She's her own inspiration

Kris Delmhorst

Shotgun Singer (Signature Sounds)

ESSENTIAL "If Not for Love"

For her last record, "Strange Conversation," Kris Delmhorst's inspiration came from established literary figures. For her fifth studio album she engages in a face-to-face with herself. Delmhorst created these songs alone in fellow singer-songwriter Erin McKeown's house in western Massachusetts, then added musicians (McKeown, Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault) and technicians as needed for completion. Though intimate, it's far from straight autobiography. The Brooklyn native digs deep, but then detaches, often leaving lyrics obtuse and couched in slow, mesmerizing rhythms, creating an ethereal realm that's both quieting and uneasy. "If Not for Love" is a shadowy electronic noir. "If not for love, what are you for?" Delmhorst asks, her distorted voice vamping on the slow beat, as a digital chime adds to the song's hypnotism. A drum machine drives the summery pop song "1000 Reasons." Conversely, Delmhorst, a trained cellist, adds plaintive strings to the haunted "Oleander." Even when she's talking with herself, the conversation is no less imaginative.

Kris Delmhorst performs two sets at the Lizard Lounge Thursday, and she's at Johnny D's Friday.