REVIEW: Haim deliver on debut album
The first day of the month marked the release the debut album of alternative-pop band Haim, entitled “Days Are Gone.” Haim was a new band to my ears, and I can honestly say my ears had a fantastic first day of October.
Haim is a trio of three sisters: Alana, Danielle and Este Haim. To say these sisters are talented would be a tremendous understatement. I guess you could say the band has been together since birth, considering they all grew up in the same house in the San Fernando Valley in California.
“Days Are Gone” is the sisters’ debut album, but they have released a few singles, including the catchy tune “The Wire.” I didn’t realize it was them until I was writing this review, but they were also featured in one of my favorite tracks – “Red Eye” – off the new Kid Cudi album.
Haim has frequently been compared to Fleetwood Mac, and I would agree this is a fair comparison. The names that came to my mind most were artists like Stevie Nicks, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper – quite a variety of ’80s stars. With those artists in mind, there was a modern feel comparable to names like Of Monsters and Men and Florence and the Machine.
Here is the bottom line on this album for me: I feel like many artists have tried to qualitatively recreate the magical, funky rhythm and beats that were a part of the music of the ’80s, but in the end they have all fallen short. Haim, on the other hand, took this challenging task and just ran with it. This album really is a blast from the past. The intro riff to the song “Forever” makes me feel like I should be watching Molly Ringwald in a dramatic montage of a John Hughes film.
I sense another influence is Phil Collins. In particular, I feel this while listening to the catchy tune “If I Could Change Your Mind.” It is just a smooth track that’s easy to listen to, with vocals that could blow you away. A great description of this album is just that – easy to listen to. This album will definitely find its way onto my listen-to-while-doing-homework playlist. It really is a perfect balance of the funk and groove of the ’80s, slightly mixed with the indie and alternative pop that has become so popular in today’s world.
Remember the name Haim, because they aren’t going away soon. I would highly recommend this album to anyone and everyone, but especially to my mom, who is at times trapped in the ’80s. Seriously, if you want to be one of the cool kids who can say in a few years that they listened to the first Haim album the week it came out, then get on it. It is well worth your time and money. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this record.
My favorite tracks are “Falling,” “If I Could Change Your Mind,” “Days are Gone” and “My Song 5.”
The overall grade is an easy A for sure, with a shot at being an A+.