Bmack's Pitchfork reviews thread

[bmack86]

I tried to start this last night, but apparently my internet gave out before I could post it.

Last night was the official Pitchfork preview show at Millennium park. The theater there is awesome; it was designed by Frank Gehry, who did the Disney concert hall, and the sound is great as a result. There's a metal frame that hangs over the grass, and there are speakers hanging from each of these frames that give everyone great sound. And, it was free.

The first band that played was A Hawk and A Hacksaw. They play acoustic Balkans music. They've never been much of my cup of tea, but they sounded interesting at very least. As I hadn't slept for 36 hours, I was tired and fell asleep during one of their songs. They had a good violin player, and it was cool to see one of the people from Neutral Milk Hotel.

Boban Markovic Orkestar played next. I can't really describe this show without lapsing into severe hyperbole. They had 8 brass players and 2 drummers, and no musical scores. They played the tightest, fastest and most energetic dance songs I've heard in ages, and did so with such precision for only watching eachother for shifts in tempo and rhythm. They had emo kids, jaded hipsters, soccer moms and old ladies up in the aisles dancing together. They also had a giant crowd that had come out for a free show stand up and give them a standing ovation at the end. It was without a doubt one of the best performances I've ever seen, and if any of you have the chance to see them, do so without a doubt.

After an intermission, they brought on Extra Golden. They play a mix of African Benga guitar pop and Indie rock that, on record, leans towards the Benga sound. Live, they incorporated the two sounds more fully, and it led to a great show. They would start songs with the ringing African guitar sound, and then build them up to noisy, experimental workouts that were the climaxes. It was really cool, and I'd likewise recommend seeing them. And, they had 2 great singers.

Fleet Foxes were the last band to play. A huge crowd moved up front for them, as they are apparently very popular. They were only given half an hour, like the other bands, but they made it count. Their vocals are much more lush live than on record, and I preferred the slightly changed arrangements they used live. I can't wait to see them again tomorrow.

I'll update again tonight with reviews of Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, Public Enemy and an aftershow with HEALTH and Mahjongg.

[TeamCoachellaHellYeah]

I give this a 8.2

[bballarl]

I thought Bryan's well-placed, emotionally affected words were tempered by a lack of enthusiasm for Victorian-era expressions and subpar, incomplete ideas.

[bmack86]

first night of the festival.

it was raining when gates opened, and I was worried that we'd all get soaked, but it quit up pretty quickly, and mission of burma got things underway. they opened with 4 new songs, which were great. very hard and angry. then they blasted thru vs. it sounded so great live. roger didn't wear his shooting headphones, and it seemed like his levels were improved as a result. they were really happy the whole time, and they were astounding. during that's how I escaped my certain fate the crowd was singing every word. the band looked shocked. it was a great set, and I talked to peter and clint afterwards, they were blown away by the crowd.

sebadoh were up next. they were really goofy and fun they told lots of jokes. they were much more rockin than I expected, and they had great presence. I would recommend catching them if you have a chance. PE was getting set, and lou didn't think they'd have time to finish, but the crowd cheered so hard that they played 2 more songs. very good.

PE are playing right now. it's an interesting set. between eac song they've been telling the history of the record and the crew. it might be breakin up the enrgy, but i'm really enjoying it. and, the Bomb Squad opened for them. it was really cool.

Ill have another report tonight after HEALTH.

[bmack86]

afterpart the 1st
the hideout: health

alecks and the drummer played first. they are a duo comprised of organ and drums. their sound reminded me of a slightly more poppy (and female led) suicide. they had great stage presence. very menacing.

mahjongg were next. they started off very weak, wit a few drum led jams that went nowhere. about halfway thru they picked up a distinctive dance grove that linked with a cool noise backing. the second half, which followed this sort of set up, was great. overall, so so.

HEALTH were insane. they always feed off the crowd, and this crowd was VERY into it. they were dancing and thrashing, and the band responded ith trademark intensity. best HEALTH show I've yet seen.

ill be back tomorrow with reports on day 2 and high places

[zenidogx]

nice

[Courtney]

I thought Bryan's well-placed, emotionally affected words were tempered by a lack of enthusiasm for Victorian-era expressions and subpar, incomplete ideas.

