To Dive or not to DIIV...

A few months ago I wrote about when I saw Frankie Rose and another band called Dive. I definitely liked Dive, but didn't give them too much thought. The main man of Dive used to tour with Beach Fossils so I just kind of associated Dive with Beach Fossils. In any case, while seeing Dive I told my friend "Just wait a few months and they will be huge". Well, it's been a few months and they aren't just yet "big", but they are getting tons of well deserved hype. Since the show, they changed their spelling to DIIV... apparently there is some Euro band named Dive. So, after my Beach House "Bloom" obsession died down a bit, I decided to download the new DIIV album. It took me a few listens, but now I'm just as obsessed with this record as I was with the Beach House new album. So much so, that on a recent flight back to Texas I listened to it on repeat for 2 straight hours. I always have a hard time describing what a band sounds like or what I feel like while listening to it, and that's certainly the case with DIIV. I just really, really, really like the album, and the WHOLE album. If you know me, you know that just about any band that sounds low-wave/dark-wave, really any "wave", is going to be a favorite of mine. There's something special about DIIV that I can't quite nail down, I just know I love it. In 2010, my favorite band was Wild Nothing and when they finally came to Austin in early 2011, my little heart was complete. I've been waiting and waiting for another album from Wild Nothing and about a month ago they released a new single. I kept looking at their tour dates and, of course, Atlanta was not listed... BUT a week ago they announced they'd be here with.... DIIV. Perfect line up.... Captured Tracks really knows what they are doing when they add bands to their label. I'm fairly certain that the new Wild Nothing album will be my favorite album of the year, which might be a stretch considering this year has been full of great music. Here's the new WN single: This fall is going to be filled with fantastic music and great shows... can't wait.

Blooming back in action

Sorry blog... I have completely avoided you for months and cannot put into words why I haven't been motivated to keep up with you. My life continues to change and I am happy to say I have survived my first year here in Atlanta. It's been rough, but I hope that the hard days are behind me. As always, music is what keeps me sane and helps me comprehend all the emotions that fill my overanalytical mind. It's really exhausting, but anytime I need to sort my thoughts I just listen to music. Music will either help me sort my thoughts, or just make me accept the way I feel. It's free therapy and I wish I could thank each and every musician that has helped me get through each trying day. So far this year, I've seen a handful of good shows. After a depressing and boring winter, the spring came and brought music back to Atlanta. One of the first few shows I saw this spring were Chairlift and Frankie Rose. I have a strong feeling that this might be the year for female singers. Both shows were pretty incredible. Frankie Rose really is someone to be in awe of. She actually sounds even better live than on the record and has such a playful cute stage personality. And to my suprise, I just so happen to find a live video from her show in Atlanta playing my favorite track on her album: Another great show that I mentioned I saw a few weeks ago was Chairlift. I wasn't too into them when they first came on the scene years ago, but their new record is seriously pretty great. She's got a really great voice and there are lots of good dance worthly songs on the record. Below is my favorite track: Seeing both these lead female singers really makes me question my path in life and why I never took up playing an instrument. I'm totally enamored by their musical ability and talent. It's so stupid. I should make this dream happen somehow. But in the meantime, I will continue to fantasize about this dream and just listen to music. This year hasn't had too many great records to come out so far, but just last week the album that I have been waiting quite a while for came out. Beach House's new album "Bloom" is seriously a dream. Anytime I listen to Beach House I am immediately transported to a different place, where I'm floating on cotton balls and an immediate sense of calm overwhelms me. Even though the lyrics can be quite depressing, it doesn't matter. Again, (especially with them) listening to their songs I'm able to put into words what I'm feeling. They have such a beautiful ability to make the lyrics and the guitar flow so perfectly together that it's impossible to not be overwhelmed. This record is perfect in every way and I feel like it came into my life at the exact time I needed it to. The opening track "Myth" has such a great line in it that is fitting for what I'm going through... "You can't keep hangin' on to all that's dead and gone". I don't exactly know what Victoria means by this, but to me specifically I need to move on from my past life in Austin. Every song on the record is powerful and just flows through my mind, captivating my thoughts. The great thing about Beach House is their sound doesn't change from record to record. Their story just continues, rather than stops. I hope they never change.