THE WIRE June 2004: “Ostensibly a vehicle for singer-songwriter Liz Hysen, Toronto based Picastro weave her songs into an abstract framework of extended, moody soundtracks. Here the singer’s identity is absorbed into the overall impression left by the music. Reported comparisons with Cat Power are therefore wide of the mark. Hysen’s role is oddly selfless, her voice subdued to a general murmur amid the music’s burgeoning drama. The songs are instead a vehicle for the group to expand their vocabulary, creating a gloomy variant of folk blues with a wide reach. Once the context within which Hysen as singer and author is established, the lack of lyrical clarity or a firm songwriting identity no longer matters.”
