Today’s line-up is pretty damn stacked. The fact is, four of my favorite acts of the last decade are playing today – St. Vincent, The Field, Cloud Nothings, and Tune-Yards, not to mention Danny Brown. (Worth noting: These are all acts that I’ve seen at Pitchfork’s fest in the past. Hmmmm….) I’m excited.
Ka
Hip hop has a great track record at Pitchfork. Ka has the challenge of playing on one of the larger, less intimate stages. And my guess is that most of the crowd will have no idea what’s going on. His tracks show incredible skills, though, so it should be a pleasure to watch him rise to the challenge.
Wild Beasts
U.K. indie-pop band; that’s about all I know about them. But their last album has a wide variety of sounds, voices, and moods. That’s a pretty generic statement, but trust me – once you get past a cursory listen of Present Tense, its luminosity unfolds. I had it in a mix with some other P4K’14 bands I didn’t know very well, and every time it came up I though, “I really like this, who is this? Oh, it’s Wild Beasts again.”
Cloud Nothings
These guys rep the OH-state and they totally shred. They are unassuming but unafraid. A great combination.
Pusha T
On his best days, Pusha T comes off like a mad dog in a fight. On his worst days, he just doesn’t seem to care about much. But these days he’s got something to prove. Fingers crossed.
Tune-Yards
Merrill Garbus is richly inspired. There’s not a dull moment on any of her records as tUnE-yArDs, and she squeezes as much home-spun spectacle into her live show as she can. This year she’s moved up to the Red Stage, giving her a much larger canvas to play with.
Danny Brown
Did you know that Mr. Brown purposefully writes two kinds of songs? Check out his last album, Old, and note the traditional/experimental front half. Then note the club-worthy second half. It’s that second half that’s specifically designed for live shows. Like Tune-Yards, Danny’s moved up in the world since last he played Union Park. I think he’s got personality enough to fill the whole park on his own.
St. Vincent
And here’s someone with nothing to prove. The upside is that she knows exactly what she’s doing and how to do it well. Annie Clark and her band are a surprisingly bracing live act and as many times as I’ve seen them, they’ve always delivered. With more fans than ever on her side, no doubt the crowd will be full-tilt for this set.
FKA Twigs
Twigs goes under that “weirdo” heading, and I use the term affectionately. As many varieties of indie-soul are showing up at the festival this year, she seems to have the most potential for surprises. There are just so many sides to her personality and her music. With any luck, she’ll share most of them tonight.