Days Are Gone

by HAIM

Overview

There is nothing cool about Haim's music, and that's why it's so refreshing. While many of their contemporaries engaged in a contest to find the most obscure influences, and '80s revivalists sucked synth-pop and new wave dry, the Haim sisters dug up the decade's biggest, poppiest sounds and fashioned a captivating debut album out of them. Days Are Gone sounds all the more unusual precisely because it's so mainstream; a list of their influences -- Stevie Nicks, Phil Collins, En Vogue, Shania Twain -- looks like a glance at the Top 40 from about 25 years before the album's release. Likewise, these songs revel in that era's sometimes-cheesy flourishes without a trace of irony, and the gated drums, gleaming synths, and muted guitars that dominate Days Are Gone haven't sounded so good since their original heyday. Not that Haim's approach is unstudied; the trio obviously did their homework to revive and embody these sounds so perfectly, and it took them five years of recording and re-recording these songs until they had just the right mix of smoothness and immediacy. The hard work paid off: Days Are Gone is full of should-be hits like "The Wire," which boasts a big, fist-pumping beat and sassy guitar licks (they can only be called that). Compared to the thin voices of so many 2010s pop stars, singer Danielle Haim's rich alto only adds to the group's throwback feel, but like her sisters, she's remarkably versatile. Over the course of the album, Haim captures and explores the nuances within the styles they're reviving: there's the sweet soft rock of "Honey & I" or "Don't Save Me," the title track's tight synth-pop, and the dark, driving territory of "Let Me Go" and "My Song 5," which, with its slinky melody and hard-hitting beats, makes the most of the trio's R&B influences. This song, along with much of Days Are Gone, features production by Ariel Rechtshaid, whose work with Usher and Vampire Weekend proves he has the breadth to help Haim unite their ideas into a coherent sound. Still, it's the writing that ultimately prevents Days Are Gone from being just an extremely accurate exercise in nostalgia. The best moments here, such as the bookends "Falling" and "Running If You Call My Name," would be great pop songs regardless of when they were released. A debut album that could pass for a greatest-hits collection, Days Are Gone will provide musical comfort food for some, and an introduction to irony-free pop for others. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	09/30/2013
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0888837709729

Tracks

1. Falling
2. Forever
3. The Wire
4. If I Could Change Your Mind
5. Honey & I
6. Don't Save Me
7. Days Are Gone
8. My Song 5
9. Go Slow
10. Let Me Go
11. Running If You Call My Name

Album Credits

Performance Credits

HAIM   Primary Artist
Alana Haim   Percussion,Synthesizer,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards
Este Haim   Bass,Vocals,Percussion,Guitar (Bass)
Danielle Haim   Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Percussion
James Ford   Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Will Canzoneri   Clavinet,Keyboards,Clavichord,Fender Rhodes
Greg Leisz   Guitar
Giorgio Moroder   Vocals
Ariel Rechtshaid   Drums,Mbiri,Noise,Piano,Guitar,Marimba,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Simmons Drums,Vocals (Background)
David Schiffman   Mbiri,Noise,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes
Benmont Tench   Organ
Jamie Muhoberac   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Este Haim   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Cyril Hahn   Remixing
HAIM   Producer
Danielle Haim   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Geoff Swan   Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Pierre Auroux   Photography
Heiko Huebschmann   Mixing,Mixing Engineer,Mastering Engineer
Rich Morales   Assistant Engineer,Mastering Engineer,Mastering Assistant
Emily Lazar   Mastering Engineer,Mastering
George W. Lewis   Composer,Lyricist
Floor 5   Design
Tom Elmhirst   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Duke Dumont   Remixing
Nicolas Fournier   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Chris Galland   Assistant,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Chris Kasych   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Sascha Buehren   Mixing Engineer,Mastering Engineer
John Davis   Mastering Engineer
Morgan Stratton   Engineer
Kid Harpoon   Composer,Lyricist
Ludwig Goeransson   Producer
Martin Cooke   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Tom Beard   Photography
James Ford   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Mixing Engineer,Composer,Producer
George Lewis Jr.   Composer
Big Active   Design
Nick Rowe   Engineer,Producer
Tom Elhirst   Mixing
Tom Hull   Composer
Jessie Ware   Composer,Lyricist
Ash Workman   Mixing Engineer
Tommy Forrest   Engineer
Ben Baptie   Assistant,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Marek Polewski   Design
Delbert Bowers   Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Alana Haim   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Jimmy Robertson   Engineer
Morgan Nagler   Composer,Lyricist
Manny Marroquin   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Ariel Rechtshaid   Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer,Programming,Additional Production
David Schiffman   Engineer,Programming
Justin Shave   Mixing Engineer
Bo Hill   Assistant,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Cerrone   Producer
Rich Costey   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
David Emery   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer