The Broken Wave

Irish singer/songwriter Hannah Peel turned heads with her 2010 debut, Rebox, a dainty EP where she covered alt-radio favorites from the ‘80s accompanied by samples from an old windup music box. Her 2011 album takes a more sophisticated approach while exercising tasteful restraint (not an easy thing for someone who’s composed dramatic scores for musicals and performed with a multimedia orchestra). Under bombastic beats, “The Almond Tree” opens with piano and woodwind notes played through a Mellotron, although it’s the calm temper of her vocal performance that commands. Peel’s penchant for lyrical narrative also shines here, as the protagonist of “The Almond Tree” proves to be a hunted deer whose darting moves are approximated with the skittering song arrangement. The wintry “Solitude” is a standout with its stark simplicity and elegantly arranged strings. Peel’s magical music box makes a return in “Cailin Deas Cruite Na Mbo,” where she turns a traditional folk song into a darkened fairytale lullaby.