This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Gemma Hayes has much more than the night on her side.
First and foremost, the Irish singer-guitarist has a gorgeous, dulcet voice that bridges melancholy fragility and emotional intensity in a manner that evokes comparison to Joni Mitchell, Beth Orton and Tanya Donnelly. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, she puts it to work in the service of songs that mix the sort of strummy introspective folktronica you might expect with plenty of stuff you wouldn’t — like the noisy, shoegazing power of My Bloody Valentine or Yo La Tengo, along with the crunchy alt-pop songcraft of Breeders and Veruca Salt. And last but certainly not least, on the dozen-track debut Night On My Side — which was released in a slightly different form in the U.K. last year — she’s got indie-producer du jour David Fridmann layering her melodies with blankets of sonic texture and filling the nooks and crannies of her songs with intriguing swirls. With all this going for her, it shouldn’t be long before the rest of the world comes onside.
