Album Review: Haim's Days Are Gone

Since singlehandedly reinvigorating indie pop with the release of the single “Forever” over a year ago, Haim has kept fans waiting.  The band of sisters chose to release a long string of singles before announcing a debut album, which will finally drop on September 30 (but I was lucky enough to find it online after it leaked--but of course, I am still buying the album because I care too much about music to do otherwise).  From the first pulse to the final fade out, Days Are Gone is a tightly woven masterpiece that delivers on every promise and may even a have the power to act as a unifying force within the tangled mess that is contemporary music. 

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Two of the band’s most popular singles, “Falling” and “Forever,” draw listeners in as strong opening tracks.  The gloriously lo-fi, vamping guitar leading into the final chorus in “Forever” ensures that the song will live on as an all time classic.  The next track, “TheWire,” begins with a simple guitar riff that lends the song a breezy, Southern California vibe anchored by tasteful synthesizer and Este Haim’s signature bass line.  The Haims trade off vocals during verses before coming together for golden three part harmonies on each chorus. 

                “If I Could Change Your Mind”, the first brand new song on the record, masterfully utilizes tempo changes to amp up the impact of each subsequent chorus.  Danielle Haim’s soulful vocal and staccato guitar border on stream-of-consciousness and preach from experience, admitting “Every time I think about it/memories take me back to all the wildest times.”  The song speaks to the intense pull of memories, no matter how much an individual may try to avoid them. 

                The title track, placed just past midway through the album, stands out for a couple reasons:  it was co-written by R&B extraordinaire Jessie Ware and indie songwriter Kid Harpoon, and it’s the only song that does not feature Danielle Haim on lead vocals.  Instead, Alana Haim takes over, adding edgier vocals to a backbeat heavily influenced by electronic dance music. 

It’s apparent that “Days are Gone” serves as a jumping off point for the more sinister nature of the rest of the record.  The daring “My Song 5”continues with EDM grooves, but “Go Slow” is the true masterpiece of the album.  Ethereal backing vocals and a hypnotic drum loop converge to create feelings of claustrophobia while an accusatory chorus chants, “You took away all my young life/ and I hate what I’ve become.”  Although all of the songs, and especially those on the second half of the album, rely heavily on technological enhancements, raw guitar solos and soulful vocals assure listeners that indeed, human beings are the force behind such lush electronics. 

In Israeli, “Haim” means “alive,” a perfect adjective to describe Days Are Gone.  Many critics have attempted to define Haim by comparing the group to a bizarre conglomerate of bands that have passed their prime, including Fleetwood Mac, The Strokes, and TLC.  But Haim, unafraid to dabble in the immediacy of pop and undeterred by experimentation, has demanded to be defined on its own terms.

So as the first of my highly anticipated albums of  autumn, Days Are Gone has definitely exceeded expectations.  

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