The booklet that comes with Juana Molina’s new album, Son (Domino), is packed with photos of embroidery and tapestries by her great-aunt. Delicate and handmade they’re the perfect embodiment of the intimate music, which the Argentinean singer recorded almost exclusively on her own. As on her previous records, Molina’s gentle coo glides across stark acoustic guitar and woozy analog synth, but a closer listen reveals the details that make Son her most assured and beautiful release to date. Scatting, beatboxing, and mewling are multitracked into a beguiling mix, along with digitally manipulated whistling and electronic tones that seem to melt directly into her voice. A sense of whimsy shines through without marring the music’s prettiness, an effect she’s only previously managed live, where her charm and modest humor cast her somber songs in a slightly different light. Technically her approach isn’t that far removed from Bjork’s eccentric work, but Molina has her own sound, small and lovely. –Peter Margasak
