HANKERING FOR HAIM: DAYS ARE GONE

As the title suggests, I've got a hankering for Haim.

I've had a hankering for them way back since I first heard them on Radio One mid 2012.

But let me explain to you why that is.

As  a 17 year old girl who hails from Derby, England's go to place for well... nothing,

except a nice big lake, some rather large hills and perhaps the odd Bakewell tart, Haim are like goddesses to me, what with their long sun kissed manes, irresistible Californian quirk and undeniable cool girl auras. 

They come from California, I come from Derby, they have sun spun tales of love

 and heart break all set against the backdrop of west coast USA, and if I tried capturing the essence

of the Derbyshire Dales, we'd have abstract sheep noises fused with football chants and who wants to hear that?

You look at them, and you want to be them.

You want the hair, the cool girl swag, the talent, everything.

Heck, I've even suggested to my little sis that we do a Haim and make a band and grow our hair out and make some songs and just be quintessentially cool like them.

But alas, she said no.

And anyway, it's not like we would be much competition, would we?

Because these girls are utterly fabulous, they're a force to be reckoned with, and when you stop to think about it, just as I did on my early morning trek to college, it's actually rather incredible what

they've achieved and just how they've gone about it.

Now I'm not trying to go off on a feminist rant, but in the present day music industry, lets face it, if you're a woman, you aren't going to get very far without taking your kit off and doing a 

spot of twerking or gyrating.

It has to be sexualised, it has to compromise on your dignity, your strength, your independence.

Your aesthetic is more important than your talent, it undermines it & overshadows it 

to the point where people are talking about the dress you wore (or didn't) as opposed to your integrity as an artist. 

You can claim all you like to be strong, fearless, feisty, but the reality is,

when you're standing on a stage in just your bra and pants or diamond encrusted swimming cozzie,

no matter how fabulous your body, who's really believing you?

I'm not criticizing female artists who do that, but it seems a shame that

 in this day and age, female artists have to resort to these measures to even be heard, let alone taken seriously as an artist. It isn't right.

And now back to the whole point of this article, that's why I love Haim.

 Because these are three girls who keep their clothes on, and through their sheer talent and feisty natures alone, have successfully managed to carve out a name for themselves and gain respect from the music industry's notorious top dogs.

For example in the predominantly male orientated NME, Haim, who are currently gracing the front

cover, more than hold their own against their male opposition and they are respected and revered by both NME and fellow artists, and that's really saying something.

No-one dares bad mouth them and why should they?

These girls are incredible at what they do. An all female rock band who make quality music without

taking their gear off and all whilst radiating that fearless, no bullshit vibe that challenges

 anyone to mess with them and what they do so fantastically well. 

They care about their music, they care about their craft and they've been harnessing their skills their whole lives, having played in their parents band for years.

It's all about the music, not the aesthetics, and surely that's how it's meant to be?

They're feisty females and loyal sisters who stand their ground in a male orientated world,

they've gone to town with the seemingly unachievable task of a being the first all woman band, not pop group, to be taken seriously by the music industry, and they've done it all with

a confidence and assurance that I wish I had myself, as well as a glorious long mane of hair pretty please.

And now, on the eve of the release, of the long awaited debut 'Days Are Gone', I hope that

we will be listening to and writing about these ladies for many years to come. 

They're brilliant now, but as time goes on they're going to evolve and develop their sound and become even more of a force than they are right now. 

They can only get better, and with that, here's to Haim.

Doing rock the right way, with long hair, snarls, epic guitar, Californian grace

 and your sisters right by your side.

BUY THE ALBUM: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Are-Gone-Standard-Haim/dp/B00BPQC1AK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380450798&sr=8-1&keywords=haim

DON'T SAVE ME

THE WIRE

FOREVER

KATY PERRY AND LADY GAGA COMEBACK CLASH

Two Queens of Pop. Two comebacks. Two fierce new songs.

Two leaks in the same week.

Uh-oh....

So who comes out victorious?

KATY PERRY- ROAR

First up we have Miss Perry.

A firm favourite for her sharp sense of humour, lovable personality and fun, fierce, flirty brand 

of pop, Katy's comeback after the huge success of 2011's 'Teenage Dream' has been long awaited.

She's weathered a divorce and found a new romance in the shape of a certain

John Mayer, she's made movies, she's won awards... 

Yet as the 'Teenage Dream' phase was coming to and end, it's fair to say that Katy was in vulnerable and emotional place, as her brilliant and much deserved success was marred by a difficult and public divorce 

from comedian and actor Russell Brand. 

