Lady Lazarus knows the power of minimalist beauty. The one-woman band consists of nothing more than Savannah, Georgia musician Melissa Ann Sweat at a stand-up piano, teasing out her thoughts. Her debut album, Mantic, produced in true DIY spirit through her label Apartment Life Records, layers her distant, smoky voice over simple piano chords and lines. In its occasional tangles and pauses to collect itself, her music sounds like, and is perfect for, a contemplative afternoon shut away from winter. (Victoria Hetherington)