Naomi Hamilton
-- the Irish singer/songwriter who writes and performs under the name
Jealous of the Birds
-- expands and refines her worldview on her second album,
Peninsula
. Produced by
David Wrench
and
Marta Salogni
,
drifts from moody, contemplative moments to sharply written blasts of fuzz-drenched, dreamy alt-pop. Sometimes, the aesthetic recalls the alt-rock of the late '80s and early '90s, one that placed equal emphasis on atmosphere, melody, and words.
Hamilton
's gifts with the former two are alluring, alluring enough that it may take a couple of listens to notice how precisely rendered her lyrics are. The immediacy of the pop songs, both fuzzy and dreamy, is a progression for
and helps make
an absorbing introduction to her idiosyncratic work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine