DIIV - the next Nirvana? lol

i love self-mythologizing and being grandiose, but not when the music can't support it

songwriting is not always like the most important thing, first diiv record is all about vibes.

Maybe it's because of the name, but I think they sound like Love Battery, Green Magnet School or Rein Sanction.

yeah i don't even remember that many vocals...it's more like a jammy post punk kinda thing...like i dunno a more jam oriented wilderness or something

nirvana is one of the last bands that would have come to my mind

yeah...idk this is one of those records that hits my mood right w/r/t atmosphere more than melody, along the same lines as a lot of the new fahey acolytes discussed in the post-fahey thread. or something like dub techno. good atmospheric sounds.

Just listened to the album and liked it a lot. Thought Hyden was OTM with the Real Estate comparison. Not surprised to find them name-checked in the Clean, wistful guitar pop thread.

I accidentally wandered into a Diiv gig at Bonnaroo, which is how I found out Earl Sweatshirt had canceled and they had taken his slot. They sounded OK. They had a big crowd. That's a funny thing at festivals, seeing bands on the bill you've never heard of but they have big followings. ("Big" being a relative term here, there were several thousand people there out of the Bonnaroo total of 70,000 or so.) But they weren't Earl Sweatshirt, so I went back to the African music tent.

they are definitely not earl sweatshirt

http://www.thefader.com/2013/07/01/zachary-cole-smith-of-diiv-walked-the-runway-at-saint-laurent-paris/

they are definitely not earl sweatshirt

Not even the next Earl Sweatshirt?

my comment upthread didnt really make it clear how much I love Oshin btw.

being "the next nirvanna" used to be the kiss of death. IDK if that's still true anymore but I'd run away from such comparisons if I were in a band.

also nothing about that song/video posted sounds fresh, but idk maybe they have other better material. When I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit, I didn't like it, but at least it wasn't like "Oh, this again."

maybe he got the idea from all the instagram commenters going "omg u 2 r the new kurt & courtney ilysm"

#kurtsback #voiceoftoday #hotterasblonde

the best bits of the album remind me of late 80s church

any nirvana comparison is moronic in the extreme

so i'm listening to oshin, and none of it is sticking. sounds like turn on the bright lights production but slightly brighter, but the songs are so lacking in personality they're practically muzak. the 'maybe i'll be the voice of my generation with the next record' thing is even more ridiculous now. it's not bad but it's dull and underdeveloped

I don't have a problem with the lack of personality or whatever: I like the general aesthetic, so it's sufficiently pleasant listen. But yeah, no one is getting famous sounding like this.

yeah, i think jaymc gets to the heart of it, this just isn't going to be arena filling music, no matter how much he may fantasize about it

haha this thread is so weird! this is a classic example of if you come into something based on a thread with a trollbait title like "the next nirvana LOL" and see the singer make some dumb quote you're all set up to think it sucks, but if you had just checked it out on spotify randomly because someone told you too you'd be like yeah this is a kinda groovy post punk thing

so in all seriousness did the nirvana thing come about because he's a skinny blonde guy who did not immediately forsake his nirvana fandom when asked abt it?

Yeah it's nice to listen to, it just sort of sounds like a local band you would see opening for the band you came to see, and they did a good job, but you can't remember their name or anything other than the fact that you enjoyed it and it reminded you of Interpol with shoegaze vocals.

why bother listen to 'a kinda groovy post punk thing' when plenty of other bands and records do the same mood, but better, and with strong songs? this sort of band feels completely superfluous. everything about them is superficial.

^adam otm

because he's a skinny blonde guy who did not immediately forsake his nirvana fandom when asked abt it?

no, i'm pretty sure this dude has actively and openly talked about his aspirations to be as big as, specifically, nirvana, in more than just this particular interview. it's not a brush he's being painted with, it's his own painting.

Nirvana songs are songs you can play on acoustic guitar or read at a poetry reading and they still work. There is a reason Cobain is considered a genius and everyone always misses the point. It's cos he was a brilliant songwriter.

i don't really care if this diiv dude was sincere, trolling, or taken out of context. it's probably best to simply dismiss a lot of grand proclamations from musicians as the normal hilarious and/or stupid shit that every one of these guys has said at one time or another.

why bother listen to 'a kinda groovy post punk thing' when plenty of other bands and records do the same mood, but better, and with strong songs? this sort of band feels completely superfluous. everything about them is superficial.

