The LA-based Haim sisters brought together an extra-familial drummer, some crafty producers and a heap of ‘90s nostalgia for their debut album, Days Are Gone. Expect handclaps, comparisons of fire to desire and ballad singing—the latter on “The Wire” especially, which owes a lot to Shania Twain. But
thanks to some slick production—including the minds behind the new Vampire Weekend and Arctic Monkey albums—most of the record’s re-appropriations sound fresh. Like any pop outing, there’s filler, but it’s the mortar to the album’s solid brick, not vice versa. The hits are what count here
(“Falling,” “Forever” and “Days Are Gone”), and they’re much more memorable than the faults in between.