Ahaha.



<3 Pitchfork.

[CuervoPH]

ill be back tomorrow with reports on day 2 and high places

I read that as "high prices" at first, and I was thinking you could throw that into any festival review.

[gaypalmsprings]

it never rains at Coachella

[Hannahrain]

I am enjoying your reviews and am glad you're having a good time. That lineup is great. I'm just curious as to how you're going to be able supernaturally bend time until you're able to see everyone*.









*Except Vampire Weekend.

[bballarl]

Make sure to give Boris the proper reverence.

[wmgaretjax]

fantastic. look forward to reading the rest.

[idrive1life]

Caribou and Fleet Foxes are awesome!

Live stream -> http://www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com/player.php

[bmack86]

the rain was awesome. a hawk and a hacksaw startedreally late so that whole stageis running very behind. as a result, vampire weekend and ruby suns are playing and im waitng for someone else to start. and I even like vampire weekend, but I've seen this same exact set 5 times and its getting old. ruby suns, meanwhile, were boring me.

that's not a review.

[Boourns]

It took 5 minutes to connect to the webcast and I missed most of the first Jarvis song, which sucks because it's new.

lmao @ the Eric Clapton dis

[Boourns]

hung like a white man lmao

r kelly and mr t...one believes he can fly and one won't fly

[Backwater]

Did Mission of Burma play That's When I Reach for my Revolver?

[bmack86]

nope. they did vs. front to back. im hopefully going to see no age in a few minutes. high places were good

[bmack86]

Ok kids, story time

I showed up at the venue at 12:00 today, and just happened to run into one of my friends from LA who just happened to be out here and didn't know that I was here. Weird start to the day. She wanted to look at posters, so we missed Boban Markovic (I kinda wanted to keep the memory that I had from thursday as the image of his performance), so Titus Andronicus was the first act we saw. Right before they started playing, the rain began. It was a slight drizzle, so it didn't affect performances, and it felt nice. Titus were really good. They had a Punk mixed with Tom Petty sound that worked really well live, as well as tons of stage presence. After them, we caught a few songs from Jay Reatard. His stuff works much better in a small club, and I wasn't feeling it that much, so we went with her request to catch some of A Hawk and a Hacksaw. About 2 minutes of them and my friend declared "These guys are boring," a sentiment I seconded. We instead got a good spot to watch Caribou from. I've missed Caribou on the past three tours they've done, so I was really excited for this show. They played mostly off Andorra, and it was great. They are much more rocking live, and they sounded spot on. The drummer was a beast, and Dan Snaith's voice is so good live. After that, we went to see Fleet Foxes. They played longer than on Thursday, and they sounded every bit as beautiful as they did there. It was great to see nearly an hour set from them. They are going to be HUGE. I left a tad early to catch the tail end of Fuck Buttons. They sounded almost exactly like the album, and most of the volume was lost in an outdoor venue. I'm still excited to see them at ATP, but this wasn't the show for them. With that said and done, I got lunch and expected to watch some of Ruby Suns. However, the second stage was running late, and I heard Dizzee Rascal start. I wasn't really eager to see him, but he absolutely destroyed the stage. His performance was like Clipse from last year: He was hungry for the crowd, and they responded with adoration. His rhymes were hot, he got the crowd moving and everybody seemed to be loving it. A definite highlight was Just A Rascal, where he got the whole crowd chanting along. After he finished, I caught a song by Ruby Suns, and was bored to tears. I don't much like their album, and they didn't do it for me live. So, I walked to the relaxation tent and listened to Vampire Weekend. They need to write new songs. I liked that set the first time I saw it; 6 is too many. The crowd ate it up, though. I went to see if Elf Power had started afterwards, and caught about 5 songs from them. They were good, but the show reinforced for me that they are one of the lesser Elephant 6 acts; poppy, but with not as much depth. !!!, on the other hand, were astounding. By this time it wasn't raining anymore, but there were large pools of mud throughout the grounds. Groups of people began dancing in the mud to !!!, which provided a great visual to their highly energetic set. They played quite a few new songs, and, from what I could tell, their forthcoming album will be a killer. They had the second biggest crowd of the day, and worked them up amazingly well. After them, The Hold Steady went on. I can't say too much that hasn't been said already, but they are great performers. The new songs sounded good, and they have such great stage presence. I left their set a little early to see Atlas Sound, as it was a different setup than the last time I'd seen him. He started late, as with everyone, but I got to talk to the african guys from Extra Golden while I waited, and they were very cool. Bradford did the set by himself, and it was MUCH better than the LA show Gabe and I saw. He had the ambient, gauzey feel down pat and his vocals were ethereal. I loved it, and he looked like he was having a blast. After he finished, I caught some of Jarvis Cocker. I'm not much of a fan of his music, but he performs really well, and he was hilarious. I enjoyed watching him, even if the songs didn't grab me. He ended about 10 minutes before No Age started, so it worked out perfect. The crowd was insane for them, and they responded with a really energetic show. They brought Abe Vigoda out for the final song, which Juan (Abe Vigoda's guitar player) told me was supposed to be Nervous Breakdown. After their set, Dean Spundt told me they were doing a basement show at midnight, so I took note of that. I watched the second half of Animal Collective, and regretted having seen No Age, which is saying something. They sounded spot on. Definitely one of their better performances, and the light show was great. I heard they did Comfy in Nautica again.

