HAIM – Days Are Gone – 6.5/10
Columbia
Every once in a blue moon, being both a fan of music and a critic can put one in a conflicting situation. Like beer and orange juice, journalistic integrity and personal feelings are a hard mix, but when they do mix properly, the drinks go down smooth, and the words flow out effortlessly. This is not one of those cases.
Having closely listened to and watched Haim’s development over the past two years, this humble reviewer has had a very difficult time objectively rating their debut album “Days Are Gone”. Reviewing it outside that context has proven impossible. Despite this friction, I will do my best to explain my feelings towards this trio of sisters’ eagerly awaited LP.
The first time I saw Haim was at a crowded bar in the Lower East Side during CMJ 2011. At the time, they had no released recorded material, and quite frankly I didn’t have any expectations. Two tracks in (tweaked versions of them appear on Days Are Gone, “Better Off” and “Falling”) they knocked my socks off. I had never been as excited about a band I knew nothing about before. Their performance was electric. Danielle, Alana and Este each play their roles to perfection. Este woos the crowd with witty remarks and powerful bass playing, Alana brings her baby-sister charm to rhythm guitar and keys, and Danielle carries the group with her smoky voice and guitar shredding. Saying Danielle carries the band is unfair; her two sisters also sing remarkably well, and much of Haim’s catchiness and quality derives from their ability to harmonize so well. To make it simple, despite their pop and R&B sensibilities, on stage Haim is a rock band.
After the initial performance, I attended nearly every show when the came to town, and saw them half a dozen times at South By Southwest later that year. They got better with each performance. Not long before SXSW, they released their first EP, Forever, consisting of “Forever”, “Go Slow” and “Better Off”. Though it was critically very well received, catapulting them to near stardom and earning them a lot of airtime in my ear buds, I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed. I had expected something that replicated their boundless energy on stage. I wanted more Fleetwood Mac and less TLC. The melodies were still as catchy and addictive, but there was an overproduced and simplified feel to the songs that I felt didn’t reflect their true potential. Seeing them live before hearing any recordings has fundamentally changed the way that I viewed them as a band, and s far as I was concerned, they were better than what they put out.
Fast forward about a little less than a year. Backed by Columbia and fresh off the heels of releasing the first single for their album, “Don’t Save Me” (which also included the excellent B-Side “Send Me Down”, that I am mystified did not make the final album cut), I saw them live again for a sold out Brooklyn crowd. “Don’t Save Me” is pretty much a pure pop track, but this time I’d heard it as a recording initially, and am in no way ashamed to admit that I did and do love it in all it’s pop glory. Once again, their show was spectacular. Their parents, aside whom they used to jam along in a family band called Rockinhaim, graced the stage with them during the encore – poppa on the drums and momma sharing vocals for a ridiculously entertaining rendition of “Mustang Sally”. They soon after released “Falling” and “The Wire” as singles leading to the release of Days Are Gone.
This brings us to now. To be perfectly honest, I like the record. I really do. That being said, I still find myself feeling disappointed. While “Don’t Save Me” sounds like it was engineered as a pop song, most of the other tracks that impressed me live sound deflated and either overproduced or too stripped down, most notably “Let Me Go”, “The Wire” and “Falling”. “Honey And I” comes off as the most energetic song of the album despite the fact that it is probably stripped of fifty percent of the intensity I’ve seen onstage. “Go Slow” fits their recorded sound as it is always sounded like a ballad and equally showcases all three girls vocally. The title track, “Days Are Gone” is underwhelming to say the least, and “My Song 5” doesn’t really sound like it belongs on the album at all. I find most of the never before heard songs on the album to be of lesser quality than the ones they’ve been playing at shows for years other than “If I Could Change Your Mind”.
Haim lists a diverse range of influences (including even Kendrick Lamar…) and while pulling inspiration from many different artists and genres can help, I think it might also be preventing them from finding their true identity. By experimenting with so many different styles, ranging from electro influences to hip-hop snares, they are avoiding motion in any specific direction and remain standing under the wide umbrella of “pop music”. Haim are talented musicians with extensive musical and instrumental skill, capable of captivating crowds all over the world through their sheer power of performance. Artists of this quality should strive for a little more than what their album provides. We must also remember that first albums are difficult, and many a band have only improved as they progressed. I reiterate my previous statement; it is a good album. For many others it will be a great album, but I cannot separate myself from my experiences and expectations. I have high hopes for a follow up album in which they embrace what they are truly great at; rock n roll.