Segundo

Juana Molina | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Domino
• ASIN: B00009L52J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,967 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #86 in Music > Latin Music > Urban > Latin Electronica

Track Listings

1. Martín Fierro

2. ¿Quién?

3. El Perro

4. ¡Que Llueva!

5. La Visita

6. Quiero

7. Mantra del Bicho Feo

8. El Desconfiado

9. El Zorzal

10. El Pastor Mentiroso

11. Misterio Uruguayo

12. Vaca Que Cambia de Querencia

13. Medlong

14. Sonamos

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Juana Molina set aside the budding musical career she'd pursued since childhood to become one of TV's most acclaimed comedians in her native Argentina. Her original muse may have been denied for seven years, but never forgotten; indeed, Molina has managed something of an unexpected musical delight here. Her breathy, gentle vocals haunt unusual song structures and the album's quiet, playful production sense like some restless ghost, wandering a sonic landscape that's as electro as it is Latin. That pan-cultural, less-is-more sense is rare on any collection, let alone on a sophomore album (Rara was released in her native country in ‘96) cobbled together between club gigs while living in Los Angeles. Driven by an insistent, plaintive guitar and producer/collaborator Alejandro Franov's delicate, bubbling synth riffs, Molina's unusually structured songs often seem to float in on a breeze and escape on a daydream. She's claimed the album was recorded in moments near the edge of sleep, and that stream-of-unconscious tack variously involves rhythmic choruses of barking dogs, ticking watches, and rainforest soundscapes--most so delicately rendered they sometimes seem an auditory illusion--seasoned with impossibly plastic washes of synth and carried by Molina's sweetly somnambulistic vocals. More impressive, Molina's songwriting sense seems as inscrutably subconscious. A rare, true musical adventure from first track to last. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Juana Molina is an extraordinary singer/songwriter/producer. Juana's music flows from her acoustic guitar, off-kilter electronic sounds and rhythms, while her voice is soothing and mesmeric. Segundo, her international debut album, is a wonderful collection that bubbles with joy and is underpinned by the gentle grace that paved the path for the lavish praise awarded to her subsequent albums Tres Cosas and Son and saw comparisons to the likes of Beth Orton, Lisa Germano and Cat Power fly. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something Different, November 17, 2003

By 

Larry White (AdultPop.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Segundo (Audio CD)

We first heard a cut from this album on the car radio, seemingly caught between stations. After spending a full minute trying to tune it in (and possibly causing some vehicular damage along the way), it dawned on us that it already was. The music on 'Segundo' is atmospheric, seductive, captivating and strange. Juana Molina is, oddly, an Argentian comedian/musician with a beguiling whisper of a voice. But it is her talent as a producer which dominates this cd and makes it a unique and pleasant listening experience. Complex and compelling rhythms and melodies, a dream-like wash of acoustic and electric instruments, and a torrent of Hollywood sound effects from barking dogs to crying babies. The fact that we don't understand the language (except for an occasional jarring sprinkle of English) allows the spell to be cast that much deeper.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently Beautiful, March 14, 2004

By 

Jorge Marcelo Cino (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Segundo (Audio CD)

A mother who leaves her daughter.
A dog that never stops barking.
A preacher who plays with people's illusions.

Little stories and brief moments constitute the lyrical core of Segundo. The musical arragements (which compliments acoustic sounds with electronic/industrial/organ chords) all serve to further illustrate the stories portrayed.

At once fragile and strong, slow-paced but energetic, melancholic but hilarious, intimate but distant, Segundo has Juana Molina singing songs that will stay in your head like the most commercial 3 minute pop song ever, but by doing the exact oposite.

PD. I strongly suggest you try to find her latest album, 3 Cosas, which deals with the post modern world (in the lyrics) from a Yoga point of view (in the music).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from AllMusicGuide.com, July 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Segundo (Audio CD)

All Music Guide
America doesn't have a lock on all the off-kilter singer-songwriters. Take a listen to the very individual Argentinean Juana Molina. On her second album, she explores electronic and acoustic textures, treading through them like rooms in an empty house while inspecting details and corners. She's equally comfortable with detuned synths (as on "Medlong") or acoustic guitar ("El Zorzal,") but, whatever she uses, her music keeps taking the path less traveled. Her unusual, minimal touches transport lovely melodies into different dimensions. Molina is like a Latin Lisa Germano; both make small, intimate albums and think outside the box. But originality should be treasured, especially when it's wrapped in glistening little melodies. Molina can have an almost childlike simplicity at times in the way her voice glides between the blips and bloops, although her sensuality comes to the surface in other moments. She utilizes minimal arrangements and the production might sound more like work from home than the big recording studio, but this naïveté suits the songs. There's an irresistible charm about both this disc and Molina's approach. Even if you don't speak Spanish, you'll still be smiling.
- Chris Nickson