Days Are Gone
Haim are three twentysomething sisters (and an unrelated drummer) from Los Angeles who grew up playing in a band with their mom and dad. And if that isn't cute enough for you, their charming debut recalls the dancy side of Eighties Top 40 radio as an AstroTurf Eden of chewy synths, neon-cheese guitar quake and slick, airy melodies. Its single "Falling" could roll proud alongside "Bette Davis Eyes" and "Don't You Want Me" at Skateville in 1983. But this isn't just mimicry; sweet, smart homemade invention abounds, from the wistful R&B anthem "Days Are Gone" to "The Wire," a New Wave/country-pop stomper with aching sass. This is the kind of microtriumph you sit up and root for.