But when it comes to HAIM, I have to admit that I'm completely behind the times.
The Los Angeles-born foursome has been wowing festival audiences, putting out killer singles and opening for pop titans like Mumford and Sons for more than a year now, but do you know when I decided to see if they were worth the hype? Last week.
It's better late than never, because I think I've found one of my favorite albums of the fall. Far from drowning in the ocean of buzz, the Haim sisters that's right, HAIM is composed of three sisters and drummer Dash Hutton are riding the wave like pro surfers.
With "Days Are Gone," they've given us an incredibly tight, hooky album that delivers from start to finish and holds up to repeated listens.
HAIM built its reputation by producing four fantastic singles, and they've wisely chosen to frontload those singles on "Days Are Gone."
"Forever," first released almost a year ago, hits high and low with a pounding heartbeat rhythm and a web of guitars that weave in and out, keeping you on your feet. Lead singer Danielle Haim's sweeping, mournful voice matches the song's breakup anthem lyrics perfectly, and the guitars turn from polite to caustic as her anger and frustration build.
It's a masterstroke of texture, showing that the Haim sisters have talent and experience far beyond their years.
"Falling" has the hooks to be a chart-topper, but it's far from the vapid, grating Cyrus-pop that's ruling the radio at the moment. Its sleek, crystalline disco and syncopated vocal hook require a listen or two to get acclimated to, but once you've cracked the code you'll be marveling at how HAIM managed to construct a tune so airtight and monolithic. Lest things start to seem too perfect and constructed, clattering pots-and-pans percussion injects a dose of childlike exuberance into the song.
Perhaps my favorite of the singles is "The Wire." Lyrically, it's another breakup anthem, but this time it's Haim who's the bad guy and attempting to say, "It's not you, it's me." The song's blues stomp is stuffed into a post-punk straightjacket, its thumping eighth-note rhythm building and releasing tension but never really exploding the way it constantly threatens to. Once again, the ladies of HAIM prove that they've got the chops to match their hooks.
The singles are dazzling, but that's not to say the rest of "Days Are Gone" doesn't do its best to outshine them. "If I Could Change Your Mind" nabs the jittery, insistent bass rhythm of Spoon's "The Way We Get By" and throws it against stuttering drums, building a knotty dance floor groove. "Go Slow" is a classic torch song, all slow-motion drums and crooning vocal echoes. With its narcotic pulse and immersing atmosphere, it might just steal the crown of "Makeout Anthem of the Decade" from the xx's "Intro."
Speaking of narcotic, "My Song 5" takes that druggy vibe to its logical conclusion, building a cocoon of lies, betrayal and woozy, unhinged sub bass. Between the distorted wails of the chorus and the grimy guitar riff on the break, it's an absolutely frightening song, proof that HAIM is well-acquainted with the work of Frank Ocean and The Weeknd.
Title track "Days Are Gone" borrows the big, reverbating vocals of Florence and the Machine, while "Honey and I" finds Danielle Haim channeling the breathy, fluttering voice of Joni Mitchell. Along with single "Don't Save Me," they form a sunny core at the middle of the album that balances the kinetic pop of the first third and the sedated pulse of the last third perfectly.
Critics have often likened HAIM's sound to a mix of classic Fleetwood Mac and 1990s R&B. If you ask me, those formulas are missing about 20 bands, ranging from Joy Division to Pixies to Destiny's Child.
They synthesize a dizzying web of influences into a sound that's uniquely and completely theirs. To paraphrase the Strokes, HAIM is working hard to make it look easy. I don't know about you, but I'm excited to see where they go next.
