Women In Music Pt. 3 - HAIM: Review
is a trio of sisters who have been essential voices in the world of indie rock since their 2014 debut record. Making contributions to last years Vampire Weekend comeback record fittingly led to Rostam, formerly a member of Vampire Weekend, producing a large part of this, the bands third record.
Review By Lavender:
On their debut record Haim's fun jammy indie rocking was so instantly catchy that it took the music world by storm. While their second album Something To Tell You wasn't quite as acclaimed the band seems to have not missed a step commercially as their trio of singles last year would indicate. However those tracks are merely bonus cuts on this record and the bulk of what's here is a sonic collage of influence that took me a surprisingly long time to nail down.
The whirlwind of sounds the record has to offer started with the trio of singles released this year. I Know Alone is the most electronic of the three with a punchy beat that could work as part of a house song just as well. This turns into a very glossy but kind of understated hook, it's catchy I just can't help but with it went a little bit harder. Don't Wanna is a pretty genuine love song with a fat bassline that comes tethered to some songwriting sensibilities. While it may be a touch simple for some the instrumental is explosive nonetheless particularly on the great final hook. The best single of the bunch was The Steps which featured an instrumental straight out of the 60's that I really dig. The hook is also killer and I love the vocal gymnastics going on that pull out some excellent raw melodies.
There isn't a whole ton of semblance to this records blend of sounds but I'll do my best to take on these tracks starting with the ones I enjoyed the most. Los Angeles is a dramatic opener that I enjoy quite a bit which pairs some bouncy riffing with emotional lead vocal harmonies for a classic indie rock pairing. Up From A Dream goes electric once again with a much more fast paced approach this time around. It pairs some driving electric guitars with stop and start vocals that are seriously catchy. This is definitely one of the stranger songs of the bunch but it somehow comes together really well. 3 AM is a groovy song about a booty call which I didn't necessarily expect bur I enjoy it quite a bit. With a bouncy mid 2000's style hook and subtly manipulated vocals this is yet another really unique blend of influences that works out really well.
Leaning On You is one of the best love songs the record has to offer with a blissful, natural sounding string section that reminds me of something from the last two Bibio records. Not to mention a wonderful lead vocal performance that totally sells the song. Man From The Magazine is a very intimate ballad with some raw acoustic guitar recordings and frontal lead vocals. The track throws it back decades sonically in terms of mixing but the result is a compelling performance I enjoy. All That Ever Mattered is the records final highlight as well as being a wild track in two parts. At first it sounds like a totally synthetic R&B inspired tune before exploding into a St. Vincent style indie rock jam and I am absolutely here for all of it.
Some of the tracks here just simply fail to stand out like Gasoline which sort of falls into the background of the record and FUBT which closes the record off decently before ending completely out of nowhere. Another Try is a groovy almost reggae inspired love song that doesn't do a whole lot to win me over. The hook kind of falls flat and the entire first half of the song goes by without much interesting instrumental development. I've Been Down is another track with some weird influences, while I like the raw percussion and spoken word that kind of channels Robyn's 2000's output it is one of the least compelling tracks here.
Women In Music Pt. 3 is an absolutely tailspin of a record but I find myself enjoying much more of it than not. Despite the lack of semblance from song to song on the album I think a lot of these tracks stand up pretty well alone, and I only wish that a little bit more care had been put into organizing them into a more coherent record. Despite a jarring listen I am along for the ride with much of what the sisters have to offer here and after a bit of a sophomore slump I think they are comfortably back here. 7/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
I like this cover. Knowing the previous aesthetics of the sisters, I think this fits in well with their indie vintage photo style and it encompasses what their style is and has been for a while. It has a lot of detail packed into the simple photo and it takes time to look into all the background gems. I appreciate that the sign in the back is used as the title and it adds itself into the composition rather than sitting on top of it. Overall I think this is wildly successful and adds to the list of the other very strong covers in their discography. 8/10
For more indie rock check out my review of Phoebe Bridgers Punisher here
