The two bands today have debut CDs that sparkle and justify the hot press they’ve been receiving. With Disclosure, we have two British brothers, aged 22 and 19, who have taken the electronica world by storm, gaining four BritAwards nominations.
With Haim, it’s three American sisters, eldest at 28, youngest at 22, who successfully blend ’80s Fleetwood Mac-type music and harmonies, with R&B and rock elements.
Haim — Days Are Gone (Columbia Sony, available on Amazon.com). Family bands are a regular music occurrence. We’ve had, among others, the Osmonds, the Hanson Brothers, Wilson Phillips, the Corrs and the Jonas Brothers. But what sets Haim apart is that they are made up of sisters, compose their own songs, play the instruments, gift us with pop music that leans heavily towards rock — and they’re outright fun and fantastic.
Falling and Forever segue nicely as bright pop ditties, but they surprise us with slowed down tunes like If I Could Change Your Mind, and the sparse, yet bubbly Honey & I. My Song 5 is the more “heavy†rock experiment, while Go Slow is an aural delight. With smart use of percussion, handclaps and electronica, there’s consistent yet versatile music on offer. It’s the range of these young girls that impresses.
Disclosure — Settle (Universal Island, available on Amazon.com). With bits of house music, lots of strong, soaring vocals and steady insistent rhythm and beats, Disclosure is surely one of 2013’s breakthrough bands. The Lawrence boys may be referential to a fault, rather than being truly original, but the music is so polished and assured, you can’t help but wonder how at so young an age, they’ve delivered the goods.
Latch, which features vocalist Sam Smith, is my immediate favorite, along with Defeated No More, which guests Ed Macfarlane. Eliza Doolittle, Jessie Ware and London Grammar are among the other guest artists, and it’ll be hard to choose one’s dance club favorite with so much good music. At so young an age, it’s scary to think of what these two brothers can still create over time.