• Record Label: Domino
  • Release Date: Oct 7, 2008
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Molina has created a genre all her own, and Un Dia is its pièce de résistance.
  2. Yes, there are slight differences between this and her previous work, but fortunately, she's still retained most of what made her special in the past.
  3. The organic lushness should please indie-pop fans reluctant to embrace synth music, while the emphasis on sound instead of structure holds appeal for fans of loop music who’ve grown bored of its now-familiar tropes.
  4. Molina pulls off the most out-there material with melodies nearly as accessible as conventional pop.
  5. This is an adventurous and beguiling record that eschews the abrasiveness of Björk's more esoteric albums in favour of inviting the listener to explore its deeper reaches alongside the artist.
  6. The sounds themselves, produced by Ms. Molina in what sound like very private and very light-headed sessions, have few edges; they’re rounded and melted like chocolate left in a summer sun. Each song feels as if it could go on forever, or quietly vanish into the mist.
  7. 80
    The Argentinean TV actress emits powerful hallucinogenic vibes, creating a slippery soundtracj for the subconscious. [Nov 2008, p.98]
  8. Mojo
    80
    Un Dia is if anything, even more challenging, a set of songs that demand interpretation even as they beautifully defy it. [Nov 2008, p.106]
  9. Uncut
    80
    On Un Dia with her insistent, looped and latered frooves to the fore, her seductively dreamy voice is used as both rhythmic counter and complement. [Nov 2008, p.109]
  10. Juana Molina has transcended mockery and doubters to follow her muse and succeed on her own terms.
  11. Un Día is as warm and welcoming as it is weird, but it's also something of an experiment.
  12. Filter
    78
    "Son" was a hushed wonder, full of digital loops, whispered lullabies and surround-sound chill. Its dizzying template has mutated nicely on Un Dia. [Fall 2008, p.97]
  13. Un Día takes everything the former Argentine TV star used to establish her musical style in the 12 years since she released her first album--her sometimes grainy voice, folk-leaning acoustic guitar, odd sampled sounds, and an impossible degree of looping-- and shows Molina’s music in its weirdest, most mesmerizing, ideal version of itself.
  14. Listened to absentmindedly, its deep, rumbling groove and overlapping rhythmic lines may initially seem nothing more than an artfully assembled soporific swirl. Live with it a while, though--give it time and space in order that it may weave its beguiling spell--and delights aplenty unfurl.
  15. In a way, we’re witnessing the rest of the evolution that began on "Son," as Molina experimented with the ways the human voice could be manipulated electronically, as an instrument.
  16. Under The Radar
    70
    Un Dia s a rhythm-driven collection that seems to resume conceptually where "Son"--whose second half grew less melodic and more abstract--ended. [Fall 2008, p.77]
  17. The Wire
    70
    With none of the barking dogs found on "Son," Un Dia generally limits itself to guitars, synths, voice and percussion, a more intimate, insular palette of sounds that is sometimes too subdued to really egage. [Oct 2008, p.60]
  18. Un Día's repetitions reward repeated listening; Molina's cascading, joyous vocals and clattering rhythms - on numbers such as 'Vive Solo,' 'Los Hongos De Marosa' and 'Dar (Qué Difícil)'--define a quirky and decidedly non-European sound.
  19. Q Magazine
    40
    The likes of Los Hongos De Marosa glide by in a swirl of subtle beats and understated Spanish vocals, but nothing snags the ear. [Nov 2008, p.118]

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