"I'LL BUY a van the colour of Christ's blood." As an opening line it's an arresting image. When allied to the kind of woozy, anthemic, slacker rock groove that would surely earn approval from Steven Malkmus, it's a double whammy of good things.
The song in question, 'Trouble In Bohemia' is one of a number of highlights on this debut album from Armagh singer-songwriter Naomi Hamilton, who trades under the Jealous Of The Birds moniker.
Like many contemporary indie musicians, the 19-year-old is not afraid to explore the richness of 1990s indie, be it in the punchy riffs of 'Russian Doll' or the bluesy sway of the Cat Power-esque 'Powder Junkie', or the Slanted and Enchanted era Pavement-isms of the aforementioned '...Bohemia'.
Yet these motifs are a means to an end - not just in exploring different moods and textures (the album veers from full on rock to delicate folk-pop ), they allow Hamilton to display her knack for a catchy chorus, and more importantly unleash her considerable gift for melody.
This is a deep, emotional, often personal album, where colours a frequent reference point: "She said, 'I'm as blue as a robin's egg/I've done nothing to make me proud" (the beautiful 'Miss misanthrope' ); "I punched Marcus in the nose/now there's blood over his clothes/cherry red, cherry red" (the conversely enigmatic yet confessional 'Marcus' ). And colours or none, Hamilton has a way with words, full stop: "Hang Tibetan paintings on my bedroom wall/stick stars on the ceiling so I don't feel so small/God I wish I could call you, what the hell would I say?''
From its title, to its cover, to its lyrics, and the different styles of indie-rock it explores, Parma Violets is a work of many varying colours, and to these ears, Irish album of the year thus far.
