new music + bon iver concert

so much new music i love right now. SO much. 

which means i just have to share. 

enjoy!

{ps- "h.r." means honorable mention. so listen to those too}

regina spektor: all the rowboats

{h.r.: small town moon, oh marcello, ballad of a politician, don't leave me}

edward sharpe & the magnetic zeroes: man on fire

{h.r.: that's what's up, one love to another, i don't wanna pray}

florence + the machine: breath of life

the staves: the motherlode

{h.r.: mexico, icarus}

the lumineers: big parade

{h.r.: ho hey, flowers in your hair, stubborn love, slow it down}

kimbra: sally i can see you

{h.r.: something in the way you are, posse}

santigold: the keepers

{h.r.: this isn't our parade, GO!, disparate youth, fame}

the civil wars: i've got this friend

{h.r.: poison & wine, barton hollow}

{and because i can't find them on youtube you'll need to follow the link to listen to these next two. but they are both reallyyyy good, so do it.}

glacier face: fahrenheit

deep sea diver: weekend wars

fenster: oh canyon

m. ward: primitive girl

feist: comfort me

{h.r.: graveyard, how come you never go there, the bad in each other, the circle married the line}

and...

i also went to a bon iver concert in miami beach last wednesday with marley and it was wonderful. justin vernon has a magical voice and is funny as well which is always great. and in between all the cascades of falcetto i got glimpses into the lower register of his voice, which i have to admit i absolutely loved {and wish we got to hear more often}. "creature fear" was mysterious and wonderfully strange, each and ebb and flow of the chorus swept me away into a dynamic and foggy musical dream. "re:stacks" was sung alone, with honesty and vulnerability, a nakedness of voice and emotion. and "skinny love" focused on the vocals, each member rising harmoniously above the enchanting daze of previous songs that were left lingering, to give the audience a soulful and achey release.

the aesthetics were one of my favorite parts. they had little lights that twinkled with life for each of the crescendos and decrescrendos, fading in and out to create the perfect mood. and with each heart-trembling beat of the drums a flash of drama and blinding light. not to mention the amount of instruments on stage. nine musicians were playing {my preference being for the violinist of course} to create a complexity sound and feeling, pulling your ear in every direction only to wander off, following each trail of music in order to find the source. bon iver truly was a great concert.

the staves {as listed above} were the opening act, a perfect pairing. plus marley is my music twin, so the conversation to and from was also fantastic. 

favorite line of the night from justin:

"there are some bon iver {bahn eye-ver} comment cards out there you can fill out. 

*gasps, whispers, and 'i told you so's from the audience*

yes, it's pronounced bon iver {bone ee-vair}, but they are bon iver {bahn eye-ver} comment cards."