Juana Molina, and no, I'd never heard of her either

 

 

Working in bookstores, I've had access to what are called "Advanced Reader's Copies" or "ARCs". These are 'raw' versions of upcoming books, usually bare bones editions without accurate page counts, lacking illustrations and author notes. The idea is that bookstore staff will read it, write a short review that might end up as an advertising blurb when the book is officially released. One such ARC that I have is "1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die" by Tom Moon, and one of the recordings he mentions is the subject of this blog entry, "Segundo" by Juana Molina. His review was interesting enough that I went to Allmusic.com to preview some tracks, and I am so glad I did.

 

I've referred to the album as 'Bjork Lite', and it's full of electronic squiggles and programmed percussion, but there's more of an acoustic feel, and Juana's vocals are breathy Brazilian whisper rather than Bjorkian belting. Lyrically, I'm totally in the dark, because Juana is Argentinian, and the lyrics are all sung in Spanish (?) But there's a sweetness to her delivery, and a few songs features electronically derived animal noises in the background, birdcalls, metallic purring and yapping that enhance the mood in delightful ways. I'll check into more Juana Molina, but my sense is that this is one perfect little gem of an album, and that may be enough for me. More later!