Dia

Argentine singer-songwriter Juana Molina has never been one to shy away from artistic adventure, aptly illustrated by her most famous decision--to switch from a successful television comedy career to music. On UN DIA, her fifth album, Molina disappears further down the experimental path she's taken since opening up for David Byrne on a record that recalls the legendary Talking Heads singer's experimentations with Brian Eno. Molina imbues her gently foreboding indie pop with tribal beats, avant-garde jazz snippets, and electronic loops as her breathy vocals fall back into the landscape, serving as yet another surreal instrument. The opening title song (and nominal single) swiftly descends into radiant delirium as chants swirl and exotica ensues. That the record is broken into tracks feels almost arbitrary; UN DIA plays like a one-breath concert, flowing freely and inventively, hooking the listener in layers.