After the fest I caught the bus to Schubas to see High Places. I missed Abe Vigoda, and showed up just in time for Pit Er Pat. They were cool, droney, vaguely VU style rock. Their male vocalist sung like the female singer from Blonde Redhead. It was cool. High Places are much better live than on album. They reminded me of a cross between the Knife and Lavendar Diamond, in such a good way. They sound much more full live, and their new songs are killers. Expect great things from these guys.

I went over to the house party after that. I caught No Age, who played another great set. While Abe Vigoda set up, it started to RAIN. And I mean RAIN. They got thru 2 songs, and then a waterfall formed down the stairwell. Within two minutes, there was a foot of water in the basement. We had to frantically help them get all their gear out before it got ruined and someone got electrocuted. Dean told me afterwards that it was definitely one of No Age's most bizarre shows.

I'll report in again tomorrow at some point with Day 3 and Boris.

[bballarl]

I enjoy this thread.

[wmgaretjax]

never miss animal collective.

it's no surprise, but Dirty Projectors are ripping it up.

[Boourns]

I watched the webcast yesterday and more than 5 minutes of Animal Collective is too much obnoxiousness to stomach.

Shit...I overslept and missed Boris.

[bmack86]

boris rocked, dirt projectrs were magnificent, health played 2 new awesome songs and here's the tim harrington quote of the day

to the sears tower: "hey, big building, get closer!"

its hot as hell

[mountmccabe]

Sounds like Pitchfork is all kinds of awesome this year. Thanks for the reports, Bryan.

[bmack86]

spiritualized closed with Take Me To The Other Side, aka my favorite Spacemen 3 song. giddy

[bmack86]

Alright, day 3 and Boris

I got to the festival a tiny bit later, but Mahjongg were running way behind, so I didn't miss any bands. I didn't watch them, but my timing would have worked out had I wanted to. Instead, I started my day off with Times New Viking. They had some really fun witty banter between songs, and they blasted through their set with energy aplenty. I enjoyed them, even if it didn't leave much of a lasting impression. After them was Dirty Projectors, who were phenomenal. They can really play their instruments, and they are so tight and precise on stage for how ramshackle the songs sound. I loved the femal vocalists and how they intertwined with the leadsinger. I will definitely be checking them out again. Boris played next, and it seemed like they were doing a "Hits" show where they played their more well known stuff from the last 2 albums. They had smoke machines going, and it was really awesome, but I figured I was going to see them in a club in a few hours, so i didn't watch the whole set. Instead, I went over and caught the end of High Places. They played two songs that they didn't the night before, and they once again sounded much better live than on record. HEALTH played after them, and this show was even better than the one at the Hideout. The real highlight was two new songs that, as far as I'm aware, were being debuted today. They are definitely more song-oriented than the older material, while still retaining the visceral noise. They were both great. After them, I caught the second half of Apples in Stereo. They were charming, and it was awesome to see Bill Doss of Olivia Tremor Control and The Sunshine Fix playing with them. They're Elephant 6 originals, so that I liked the show goes without saying. As soon as they ended I went to catch a few songs from King Khan and the Shrines. They were very garage-y and had tons of energy. They whipped through a good number of songs in the 10 minutes I was watching them. They were really good, but it was too hot for me to sit in the sun and listen to such energetic material, so I went to a shade tent and watched Les Savy Fav. As usual, they didn't disappoint. They changed the set from what they've been playing, injecting some older songs that I didn't immediately recognize. Tim covered himself in mud. Good times. Dodos were right after them on the main stage. They were brilliant. I love the album, and they really make it come alive during their sets. They bring extra volume and nuance to each track, and it's a real joy to watch them run thru those great songs. See them if you get a chance, it will be well worth it. I heard M. Ward as I was waiting for Spiritualized. He sounded decent, but I was focused on the forthcoming Spiritualized set, which deserves a paragraph break.

