Haim//Days Are Gone
by Stephanie Roush on October 3, 2013
Posted in: Album Review
Two summers ago, amidst my internship with Universal Records, I was told to go downstairs to the lobby and bring up the three tall and hip-looking girls that were due to arrive at any moment. In the elevator ride up to the Universal offices I naively asked the three very-L.A. girls with me why there were there.
“Oh, we’re just in a band,” said the tall blonde one. Later I found out that they were the buzzed about ladies of the band Haim who all just happen to be sisters. Can you say sister act?
Haim’s album, Days Are Gone, that came out this Tuesday is a masterfully crafted album that displays not only the girls’ musical talent, but a certain musicability that only comes from growing up in an environment where music reigned supreme. The sisters started playing instruments almost before they could walk with their parents who were both talented musicians as well.
Making a splash three years ago at SXSW, the Haim sisters have been working their way up the ranks in the music world and Days Gone By is the culmination of their efforts. The album carefully combines the elements of an instant classic on tracks like “Forever” and “Falling” they create Madonna-like hooks with some candy-sweet drums and guitar accompaniment. On tracks like “My Song 5” they have more of an Alt-J-esque sound, filtering the influence of dub-step and electronic music and making it applicable to their specific brand of R&B, rock, and pop.
Overall, the album is a refreshing break from the synth-infused indie-rock that has defined the last couple of years of music. These girls definitely listened to Michael Jackson as kids, but in their Nardwar interview they confess that their main musical muse is the king himself, Elvis. Days Are Gone is a complex album that deserves many a listen and the weather cools down and the leaves really start falling. And if their is any doubt after a listen through the entire album, the Haim sisters are complete badasses.
