SOUNDTRACK: JEALOUS OF THE BIRDS-NonCOMM 2019 Free at Noon (May 15, 2019).
I heard the band name Jealous of the Birds and I instantly formed an opinion of what they sounded like.
And this recording couldn’t be much further from what I imagined.
I assumed they would be bird-like and they are not at all. This set rocks, it switches genres, it covers a lot of grown, but nothing at all bird-like.
Many artists live by the philosophy of creating the music that they want to exist in the world, but few do it in such a striking way as Jealous of the Birds. Northern Irish songwriter Naomi Hamilton has been making music under the moniker for a few years now, but each song we hear from Jealous of the Birds feels like a fresh new discovery — and anyone who was hearing the band for the first time today undoubtedly felt like they were experiencing something special.
Folks who attended last year’s NonCOMM music meeting may remember hearing a glimpse of the arresting single “Plastic Skeletons.” The song, which is not quite like anything else and not immediately accessible, is congruous with Hamilton breaking out of her local music scene in Northern Ireland and carving out an indescribable genre of her own. Since then, Jealous of the Birds has gone on to release two new EPs, The Moths of What I Want Will Eat Me in My Sleep and Wisdom Teeth, which show the depth and range of Hamilton’s songwriting ability.
Driven by her love of language, Hamilton’s lyrics are intricate and poetic; musically, you can detect influences from Irish folk to psychedelic rock.
With her slicked back hair and laid-back demeanor, Hamilton makes it look easy, but her songs aren’t necessarily easy to listen to — hearing them once will only make you want to listen again and again to try to understand what the artist is getting at.
The first four songs are from their 2016 album Parma Violets.
Powder Junkie is a stomping, stop and start kind of song. It’s bluesy but stops abruptly after just 2 and a half minutes. It’s a great introduction to the band. As is “Trouble in Bohemia,” a slower song with a folk feel. It showcases the softer side of the band, and is also quite short.
“Russian Doll” introduces a much more poppy sound to the band. The chords are simple, but the highlight the clever lyrics
I took your compliments
I just struggled to believe
That I was worth loving
And you weren’t lying through your teeth
In truth, I’m a Russian doll
My egos shut inside
I painted them by hand
And I’ll never let them die
“Parma Violets” is slower and more acoustic-sounding. It’s a ballad and a sad one a that:
Oh please
Don’t you swallow
Pills like parma violets
Again
I had to look up to discover that Parma Violets are a British violet-flavoured tablet confectionery manufactured by the Derbyshire company Swizzels Matlow.
The next two songs come from 2019’s Wisdom Teeth EP. I like them both. “Marrow” is a folk song, but “Blue Eyes” is a wonderfully weird rocking song. It feels off-kilter with some unexpected lead guitar riffs at the end of each verse and some funky bass parts.
The final song, “Plastic Skeletons” comes from 2018’s The Moths of What I Want Will Eat Me in My Sleep. It’s got a cool bass with some nifty guitar line to start the track. The chorus is kind of staccato and lurching and quite a lot of fun.
These last two songs were my favorite of the set, and I’m glad to see they are the most recent songs. I like the direction they’re going.
[READ: May 15, 2019] “Peep Hall”
I have read many many stories by Boyle and I like him quite a lot. I like that he writes about so many different topics from so many different perspectives. He is even unafraid to be sympathetic to people who don’t seem to deserve it.
It was somewhat unfortunate that I read this story and the previous one by him (written about 19 years apart) on the same day because they were both rather creepy and voyeuristic and sympathetic to people who necessarily don’t deserve it.
The narrator of this story, Hart Simpson, likes his privacy. His phone is unlisted and the gate on his driveway locks behinds him. When he sits on his porch, the neighbors can’t see him. He works as a bartender at the local pub and is quite a visible person, but when it’s time off, he wants to be alone. I mean, sure he hooks up once in a while, but otherwise he’s alone.
One afternoon, a woman came up his driveway. She had been talking to his next-door neighbor (not his favorite person) in some kind of heated argument. Then she came over to his porch. (more…)
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I’ve really enjoyed the rocking songs that Jade Bird releases. Her voice is so powerful and big that I rally wanted to see her live. Well, we did kind of see her live at Newport Folk Festival, but that was more hearing her as we were walking around. So when she announced a tour I definitely wanted to see her.
I Just Read About That... 