Vieux Farka Touré Performance

September 11, 2011
Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN

Vieux Farka Toure 2011 2.3 Mb Video

September 11, 2011
Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN

Strangely Beautiful Electro Latin Pop by Juana Molina

Source: album cover

I recently stumbled on “Un Día” by Juana Molina at my local library. The strange cover art caught my eye, and after a bit of investigation with Google I conclude it is a real photo of the artist with a doll’s face superimposed. Clever!

This is not just another latin pop album. Each track is a layered soundscape with ostinato and drone elements. She skillfully blends acoustic and electronic instruments that support her chant-like vocals nicely. On the better tracks this leads to an organic mixture that approaches the sublime. My favorite tracks are Los Hongos De Marosa [listen], the Vive Solo [listen], and ¿Quién?.

Her earlier albums (Son, Tres Cosas, and Segundo) are also good. The songs have a more traditional structure and some are straight-up ballads.