Through a nearly two-decade career, Amanda Palmer has always laid herself bare to connect deeply with her fans. For her first solo album in six years, There Will Be No Intermission, the former Dresden Dolls bandleader remembers her own heroes, including author Judy Blume, while mining raw and emotional subject matter. She sketches out the painful experience of a friend going through an abortion across the rippling pianos of "Voicemail for Jill", while she advocates strength in the face of adversity on heart-wrenching battle cry "Bigger on the Inside". Brimming with acerbic wit and theatrical nous, Palmer reminds us why she remains one of the most uncompromising voices in music.