― i also enjoy in line skateing (spazzmatazz), Wednesday, July 3, 2013 1:45 PM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i dunno, why listen to any rock band when you could listen to miles davis or mozart?

every band has distinctive things about them, just the way ppl pay together and sound, even within a narrow template....ppl keep bringing up interpol but you don't see the benefit of having a more kraut/jam influenced interpol with more guitar shit and less of those TERRIBLE LYRICS mixed was up in your face??

xxp ok, so he wants his band to be big. cool.

it's just funny to me that ppl are rushing in to defend nirvana's honor or w/e when it doesn't seem like anyone has made a *musical* comparison.

i like this song, but it doesn't even remind me of interpol i thought of like a more 00s post punk durutti column with a driving rhythm section

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfF8qaliQbo

yeah it's all big drums and pretty melodic guitar parts. interpol songs were more choppy and aggressive.

feel like this is gonna be like the Savages thing where ppl keep going "they just sound like [one or more of three bands] what's the point" then a bunch of ppl come in and say "eh well they kinda have this and this and this going on too" and it just keeps going round and round

Nirvana songs are songs you can play on acoustic guitar or read at a poetry reading and they still work. There is a reason Cobain is considered a genius and everyone always misses the point. It's cos he was a brilliant songwriter.

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, July 3, 2013 6:54 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't disagree but tbh that seems like wholly received and understood wisdom, assuming the Nirvana fans you're canvassing for opinions aren't teenagers hanging out in head shops

hahah

there's nothing divisive about DIIV or Savages except maybe how bland and anonymous they are. you mention Interpol's 'terrible' lyrics - pb's bizarre way with words is one of my favorite parts of that band. they're unique, confounding to some inspiring to others....there's nothing to talk about here, imo. it's like picking apart muzak.

and yet you keep talking

about the disparity btwn smith's grandiosity and the mediocrity of the music. there isn't anything controversial about the music itself. i wouldn't have started this thread if not for his comments. i wanted to see if anyone could make an argument for his potential greatness

how do you pronounce DIIV?

Nirvana is one the greatest band names, imo.

"dive"

it's not roman numerals?

They used to go by "Dive" but changed it to DIIV. Not sure if they added any meaning by spelling it that way and all caps beyond branding purposes.

i pronounce it like the html tag am0n references above

what he says in the pfork interview:

To be told that you're the voice of your generation is such an incredible amount of pressure, and I haven't faced that. Maybe by the time our third record rolls around, I will. My goals are to be a band like that in five years. At the moment, though, I can't really relate in any sense to the scale that his fame has reached.

makes it pretty clear that he knows his current place! unless you want to kill a guy for being honest about his ambitions, however unattainable they may be, i am still completely unclear what yr problem is.

xxxp

But they weren't Earl Sweatshirt, so I went back to the African music tent.

― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, July 2, 2013 3:16 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was there too, brah

o/

I don't know, I just can't imagine anyone that ends up "the voice of a generation" being "My five year goal is to be the voice of a generation". It's hard to imagine Bob Dylan or Kurt Cobain or John Lennon saying anything close to that. Usually anytime those dudes were asked about their zeitgeist-embodying careers they were openly derisive of that very kind of statement. You read early Beatles interviews and their grand 5 year plan was to make enough money to open a shoe shop or something.

But yeah, one interview, who knows if this guy really thinks this or is trolling/playing along w music journalism expectations.

really taking that Kurt worship thing to a new level, huh?

Sky Ferreira and Zachary Cole Smith of DIIV were arrested in Saugerties, New York Friday night, as the Daily Freeman reports. Ferreira was arrested "on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest," while Smith was "charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, one count of possession of stolen property and one count of aggravated unlicensed driving, all misdemeanors. He was also charged with the violations of unregistered motor vehicle, driving without insurance, unlicensed driver, and having an inadequate exhaust system," according to the Daily Freeman.

The paper reports that Smith was found with a "plastic bag containing 42 decks of heroin," while Ferreira "was found in possession of ecstasy and resisted arrest."

Police pulled their truck over "after the driver made several vehicle and traffic infractions." According to the Daily Freeman, "Police said a registration check showed the license plates on the truck were stolen and the driver, Smith, was wanted by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office on an outstanding vehicle and traffic warrant."

