HAIM

Somehow this thread has now got me listening to Weird Al's "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi".

The reason I like Haim over that mainstream pop star they compared them to is that the song(s) actually have rhythm, and they are actually arranged well, with handclaps and funky guitar and those clicky drum sticks. I think they get some flack for all of this extra stuff but I like it, and it's not just there to sound complex. It all goes with the song, with the rhythm. Comparatively, the super big pop hits are robotic and bodyless (lousy dance music).

When someone can't see what factors intrinsic to the music (as opposed to press attitudes or positioning) make Haim significantly different from producer-led pop then it says a lot about their POV. (Not that there's anything wrong with producer-led pop per se)

Well, there's a musical identity and personality at work here that a lot of producer-led pop lacks, imo. Like, I recognize that all the usual suspects bring something to their tracks, but I also feel most of their hits would have been hits for whomever. Haim doesn't sound like the last optional ingredient in their own recipe the way a lot of pop stars do (to me).

also haim sounds a lot more like fleetwood mac than miley cyrus

If Haim really are just manufactured pop then I hope we can expect to see Ms Main Haim's love of ridiculously extended guitar solos (esp. live) picked up by Katy Perry et al in the next twelve months or so.

So "Forever" is on the alt-rock airplay chart now? Seems weird that they're now picking up on a track that was like two years and five singles ago.

Honestly, who gives a fuck if HAIM are 'really' manufactured pop or not. The question itself bothers me. That piece is so obviously rockist.

Is preferring Miley Cyrus over Haim the new rockism?

no it's the new Aphex Twin

can someone please post a photo of haim wearing a miley t-shirt, on which miley is seen wearing an aphex twin t-shirt?

This song really is amazing - easily my favorite song of last year (and this one so far).

The whole thing is just so fearless and unconcerned with indie trappings which reminds me the most of New Order's approach during the mid 80s (although it's as if Haim are living in the 80s so it's not quite as avant-garde - although it could be looked at as a baton pass across the decades).

Also, the songwriting and arrangement is just incredibly professional - almost like a golden age musical. Every hook, every flourish just belongs. It's very Hollywood (or rather the children and grandchildren of Hollywood who live in the studio adjacent parts of the valley).

A comparison I'm always drawing in my mind is with Cut Copy's 'In Ghost Colours' which I love and I think attempts to mine a similar moment from a dance/track perspective. That said when listening back to back, Cut Copy sounds a little more held back by indie (and indie-dance) conventions.

I think a lot of the knee-jerk criticism is with some of the obviously 80s instrumentation, especially the bells, chimes and percussion (which in 2013 shared a lot with PSB's 'Electric').

Doesn't this song half share a melody with new order's ruined in a day ?

good catch!

doing Beyoncé's XO:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01svkc4

This is a pretty steep mountain to climb and Este doesn't really have the chops, but I appreciate the effort.

Prefer their cover of Sheryl's "Strong Enough".

Well their cover of Strong Enough is one of the greatest things in the entire history of the universe, so yeah

Remember when that writer Scott Creney slammed Haim and some people thought it was sexist and his defenders adamantly insisted it wasn't because the biggest Haim fans were middle-aged men rather than young women? Having just seen them in London (great btw) I can categorically say that's not the case. Most overwhelmingly female crowd I've seen since Taylor Swift or Miguel.

how was it?

They've been touring for so long that they've got this down. Started with Falling & Change Your Mind, ended on Don't Save Me & Forever, encored with a Beyonce cover, The Wire and a drum-circle version of Let Me Go. My Song 5 sounded 10x better than on record, like Aaliyah + Black Sabbath. Atmosphere was joyous - the crowd were already going nuts during the warm-up DJ, which almost never happens outside of dance music shows. I get such a kick out of seeing a new band at exactly the right time, when they've nailed it, their big songs have been around just long enough to feel like classics and there's still that celebratory we-did-it vibe you only really get with debuts.

I don't know why I felt that revisiting my old beef with Collapseboard was the most interesting takeaway from a great show by ILX sweethearts Haim but there you go.

Ha, I hadn't thought of it but "My Song 5" totally does sound like those weird industrial songs at the end of Aaliyah.

yeah when i saw them live my song 5 was the biggest revelation

The other thing that struck me last night is how much the simplistic original tagline - "Fleetwood Mac meets R&B" - actually holds up. Not just because their two cover versions were Oh Well and XO but because they would sound so much more retro without the post-R&B attention to rhythm. They just don't move like a standard rock band.

my friends who dont like/get haim are also my friends who dont like r+b

Haim's only dipping their pinky toe into r&b waters, tho.

seems like some biblical punishment to have to be someone who doesn't "get" HAIM

xp dude they are like knee deep, are you kidding?

Just heard HAIM on a Target commercial

yeah me too!

my coworker said one of their songs was in an episode of Bates Motel. lol random

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpFbuJfj7rU

i feel like their music is just a bit too _busy_ too function optimally as the soundtrack to an ad. back to the ukulele covers of "it's a wonderful world," buys.

guys

have you seen tv ads lately

they use skrillex to sell hyundais, i don't think busy is a problem

have you seen tv ads lately

seen or watched? yes and no.

The T-Mobile ad I've been seeing on Hulu uses Martin Solveig & Dev. Haim practically is ukulele music in comparison.

whoa

https://soundcloud.com/haimtime/if-i-could-change-your-mind/

whoa.

yow

i can't listen at work. this is a bob mould cover right?

just coming to post that, pretty fun

http://www.gqmagazine.fr/uploads/images/thumbs/201414/73/final_haimscarf_original_jpg_2874_north_600x_white.jpg

USA world cup's jersey !

It'd be cool if there was a picture of Daft Punk with France's.

http://sneak-art.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Nouveau-maillot-nike-%C3%A9quipe-de-france-2014-mamadou-sakho.jpg

In the Coachella crowd, an Este bassface sign:

https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t31.0-8/10257621_10152350800850449_7351207711528121640_o.jpg

genuine lol

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--TAvlkqsK--/c_fit,fl_progressive,w_636/l7ooqsl24xkvyx1zwvvm.jpg

awesome

I saw some of the Coachella performance and it was really good, the big hits were early on, and they sounded really cool. I bet it was awesome to dance to! The "Off the Wall"-era MJ nods I was picking up from the album production really came through live, the lead singer had all these awesome percussive vocal inflections sprinkled rhythmically on top of the groove. That girl w the bass face poster was right in front (which is pretty rude if u ask me), but the bass player just ignored it and kept kicking ass (or she thought it was funny).

this is old, but holy fuck the bass playing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JLa4lYGE5I

concert in two nights!

haim haimerson