It was a few years ago when I first heard the voice of one Gemma Hayes, the Tipperary-born & raised singer/songwriter who has since become one of my very favourite voices. At the time, Gemma was touring with the Counting Crows to support the US release of her first LP, Night On My Side, an impressive collection of songs full of love, loss, and an unmistakable air of calm which seems inherent to Hayes' airy, soothing voice.

For all its pop sensibilities, Night On My Side remained an organic freshman effort, with heavier tracks echoing Hayes' early musical influences (My Bloody Valentine topping that list) as well as her quieter side. It wasn't until 2006's The Road's Don't Love You was released that her commercial appeal began to be realized, with one track, "Two Step", even going on to be featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. The songs are noticeably more upbeat than NOMS, in form if not in function, though Hayes' trademark lyrical styles and gorgeous vocals don't get lost by the wayside.

Cut to May of 2008, in which Gemma finally releases a long-awaited third album. Entitled The Hollow of Morning, the album features a few of the tracks previewed as rough version over the past few months on her MySpace page, including the the lovely and intense "Home", and the album's first single, "Out Of Our Hands". The song is gentle and yet slightly gritty, a song lamenting (or perhaps just accepting, finally) the unpredictability of even the best relationships. The Hollow of Morning is a beautiful album, and has an organic feel that those who have been fans of Gemma's from the beginning with recognise and love. I know I do.

In a world in which musical favourites come and go, it's hard to say why Gemma has stayed with me for as long as she has. While she's got a wonderful knack for melody and an incredibly warm, accessible voice, there's still something more. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I'm sure if you gave her a listen, you'd feel it too.

The Hollow of Morning was released in the UK on 5 May 2008 and is available online from HMV, Amazon UK, and Play. No US release date has been set currently.

Gemma will be playing the Filmore @ Irving Plaza here in NYC along with fellow Irish band BellX1 on 4 June 2008. Tickets can be purchased from the Irving Plaza website.

Listen, I like A.C. Newman and all, but I'll be honest in saying that Neko Case was my initial inspiration in giving The New Pornographers a listen when Mass Romantic came out years ago. I could write endless paragraphs on my love for Neko and her smokey, intense voice that just cuts into you and sits in the middle of your chest, anchoring the world around itself. But instead, I'll give The New Pornographers a little credit because not only do they have a new album, Challengers, coming out 21 August, but they're really, really good.

If you order the album early via buyearlygetnow.com, you can pretty much do what the URL says-- pay now and get a live webstream of the entire album immediately. Instant gratification is great, but so is mp3 gratification-- some savvy blogger made a webrip right away. Can't say we didn't see it coming!

The album is fantastic-- full of lots of upbeat rock numbers with just enough variation (read: slower ballad-like songs, which happen to be sung primarily by Neko) to make it cohesive and--yes, pun completely intended-- challenging. Buy the album because it's a nice thing to do. Listen to it a lot. And for those of you as nuts about Neko Case as I am, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

The New Pornographers - Challengers
The New Pornographers - Go Places

Laura Veirs @ Gramercy Theatre, 16 May 2007



Despite the rain, the crowd queued at the Gramercy Theatre on E. 23rd Street on Wednesday night to see Laura Veirs was long, if not slightly wet. After two openers-- Seattle shoegaze-esque band Lake (think Camera Obscura, but less polished) and one man funhouse Charles Bissell of The Wrens-- Laura took the stage around 10pm with her backing band, The Saltbreakers, which includes the opener of her past tour Karl Blau, along with drummer (and producers of all of Veirs' five recordings) Tucker Martine and pianist Steve Moore.

The room was full-- the standing room floor as well as the stadium style seats in the back-- and Veirs charmed everyone with her easy presence and very obvious comfort on stage. She played the entire Saltbreakers album (minus one track) as well as a few oldies but goodies from Year of Meteors. The show was full of friendly banter, some audience participation on "To The Country" in which the audience sang the lines "The heavenly stars, heavenly stars, heavenly stars" at Laura's urging, and on one of the encores (and one of my favourite tracks from Year of Meteors, "Rialto" where the crowd kept the tempo of the song by following a clapping pattern that Laura showed everyone.

Seeing her live is always an experience, and one that I can't wait to repeat.

The setlist is as follows:

Pink Light
Saltbreakers
Nightingale
Wandering Kind
Parisian Dream
Cast A Hook
Shadow Blues
Ocean Night Song
Drink Deep
Galaxies
To The Country
Black Eyed
Black Butterfly
Don't Lose Yourself
--
Rialto
Wrecking