The Spiritualized show was the first stop on the Electric Mainlines tour, the first electric tour they've done in years. They started with Shine a Light, and proceeded to wipe out anyone else who could have possibly vied for the title of best performance of the weekend. By the end of the first song, the two gospel singers were belting out the refrain while Jason and the other guitar player layed washes of feedback. It was amazing. They proceeded to play a smattering of tracks from the new album, and they all sounded great, particularly Soul on Fire. After burning thru a fair amount of new material, they played She Kissed Me (It Felt Like A Hit), which really benefitted from their live aggression. They closed the show with the amazing one-two punch of Come Together and Take Me To the Other Side. At the end of TMTTOS, Jason attacked his amp, nearly crushing the roadie behind it, and then threw his guitar at the drum set. I thought he might not have enjoyed the performance, but he came right back out grinning and applauding the crowd. It was great.

I ran over to see one song from Bon Iver while Dinosaur Jr. finished setting up. I'm not too familiar with his material, but I liked the song I heard. Dinosaur Jr., as expected, killed the place. They were really loud and Jay played the guitar just like ringin' a bell. It was cool, and made me that much more excited for ATP. Also, after they ended, the crowd wouldn't leave the stage, so they came back out and played Sludgefest. So awesome. Spoon were really good. Unlike the other shows I've seen on this tour, this one was filled with older material rather than stuff from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Also, they incorporated horn tracks into more of their songs, which was really cool. I always like them.

I left a little bit before Spoon ended, because I wanted to see Nachtmystium. Instead, the bus stop that I was supposed to get off at wound up being in the middle of the ghetto. I was left standing on a street corner with people looking at me funny and eventually coming up and calling me names and telling me that I needed to get out of there. I walked down a few blocks to a better lit corner and found a few people from the festival, so we waited together. And waited. And waited. And waited. It took the bus an hour to show up, and then another 15 to get to the venue. By the time I got there, Nachtmystium had played and Torche was half done. They sounded decent, but not really spectacular in any sort of way, and after three days of almost constant music, I needed spectacular to catch my attention. Boris did that, in droves. They started with one of the longer new songs, and then kicked into some old stuff from Heavy Rocks. They played the thrashier hard rock stuff for about 40 minutes, and then switched to their slower psychedelic barn burners. Michio Kurihara was playing guitar with them, and it sounded great. They closed with a 15 minute psychedelic freakout that was a great and fitting end to the weekend.

My flight leaves in 4 1/2 hours, and I'm just biding time now.

[sonofhal]

Sounds like a great festival.

PS - I saw Joanna Newsom at the weekend, and she says hi!

[zenidogx]

sounds like pitchfork is a festival to do sometime. awesome review.
this is my favorite bit:

Dinosaur Jr., as expected, killed the place. They were really loud and Jay played the guitar just like ringin' a bell.

[bmack86]

Sounds like a great festival.

PS - I saw Joanna Newsom at the weekend, and she says hi!

How was she? new songs?

[sonofhal]

Solo set, switching between harp and piano. She played 4 or 5 new songs, most of which were on piano. She played first on the main stage, as she had another show in London on the same day. I wasn't a fan going into it, but i was totally captivated for the full 70 minutes that she played for.