Juana Molina - Wed 21

A five-year silence seems to have clarified Juana Molina’s thinking. Where 2008’s Un Dia tripped up on its flights of Bjorkian whimsy, here the Argentine musician (who also happens to be one of the country’s best loved satirical comedians) goes about her business with an impressive sense of purpose.
The fluttering ‘Eras’ feels refreshingly throwaway – previously Molina has often sounded as if the weight of several lifetimes was pressing on her ribcage – while ‘Weds 21’, with its jerky rhythms and half-rapped verses, suggests r’n’b from an alternate universe. Wed 21 contains some of her most straightforward songwriting yet: propelled by a nagging riff and a looped, wordless refrain, ‘Ferocisimo’ is catchy and uncomplicated, while the crazed tempos at the start of ‘El Oso De La Guarda’ segue into an efficient pop dirge.
At a moment where Grimes’ avant-electronica is practically mainstream pop and an unconventional figure such as Lorde an international chart-topper, you have a sense that Molina’s sublime brand of bonkers may finally chime with the times. We’ll see!

Key Track: 'Ferocisimo'