As she put it herself, she was 'falling from cloud nine', and it was this time in her life that inspired hits such as 

'Part of Me' and 'Wide Awake'.

However it's 2013 now, and having been able to close the previous chapter of her life and start afresh, pursuing a new romance and channeling her emotions and feelings into music, Katy, it appears, has never felt stronger. And that's exactly the stance she has chosen to adopt for album number three, 'Prism'.

Katy isn't the damaged, broken, vulnerable women anymore,

Oh no.

New single 'Roar' proudly declares the exact opposite.

It's a fierce, strong, defiant single that empowers anyone who listens to it.

It's written by a woman who's gone through the worst and come out at her very best.

She may be in a steady relationship, but 'Roar' suggests  a woman who is independent, wise, brave 

and with a steadfast refusal to be beaten, knocked down.

It's all very inspiring stuff and I am genuinely pleased for Katy.

I really do believe that this could be the most successful phase of her career, eclipsing the huge success of 'Teenage Dream' and why?

Because the music Katy is making now is personal, it's powerful, it's inspiring, and there is no doubt 

that Katy will be reaching out to an even bigger audience who can relate to and take

 something away from Katy's music.

She's an inspiring woman. She's taken the worst of her life and made it into something that will surely produce the best of her life. She's survived and  as she rightly declares, she's back with an almighty roar.

LISTEN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9SeJIgWRPk

___________________________________________________________________

LADY GAGA- APPLAUSE

And next up we have a certain Gaga.

After exploding onto the pop scene in 2008 with 'Just Dance', Gaga has been creating

 a humongous stir, what with her insane, wacky, imaginative outfits and consistent stream of pop hits, many of which will most likely evolve to become true classics, for the last five years.

2008's debut 'The Fame' quickly gave way to 2011's 'Born This Way' and it seemed as though 

Gaga rarely had time to pause for breath. If she wasn't decked out in her Kermit collection or wrapped up 

in meat like a human sausage roll, she was releasing hit after hit, releasing award after award and making sure her presence on the music scene could not be forgotten.

And of course it wasn't, how could it be?

It takes a lot to forget a woman who's idea of casual is to go out in her undies, and whose preferred 

evening look is that of a bacon rasher.

However it has to be said that in this fifteen minutes of fame society, once the spotlight had shifted to the next biggest star, Gaga moved to the back of the queue and speculation began to build regarding how she could

top the incredible achievements she'd made with her first two albums.

Yet over the last couple of years, Gaga has taken a step back from the limelight and toned

herself down. She's fallen in love, she's found an identity that seems to sit just right- unique, different, slightly strange yet beautiful, strong, feminine- and she's been working away on

a new album, 'ARTPOP', which seems to be the album she's felt most passionately about. 

Gaga's undergone a transformation whilst retaining her key, core elements.

And the buzz is building once more.

Like Katy Perry, Gaga's new offering, 'Applause', leaked before it's release date,

with many genuinely curious to see just what Gaga had to pull out the hat this time.

And she's got a good'un alright. 

In comparison to her previous work, 'Applause' is perhaps not as strong, but it's catchy, it's

well made pop, and hopefully it is only a taste of what is to come.

Because knowing Gaga, this is probably not the best she has, oh no, she probably has

a magical array of incredible songs up her sleeve just waiting to be released to the world.

With 'Applause', you can't help but think that she has released it to satisfy the growing appetite of her fans and public for new music. And the leak was something she couldn't ignore, so she has been forced to release it and use the generated publicity to her advantage.

Had she had the choice, I don't think she would've made 'Applause' her first single, but seeing as the choice was taken out of her hands, she's done well to ride the waves and I cannot wait to see what she has yet to show us. 

LISTEN TO IT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ld9cZ7d_2A

___________________________________________________________________

SO WHO WINS?

Well there's absolutely no doubt that both will be greeted to much success with their respective releases,

however personally, based on their first singles, I believe it's a victory for Miss Perry in terms of her music.

She's entering what I believe will be one of the most successful phases of her career and I really do admire Katy for coming out the other side fighting strong. That will resonate with people most definitely.

So it's a victory for Katy right now.

But Gaga is most likely to sell a landslide, shedload and tsunami of albums and she will do incredibly well, of course. She deserves it. As does Katy, because ultimately, they are both strong, independent, admirable women who live and breathe their craft and each deserves every bit of success that comes their way.

PRISM- OUT 22ND OCTOBER 2013

ARTPOP- OUT 11TH NOVEMBER 2013