Given the recent tidal wave of press adoration for left-of-center indie acts like Animal Collective, it’s a testament to good timing and savvy management that A.C.’s like-minded labelmate Juana Molina waited until now to hit the road in support of her fifth album—last year’s elegant, underrated Un Día (Domino). With each release the native Argentine strays further from the coffee-shop folk of her early catalog (like her 1996 debut, Rara), artfully dodging the “folktronic” tag, which never really did her ambient amblings justice anyway.
This experimental bent keeps Molina’s entrancing compositions from fading into singer-songwriter ubiquity. Instead, she spins simple melodies and rhythms into a repetitive trance, layering her multitracked voice into a lush atmosphere. Singing in sustained, flat tones, her smooth delivery is comforting and enveloping—weaving resonant strands of sound into a meditative oscillation. There’s a warm, elegant sheen to these aural collages, eased along by arpeggiated guitar and spare percussion. Tracks like “¿Quién? (Suite)” and “No Llama” further reveal a Rioplatense Spanish singer-multi-instrumentalist gradually shifting into nonverbal vocals.
Currently a California resident, Molina got her start not in music but as a sketch-comedy actor, for which she remains best known in South America. Tonight’s show, presented by Chicago Public Radio’s world-centric Radio M program, again finds her working as part of an ensemble; this tour marks the first time she’s backed by a full band. The cozy confines of Rogers Park’s Morse Theatre should prove a fitting, intimate setting, all the better to monitor Molina’s unique pulse.
