Juana Molina albums

2017

HALO – 86%

       Argentina’s Juana Molina is a lot of fun and transcends boundaries of language. Songs such as “Cosoco” and “Estalacticas” don’t have to be literally interpreted to be enjoyed, and the Portuguese language has never sounded as charming as when it comes from her multi-vocal approach. At age 55, she shows no signs of slowing down in her efforts to make boundary-defying music. Sometimes there are a dozen different voices, all harmonizing with themselves in alien-trance like patterns (“Sin Dones”, “In the Lassa”). Other time we are treated to her vocals with bare accompaniment (“Lentisimo Halo”) and almost a new kind of Hip hop music in “AOO B01”. She has been making great music this entire decade, and while this album may not be quite as great as 2008’s Un Dia, it is the closest she has come to making the sound of South American rock music valid for the 21st century audience.

Best Tracks: Cosoco, AOO b01, In the Lassa