Lisa Germano

For a woman who’s damn near pushing 50, Germano still has a wonderfully singular artistic vision. It’s been a rocky road, with her self-imposed hiatus stopped only three years ago with Lullaby for Liquid Pig. Now signed to a new label, this newest release sees Germano sounding a little perkier, while also keeping her low-key approach and somewhat twisted world-view. One of the particular standouts here is "Red Thread,” which mixes Germano’s delicate voice with venomous expletives. Yes, revenge has never sounded so sweet when she croons "Go to hell/Fuck you” over and over again. Despite the novelty, the song also showcases the best part of this album, which is its intimacy. Using only the barest instrumentation, Germano is drawing the listener close. From the Shannon Wright-esque "In the Land of Fairies” to the lovely "Into Oblivion,” Germano is finding that the best way to connect out to the audience is looking inwards. While some songs fail to connect due to their own wispiness, Germano succeeds more often than fails, making this definitely better than maybe.