before it floats away altogether.

Jamas hago reviews de discos, no me llama la atención hacerlas; pero habiendo comprado y escuchado este último disco de Juana Molina, me veo en la obligación de decir que es una obra maestra, no puedo quedarme callado esta vez; ya son 5 los discos que esta enorme artista le ha dado al mundo y no llega a tener el reconocimiento que se merece.

Este disco y los anteriores demoran muchisimo en editarse en su propio país, y eso da la pauta de lo poco que se valora a esta genia.

Con respecto al disco en cuestión... es una belleza, como los anteriores, para escuchar sentado tranquilo, para sumergirse en las melodías, para tratar de interpretar las letras.

Si te gusta la buena musica bien ejecutada, las melodías armadas y complejas dentro de su simpleza, la musica en su estado mas armonioso y puro. Este es tu disco.

En fin, un gran disco de una enorme artista que quizás, algun dia, sea reconocida como lo que es: un Genio.

Gracias Juana ! y a ver cuando te vemos de nuevo por Montevideo ;)

I heard about Juana Molina on WNYC's Radio Lab. You can download the podcast of the show. Although I am a rock-n-roll guy, I like Juana Molina's style, production, and vocals. I bought Una Dia, and it is good for repeated listenings.

If you like this CD, listen to her "tres cosas" magic. Her music may well improve your mood. She is amazing.

Love this CD but may not be for everyone.

Everything is sung in spanish. Her voice becomes another instrument. The music is very hypnotic and just carries you away. Great groves.

If you have not heard any of the tracks on this CD give the samples a listen.

I found out about her on NPR's "Radio Lab" where they did a short on her and this CD. You may find that a good place to start for an introduction.

OK but disappointing after reading good reviews. Too much electronic new age for my tastes. My co-worker finds the cover illustration very creepy and won't let me leave the CD out on my desk.B