Welcome to Chicago at its hippest. Okay, Chi-town is always pretty hip, but the metra is especially packed this weekend for Pitchfork Music Festival—three days of those bands that will probably be your favorite a year from now. But to keep our loyal readers ahead of the game, we’re providing coverage from the trenches.
Marina was caught in traffic most of the afternoon (consequently and luckily missing the sporadic rain showers), so Jaime was left to her own devices for the first several hours of the fest.
Jaime: After catching a truly solid set from Lower Dens I began to make my way over to the blue stage for Willis Earl Beal, however I stopped abruptly at the jangling and quaking sounds of The Olivia Tremor Control as they quickly captivated those in the area surrounding the green stage. This is a truly eclectic group—eight men from what seems like ages 30-60 blaring sounds at times evocative of Beach Boy pop and ranging all the way to a vintage-organ-blasting rock range of the sound spectrum. They are also clearly talented musicians, almost all of them playing two or more instruments throughout the set adding to the standard guitar-bass-drums-keys repertoire a trumpet, tuba, clarinet and violin, amongst others. The members and sounds of The Olivia Tremor Control sort of make them seem like they should be running around a maypole filming a video for “Safety Dance” with flowers in their hair, but nonetheless, they’ve got a catchy sound with mass appeal that is also perfect for frollicking.
After getting my fill with those guys, I finally made it over to Willis Earl Beal. Apparently I missed the cape he initially included in his ensemble, but with a Nirvana-esque T-shirt (what looked like a hand-drawn smiley face with x-ed out eyes and the words “Nobody” written below), black leather gloves and dark shades, Willis Earl Beal filled the stage with nothing but a throwback tape player and his ever-expanding presence. With his raspy, powerhouse vocals, watching him is kind of like walking into the private rehearsal of a soloist in a Gospel choir. However, he lacks anything truly defining for me—there are many people just as good as he is out there, but he is nonetheless talented. Others continue to give him rave reviews, so have a listen and decide for yourself.
There’s not much to say about Japandroids other than they are the epitome of fast, fun rock. For a group with only two guys they spout energy with shredding guitar and galloping drum beats. The addition of a bassist would get them far, but even without it their beachy punk sound makes you want to do the pony and maybe scream a little. Japandroids are definitely worth checking out.
The first thing I wrote down while watching the Dirty Projectors was this: “FUCKING AMAZING.” They blew my mind. This co-ed group harmonizes like the perfectly tuned chords of the world’s finest violin. Lead female vocalist Amber Coffman’s high note on “Stillness Is The Move” blew my mind and left me swooning. Please see their September 29 concert in Madison, I guarantee it will be a life-changing experience.
Marina: Day 1 was really "Pitchfork: Two Concerts on Friday" for me because I failed to calculate the ridiculous bumper-to-bumper traffic from Milwaukee to Chicago (I live in a land of corn fields and gravel roads, so I don’t even blame myself). However, the two shows I did catch were great, and it was a perfect chance to scope out Union Park before spending all of Saturday and Sunday within it. Side note: I also almost slipped in the giant mud puddle within five seconds of trying to cross the grounds, but I caught myself and managed to keep walking with the nonchalance of your average press-pass holder.
Dirty Projectors have already dominated my ears for the last few weeks with the stream of their latest album Swing Lo Magellan, but seeing them live was a whole new kind of experience. The first part of their set was a seamless flow of their newest material, including a haunting version of the album’s single “Gun Has No Trigger.” Overall, the mind-blowing vocal harmonies stole the show. Between frontman David Longstreth, lead female vocalist Amber Coffman, and backup vocals from Haley Dekle and Olga Bella, Dirty Projectors are clearly stacked in the singing department. When Coffman let some of the high, operatic notes fly, it was literally chill-inducing. Dirty Projectors has found a way to function like one cohesive entity instead of six individuals, and it was evident in the tight precision of every note, chord and word.
Feist was a nice, calm contrast after rocking out to Dirty Projectors, but Leslie Feist still backed her feel-good set with plenty of simmering energy. The chemistry between Feist and her backup vocalists (the trio from folk band Mountain Man) pushed the performance to an ethereal level, and she involved the audience three or four times to keep everyone on their toes. Admittedly, I’m not a huge Feist fan, but the performance was entertaining and definitely worth the watch.
