Magic Neighbor [Vinyl]

Lisa Germano | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (September 22, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Young God Records
• ASIN: B002JOGSM4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,399 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Following the release of Lisa Germano's last album for Young God Records, In the Maybe World, and a good deal of subsequent touring, she hid herself away for a long while, and I was beginning to despair--then suddenly this beautiful music started coming my way. I think this is one of her best albums yet.

Snow is a jewel, ripe with her typical naked emotion--a gentle elegy, exuding warmth and healing. The depth of feeling in her words and singing on this album is truly remarkable, and she never fails to tug at my heart. Somehow it's sad, wistful, and hopeful, all at once. It's very private, solitary music. It's deeply engaging, and when I listen to it I often stop what I'm doing and drift off with it into its world. Time and troubles disappear for a short while.

For some reason, her music reminds me of early Disney songs--fuzzy and dreamy. Thinking about it today, I also thought of the great--and neglected--music that Tom Waits did with Crystal Gayle for the movie One from the Heart.

In any event, she's resolutely in her own space, and within that space she sculpts songs and miniature, delicate sonic environments like no one else. To sit down and spend some time inside her songs is a tremendously rewarding experience, and I hope you'll partake.
--Michael Gira / Young God --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything we've come to expect from Germano and more, October 3, 2009

By 

Ash Ryan (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Magic Neighbor (Audio CD)

Lisa Germano is an incredibly interesting and rich songwriter. Her songs typically feature a subtle complexity underlying a surface simplicity. Either would be attractive, but the paradoxical combination of these two layers is irresistible.

Her songs are often deceptively simple-sounding, but don't be fooled. Her interesting and unusual harmonic progressions...her tendency to eschew the verse-chorus song structure that characterizes almost all popular music in favor of a more organic melodic development...her sudden (but entirely logical) shifts from major to minor mode (or other modes entirely) and vice versa...her astonishingly personal lyrics (delivered in that breathy voice)...there is simply no other musician like her today, not that I know of anyway. Her songs are often simultaneously unbearably wistful and ineffably comforting...it's often difficult to decide while listening whether it's the saddest or the happiest music you've ever heard---because it's actually both.

Magic neighbor features all this and everything else we've come to expect from Lisa Germano (including plenty of kitty-inspired goodness!). The stand-out track is "a million times" but there are a lot of very strong competitors. The only song that I don't absolutely love is "painting the doors" which is just a bit too psychedelic for my personal tastes (incidentally, it's the only song that Germano didn't write by herself)---and even it has enough interesting stuff going on musically to make it somewhat enjoyable to listen to.

All in all, Magic neighbor is easily my favorite album of 2009 so far. I've been listening to it again and again ever since I got it, repeating it over and over for days on end---something I haven't done since I was a kid. It's been a long time since I've anticipated an album this much and it turned out to be worth the wait.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Criminally Under-rated, November 5, 2009

By 

Neo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magic Neighbor (Audio CD)

How is it even possible this album does not have more reviews up already? Lisa Germano, for those familiar with her music, is a talent impossible to ignore. She is what I would easily describe as a musical genius - the real deal. Unfortunately that does not always equate to being a top seller. This album is worth every penny and if you are sitting on the fence about getting it and are already a fan you owe it to yourself (and to her) to get this album - which shows off her skills in top form, and then the music (the most important thing) can be enjoyed. 'Magic Neighbor' deserves to be heard.

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything we've come to expect from Germano and more, October 3, 2009

By 

Ash Ryan (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Magic Neighbor [Vinyl] (Vinyl)

Lisa Germano is an incredibly interesting and rich songwriter. Her songs typically feature a subtle complexity underlying a surface simplicity. Either would be attractive, but the paradoxical combination of these two layers is irresistible.

Her songs are often deceptively simple-sounding, but don't be fooled. Her interesting and unusual harmonic progressions...her tendency to eschew the verse-chorus song structure that characterizes almost all popular music in favor of a more organic melodic development...her sudden (but entirely logical) shifts from major to minor mode (or other modes entirely) and vice versa...her astonishingly personal lyrics (delivered in that breathy voice)...there is simply no other musician like her today, not that I know of anyway. Her songs are often simultaneously unbearably wistful and ineffably comforting...it's often difficult to decide while listening whether it's the saddest or the happiest music you've ever heard---because it's actually both.

Magic neighbor features all this and everything else we've come to expect from Lisa Germano (including plenty of kitty-inspired goodness!). The stand-out track is "a million times" but there are a lot of very strong competitors. The only song that I don't absolutely love is "painting the doors" which is just a bit too psychedelic for my personal tastes (incidentally, it's the only song that Germano didn't write by herself)---and even it has enough interesting stuff going on musically to make it somewhat enjoyable to listen to.

All in all, Magic neighbor is easily my favorite album of 2009 so far. I've been listening to it again and again ever since I got it, repeating it over and over for days on end---something I haven't done since I was a kid. It's been a long time since I've anticipated an album this much and it turned out to be worth the wait.