I recently treated myself to a vinyl copy of Juana Molina’s new live release, ANRMAL: Live in Mexico, that came out in October of last year (2020) which, like so many bewilderingly great albums released during the pandemic, felt like a tremendous gift. It was recorded at the NRMAL festival in Mexico (an indie/experimental music festival) in March of 2020 so it must have been one of the last live shows to take place before the pandemic made us all housebound searching for life on the internet.
ANRMAL is Juana Molina’s first live release which I’m tickled about since I initially became aware of her as a live performer in 2004 when she was opening for Bebel Gilberto at the Delacorte, an outdoor theatre in New York City’s Central Park which is famous for their annual summertime Shakespeare in the Park productions that often take an experimental approach. So, I always associate the Delacorte with something that’s going to surprise me. Unfortunately, about three or four songs into Juana’s set, a hard-driving sheet of rain visibly traveled across the semi-circular theatre and the concert came to an abrupt end, teasing us with what could have been. But the upside was that she entranced me so much with just those few tunes that as soon as I got home, I immediately found her work online, purchased all available recordings and have been a diehard fangirl ever since. Unfortunately, she doesn’t play many live gigs in the U.S., so I’ve not been able to see her perform since that rainy night in 2004. And sadder yet, I actually had tickets to finally see her again in May of 2020 but the pandemic crushed those plans. Happily, I now have this live album which is the next best thing.
The album opens with Juana greeting her Mexican audience with a quick, soft-spoken, almost hesitant “hola” and then the bass comes pounding in and you know she means business. The first song is “Un Día Punk,” a faster, in-your-face version of her song “Un Día” (One Day) from her album by the same name. The song is about that one magical day when you’ve got everything figured out and get it all right – in other words that fantasy day that will never transpire…
Un Día Punk live at NRMAL festival (Mexico, March 2020):
She actually closes out the set with a version of “Un Día” that more closely resembles the studio recording and it feels like she’s come as close to that one impossibly perfect day as is humanly possible.
The first time I saw her perform she was a one-woman band with acoustic guitar and synthesizers building up layers of loops. She now has an electric guitar and two other musicians accompanying her. She still uses loops but the energy that a musician gets from playing with others gives the show a palpable punch.
Juana Molina performing "ERAS" live at NRMAL festival (Mexico, March 2020):
Her voice has a sweetness to it but is also mysterious and playful with a seductive quality that pulls you in. This really comes through with “Paraguaya” immediately followed by “Paraguaya Punk.” The song is about a witch and a love potion that of course doesn’t work as hoped. The original version is dreamy and the punk version emphasizes the dark side of the song with Juana screaming “No, no, no.”
Juana Molina performing "Paraguaya" & “Paraguaya Punk” live at NRMAL festival (Mexico, March 2020):
Here’s the official video for Paraguaya which has a slightly creepy, surreal quality to it:
I’ve been trying to spread the word about Molina for years now, but I always struggle to describe her music because she has the very rare quality of being so remarkably unique. The fact that it’s so difficult to compare her to anyone speaks volumes to her groundbreaking sound but it also makes it difficult to get people excited to listen. In an effort to have some semblance of a starting guide, I’d say one can find some reference points in the following… She has a bit of the experimental electronic influence of Roxy Music/early Brian Eno, the mesmerizing quality of David Sylvian, the dreaminess of Stereolab, the eclecticism of Beck, the South American quirkiness of Os Mutantes, the ethereal quality of Kate Bush, and the otherworldly aura of Björk to whom she is most frequently compared. If that doesn’t impel you to take a listen, then I’ll have to shout the alarm of concern for your aesthetic soul.
For some more insight into her influences, watch her “What’s in My Bag?” video - a popular Amoeba records contrivance where artists reveal what they choose to put in their shopping bag. It’s not at all surprising to see Kraftwerk and Raymond Scott (both electronic music pioneers) as influences but also a wide range of music genres from Ravel to Sergio Mendes to the B-52s.
Born in Argentina into a show biz family (her father was a tango singer and her mother was an actress), she decided to continue in the family tradition but started out as a hugely successful comedic actress on Argentinian TV. Realizing this wasn’t her dream, the pull of music left her to quit the acting game at the height of her popularity and focus on music much to the chagrin of her TV show fans.
You can see her comedic skills in action in her video for “Cosoco” as she takes on multiple characters and tackles gender roles while making a fashion statement with bubble wrap.
“Cosoco” official video:
Her first album Rara came out in 1996. Six more studio albums have followed since with the last being Halo released in 2017. Lately she’s been taking longer to release new studio albums, only putting out a new studio album every 4-5 years. She’s clearly been honing every sound to her high standards before sharing it with the world. I feel every album has gotten better than the last as she becomes more and more comfortable with her tools and songwriting abilities.
She has mostly worked on her own in her home studio playing acoustic and electric guitar and using a variety of keyboards to create loops and layers of rich musical textures. Her genius lies in doing this without it sounding cold and machine-like. Her guitar playing and almost wispy voice seem to counterbalance the machinery so we’re always very aware of her humanity.
Filter Taps from her third album Tres Cosas:
She sings predominantly in Spanish but also occasionally in English and in French having spent her teen years in the 70s living in Paris when her family fled Argentina during an era of political turmoil in the country. She also spent some time living in Los Angeles in the early stages of her musical career in an effort to escape the cage of her acting success in Argentina.
Her recent live album is a great place to start for the Molina initiate. It leans heavily on more recent material but also showcases her strengths. If you dig this live album, you’ll most assuredly want to collect everything that came before.
Assuming I’ve convinced you that Juana is someone to reckon with, here’s some additional ephemera now that you’re a hardcore fan like me…
Below is an early collaborative effort with Alejandro Franov from 2003. This has somewhat of a musique concrète feel to it. It’s got the mark of Juana but also feels like a fun side project that let her cut loose with a wide variety of musical ideas that are even more experimental than her usual work.
And who doesn’t love a Tiny Desk Concert???
Live on NPR Tiny Desk Concert 2014:
Nice work Kimley—you’ve converted me. Sign me up for the Juana Molina fan club. It’s so great to find out about a musician of this caliber that I’ve been, until now, completely unaware of. I’m really looking forward to exploring her catalog. Thanks!
Excellent introduction!