Juana Molina is a strange and fascinating “musical creature” from Argentina. A former actress and television star, she has transformed into a surprising musician who blends rock, Argentine roots and experimental electronic music in a way that few artists manage.
Doga is her eighth solo album and her first in eight years. Among her fans are David Byrne and Canadian singer Feist. No wonder: Juana Molina shares the same drive to push pop music into uncharted territories and deep emotional registers.
I discovered Juana Molina in 2002, while working as a journalist in South America, based in Brazil. I was immediately captivated by Tres Cosas, a gentle album undeniably tinged with Latin folklore, but enveloped by intriguing synthesizer sounds. With subsequent albums, the music became less soothing, more rock-oriented, with less guitar and increasingly more electronic and percussion elements. And always, that understated voice telling often absurd stories about the human condition.
Doga is an extension of her previous work, Halo (2017), in terms of arrangements, but Juana continues to delve deeper, exploring new sounds with her keyboards and guitars. You might think you hear slightly out-of-tune violins or Chinese instruments, but in reality, you’re hearing sounds manipulated and manipulated by machines.
One interesting detail: “Caravanas,” the fourth track, was recorded in Montreal, with Sarah Pagé on harp, Andrew Barr on percussion, and Robbie Kuster on some kind of keyboard or drums. Juana Molina participated in the tribute to Lhasa De Sela in September 2024. Perhaps this explains it.
It seems that the birth of Doga was complicated. Juana Molina and her two collaborators on the album had recorded too much material; the composer seemed to have lost herself in the intricacies of these multiple tapes. But finally, Doga arrived, and at the age of 64, Juana Molina exudes a zest for life and a thirst for discovery.
Be warned: addiction increases with use. The more you listen, the more new layers of sound you discover.
