Lyrically, Danielle, Este and Alana don’t break new ground, but familiar sentiments are made to sound fresh and invigorating, thanks to the sheer strength of the sisters’ collective vocal displays. Instead (and with handsome assistance from producers James Ford and Ariel Rechtshaid), they’ve taken the time to polish each song until it sparkles, and such dedicated labour has paid dividends in the long run. All that time spent fine-tuning in the studio was evidently well-spent: the Haim sisters have resisted the rush-release approach now expected of most first-timers. In fact, in a delightful turn, almost every track lining Days Are Gone is as good as – if not better than – its preceding clutch of singles. No matter how familiar one is with Haim’s back catalogue, the sequencing is as brisk and well-judged that the album is able to glide comfortably through its course, easily pairing the familiar with the novel. But fourth track ‘If I Could Change Your Mind’ is showered with enough Tango in the Night-era glitter that it seamlessly follows the bittersweet strut of ‘The Wire’. Such front-loading methods could have easily sunk the latter half of the record, while simultaneously giving off a false impression of Days Are Gone as nothing more than a disguised Greatest Hits package. To further aggravate such concerns, the album opens with three singles in a row, which immediately seems like a risky strategy. With its release date falling almost fifteen months after that of their breakthrough Forever EP, at least five of the album’s eleven tracks will be familiar to anyone with a passing interest in the group.
In fairness, some early signs were slightly worrying. But in honesty, all Haim have done is put together a wonderfully breezy, light-on-its-feet debut, filled to the brim with some of the most wholesomely enjoyable pop songs of the year. In a sad sense, now that Days Are Gone has finally hit shelves, it’s unsurprising to see the remarks of some of the haters currently clogging forums all over the web, complaining that all preceding praise was simply hot air, as another “unremarkable” debut lands with a thud. With a touch of vulnerability, closing tune "Running If You Call My Name" will make you run to pick up this album.Completely detaching oneself from hype can be a tricky thing, and with Haim having spent the best part of a year delaying the release of their debut album, rumblings began to arise in indie camps as the great hopes of 2013 continued to tease them with infrequent updates. The track's dark, entrancing vocals and tribal-sounding drums bring to mind Florence & the Machine, but with streaks of guitar reverb. Powered by a stabbing bassline, "Let Me Go" explores romantic ambivalence. With a call to "never look back, never give up," this song should attract fans of Katy Perry-style optimism, as long as they're willing to trade bubbly cheer for shadowy synths. Meanwhile, the song's title is shouted melodically, providing syncopated accompaniment that begs fans to yell along. The lyrics' syllables are delivered in an addictive slow-fast-slow pattern. Opening track "Falling" shows the group's mastery of catchy rhythms.
The sisters put a spin on this tradition on their debut album, adding R&B grooves and a goofy irreverence that's all their own. Alana, Este and Danielle Haim were raised on rock from the 1970s and early '80s, especially songs by female icons like Pat Benetar and Stevie Nicks.
0 kommentar(er)
