Argentine Juana Molina combines synthetic tones, organic sounds on new album

Juana Molina's looped vocals, guitar, keyboards and effects blend into tightly wrapped melodies. In the Argentinian singer-songwriter's tunes there are highs and lows, twists and turns, and even if you don't know Spanish, her voice is an easy-going travel companion.

"Wed 21," Molina's sixth full-length album, is slathered in electronic pulses but still sounds natural and organic. It's dark and serious in one sense, but playful in another. Maybe it's a bouncing bass line or the way a song might suddenly stop when you're not quite ready. Or maybe Molina is channeling her past creative energy as a comedian.

Molina's father Horacio Molina was a well-known tango musician, and taught her how to play guitar when she was 6 years old. Molina describes her mother, an actress and music lover, as someone who "kept a diverse music library and regularly initiated family dances."

But it wasn't music that first brought her into Argentina's public eye. It was her comedic chops and starring role in the '90s sketch comedy show, "Juana y Sus Hermanas."

Molina is in Minneapolis with her band for a show Wednesday night at the Cedar Cultural Center.

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