The two were taken to Ulster County jail, and then released on bail. On Saturday, DIIV performed at BasilicaSoundScape, a music festival in Hudson, New York, co-presented by Pitchfork.

inadequate exhaust system... so irresponsible

it's kind of insane that this band still has a fanbase? literally one of the most middle-of-the-road bands to ever become P4K darlings. could barely secure a place on some lost 80's post-punk compilation

i guess he has a pretty rebloggable face

http://themusic.com.au/news/all/2014/12/15/diiv-bassist-called-out-over-hateful-comments-on-4chan/

just boot the fucker out, nobody gives a fuck who the actual bassist of diiv is

totally object to when people belittle or demonize other's substance abuse issues, ie when people are like lol this guy takes heroin because he wants to be like kurt cobain or because he's a rock cliche or whatevs. think there's enough moral outrage at drug users as it is tbh. little strange when the music press reports hard drug use as if it is really egregious and transgressive (and sorta cool), and not just like a common thing that many, many people from all walks of life engage in, that is not remotely glamorous or weird, and which countless popular musicians have been involved in since forever.

with that proviso i have to say his obsession and identification with kurt cobain is deeply bizarre in its juvenility, even when you take into consideration possible arrested development arising from his privileged waspy background and extended-adolescence of being in bands throughout his 20s.

diiv's music is p ok with me, not actively a fan but it sounds like a bunch of the 80s indie i grew up with so whatevs. too derivative i guess.

dude is nonstop lols/eyerolls, i guess, but i loved the album and they played a bunch of new stuff at a show i saw recently and they sounded great

Not demonizing his substance abuse issue but the way he is glamorizing use. If he wants to get clean then good for him and I hope he does.

But if you are a public figure and think doing hard drugs is cool and something that should be promoted then eff you. Moral outrage not at drug users but drug promoters.

I don't know maybe he doesn't spend all his time talking about his drug use and the times he thought about his drug use, and it just comes out that way in music media, cos they have always fetishized hard drugs.

new album is garbage

Haha

I like it.

It's a band that plays dreamy same-y songs and they have a new album full of slightly less same-y songs than the last set.

If you liked them the first time around, you'll probably like the new one too?

they're a poor man's Interpol, the guy can't write lyrics so he buries his voice in the mix

So you just don't like the band. That's all I was trying to clarify.

It's funny that apparently only the bad songwriters intentionally bury their vocals in the mix for that reason, but only good songwriters that do this do it for other reasons.

i don't think that's the case, i like Avey Tare a lot and he obscures or over-processes his vocals way too much. Bob Mould's vocals are way too low in the mix on the SST Hüskers records. It's a stylistic choice for ZCS, I don't think he considers himself a bad lyricist.

Right, I was reacting to your post that implied that very thing: "the guy can't write lyrics so he buries his voice in the mix".

well the guitars + rhythm section sound fantastic on the new dive record, and so i'll be listening to it again

early favorite is "healthy moon" which is the most lucid and beautiful song on the new one

album is up on Spotify, sounds pretty lovely.

super nice all around. the track with sky on vocals is amazing.

Healthy Moon is a really pretty track. Inventive guitar line.

do these guys still sound like Seventeen Seconds era Cure? not a bad thing mind you.

really like the new one.

This new one sounds really good with today's hangover.

new single just dropped, sucks ass

sounds like portastatic

I really like their new album. Reminds me of Seam a bit with lurching MBV guitars. Sounds more troubled than the last one. I like this band in general, the hate here is unwarranted

thinking of going to see them when they play here next week, new album is nice and shoegazey, could be good live

Is the Is Are has slowly become one of my favorites of the decade. I was skeptical of the fuzzed out sound of the new album for about a minute but already love it.

ok, which of these guys is ZCS? i'm comparing other photos of him and none of these guys look like him!

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/files/2019/10/diiv1.jpg

oh wait, i just noticed the mole by his mouth. never mind, i guess. but he looks a lot different.

maybe i should go listen to the new album. i love the first two.

checked 'em out tonight, they played the new album in its entirety and a couple tracks from the first two albums (only doused from oshin, I think)... last three songs (blankenship/acheron/dust) they rocked out and it was heavenly. the seam/MBV sound is OTM.

-the kids were going nuts for them
-did not expect a mosh pit

New album sounds so familiar but can't place the references (besides some of the MBV haze).
Anyway, a bit samey but I really like it

Just heard 'Blankenship' and it's up my alley. How does it compare to the rest of the album?

I know there aren't many DIIV fans on ILM, but I really like them. New album due out in April, Frog in Boiling Water.

https://diiv.bandcamp.com/album/frog-in-boiling-water

very '90s fashion in the video, which also features Fred Durst:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrSJRo-DOeQ

Via spending a lot of times in thrift stores from 1987-1996, I can practically smell their outfits vividly.

The middle guy looks like present-day Beck cosplaying as his early-90s self.

The outro guitar lead (comes in ~3m55s) is a shameless cop of the verse hook/melody of MBV's "I Only Said".

I think it's obvious enough that they're expecting people to connect the dots though I do wonder if Shields is in the songwriting credits.