My (Satur)Day At The Pitchfork Festival

I go to Pitchfork each year choosing one day that I feel has the best potential live lineup. I hit the artists I want to see while discovering the ones that I may have overlooked. I feel the Pitchfork Festival offers much more with less by keeping simple while never choking the ticket buyer with too much advertising or overpriced goods and services. First realization: I should have gone to all 3 days.

Best Show Of The Day
Thanks goodness I got down there just past 2:30. Delorean had just began to play and it was the perfect choice to start my day. This band from Barcelona has the perfect soundtrack for the neverending nightlife that city has to offer. They are equal parts sunny beach and evening breeze, bouncing in the summer heat but could easily have been headlining a old school warehouse rave. These sounds are straight out of the Madchester scene in 1980's filling the void left by Happy Mondays, New Order and Primal Scream. Using Latin rhythms and House piano, Delorean have crafted a fresh take on a comeback genre that keeps on sprouting again. Live dance music is here to stay and Delorean have carved out the beginnings of a solid groove.

Purchase Delorean - Subiza here.

Delorean - Stay Close


Biggest Surprise
One of the best parts of major festivals is the secondary stage where lesser known bands can ply their wares, make their underdog role work for them and convert the masses. This is the perfect spot for a band like Bear In Heaven. This trio brought their brand of throbbing prog-rock to the stage with good attitude and enthusiasm. Highlights include the machinery grind of "Casual Goodbye", the energetic and to the point "Wholehearted Mess" and the offered below "Lovesick Teenagers".

Purchase Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth here.

Bear In Heaven - Lovesick Teenagers


Biggest Disappointment
This blurb should be prefaced by the following disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of Noah Lennox. Whether it is the blissed-out drone of Panda Bear or the primitive psych-trip of Animal Collective, their music is best consumed in small doses in a well planned playlist in a low key setting. In addition, bands heavy on studio tricks tend to feel out of sorts on tour. Nevertheless, Panda Bear's co-headlining status warranted a high expectation, but brought a messy, buzzy drone that never developed into a distinguishable song. Next time, I will try whatever caused the aging hippie chick to twirl around to the dissonance.

Buy Panda Bear - Person Pitch here.

Panda Bear - Tomboy


Obligatory LCD Soundsystem Post
Since myself and most of the folks at Pitchfork on Saturday, their primary motive in ticket purchasing was to see the headliners. In fact, the crowd seemed to double at about 7pm with the well-washed and clean-clothed. Most of these concert goers surely missed the opportunity to see LCD Soundsystem at the Metro. For the majority of the crowd, they did not disappoint. James Murphy and company was definitely reliable as the closer playing the hits from the past and faves from the new album. If anything, the reliability slipped into predictability for those who have caught them on this tour already. There was not one song I had not heard at the previous Chicago show, right down to the closer/mashup tribute to New York. For all I know, James Murphy could have been wearing the same Fruit Of The Loom v-neck tee. For fear of sounding hateful, I will digress. LCD Soundsystem are easily one of my favorite groups and I will mourn them if James Murphy decides to take his toys and talents and go home and didn't get it. As a dedicated fan, I wanted more. How about opening with the song below?

Purchase LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening here.

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean


Final odds and ends

• Jon Spencer Blues Explosion started a bit rusty playing a medley of a few hits that was lost in the lack of synchronicity with the band members. However, once the kinks came out, they sounded as off the rails fun as they did fifteen years ago. Bellbottoms!
• Maybe I was a bit surly after waiting for 20 minutes, but Dam-Funk was not good. No real instrumentation and his ghetto grooves by way of Prince failed to inspire the crowd. In fact, the whole set reminded me of that gag band Sexual Chocolate that Eddie Murphy fronted in Coming To America. Simply put, no one got it.
• Titus Andronicus was enjoyable. These New Jersey boys are surely showmen, but fall prey to taking themselves way too seriously.
• Wolf Parade was fine, but uninspired. They still have not recaptured the power in their first album. They played  "I'll Believe In Anything", one of my favorite songs from the past decade, which was good enough for me.