In The Maybe World
by Lisa Germano
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. Under The Radar
    80
    You will want to play this album all over again as soon as it finishes. [#14]
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  2. Pitchfork
    75
    Whatever subtlety Germano's voice and lyrics might lack is buttressed by the deceptive simplicity of her music.
  3. AllMusic
    70
    There's less of the wry humor Germano usually allows to shine through once in a while... This is also her least gauzy-sounding album since Slide... Despite these differences, In the Maybe World is still a strong addition to her body of work.
  5. Slant Magazine
    70
    In The Maybe World is an accessible, if lyrically opaque, work that should please fans of avant-pop that doesn't sound remotely like any of the other cerebral chanteuses out there.
  6. Spin
    70
    Germano's wooziest and most ethereal [album] yet. [Aug 2006, p.78]
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  7. Dusted Magazine
    70
    In the Maybe World feels like an (unintentional, perhaps) sequel or response to Geek the Girl, turning down the intensity while sharing a twilit mood.
  8. Drowned In Sound
    70
    The balancing of ironic humour that raised a smile on earlier albums is absent here, which leaves us with almost nowhere to hide.
  9. The New York Times
    60
    Ms. Germano’s music is beautifully haunted and composed, but almost too claustrophobic to bear. [17 Jul 2006]
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  10. Mojo
    60
    Wield[s] both a wistful poignancy and raw emotional undertow. [Aug 2006, p.94]
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  11. Uncut
    40
    The overall effect is too solipsistic and immature to take you close to the title's imaginative world. [Aug 2006, p.96]
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  12. PopMatters
    30
    The problem is, it’s easy to lose the lyrics when the music gives us no reason to listen to them.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. C.Shiira
    Apr 26, 2007
    9
    Even before I had read that Lisa Germano was a surfer who frequently visits the North Shore, I was already a huge fan. I couldn't Even before I had read that Lisa Germano was a surfer who frequently visits the North Shore, I was already a huge fan. I couldn't believe that John Mellencamp's fiddle player was the same woman who recorded "Trouble Me"(from "Geek the Girl"). And I couldn't believe that this singer-songwriter was a visitor of Hawaii. Germano is a genius. She has an extraodinary knack for making self-deprecation sound brave, so songs like "Victoria's Secret"(from her masterpiece "Excerpts from the Love Circus"; she recorded her cats, too) and "If I Think of Love"(from "Slide"), two of the greatest-songs-of-all-time, by the way, sound hopeful in spite of its suicidal trappings. I love Germano's songs because you get the impression that her music is a salve, a preventive measure against self-inflicted harm. I think she's a very brave artist. "In the Maybe World" actually sounds cheerful in comparison to her last four albums. There's no toe-tappers like "You Make me Want to Wear Dresses" or her re-working of "These Boots are Made for Walkin'", but the music is less claustrophobic; more pretty than scary. The stand-out is "Too Much Space"(with its brilliant reference to the cult-classic "Freaks") and "Red Thread"(with its hillarious frankness aimed at, I assume, an ex-lover). I'm just glad that Germano is still making music. I heard that she was retired after being booed off the stage during a Smashing Pumpkins tour in which she was the opening act(Billy Corgan meant well, I'm sure, but what was he thinking?). Luckily, she's back from that professional quagmire, because "In the Maybe World" is a stunning addition to the Germano canon. She is the best female singer-songwriter of the past twenty-five years.… Full Review »
  2. AlanL
    Jan 25, 2007
    9
    Given that Pop Matters gushed (& rightfully so) over Lisa Germano's 2003 masterpiece Lullaby For Liquid Pig, I'm stunned by their Given that Pop Matters gushed (& rightfully so) over Lisa Germano's 2003 masterpiece Lullaby For Liquid Pig, I'm stunned by their review of In The Maybe World: "The problem is, it's easy to lose the lyrics when the music gives us no reason to listen to them." I can't help but wonder what collective "us" the reviewer is referring to. In The Maybe World is yet another beautiful, heartrending work awash in fragile lyrics AND gorgouus melodies from a truly unique and gifted artist who has no peers. The excerpt from Under The Radar's review is dead on: "You will want to play this album all over again as soon as it finishes." I have---over & over & over. I only hope Lisa knows how many people her music continues to touch, help, and heal.… Full Review »
  3. AriB
    Oct 23, 2006
    10
    This is a gorgeous album, and am shocked by some of the reviews. Lisa's breathy voice and her somber tunes attract me very much, and This is a gorgeous album, and am shocked by some of the reviews. Lisa's breathy voice and her somber tunes attract me very much, and those two elements are here, so as a result, the album is great. The songs mostly have strong melodies, and if not, they're really nice even if not memorable.… Full Review »
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