It’s that time of year again for one of the most venerable music festivals in the country to take place and for the first time ever, we at POD will finally be able to cover Pitchfork Fest. This annual concert is notorious for putting together awesome lineups that anyone that follows the music blogosphere would admire and this year is no different.
As we prepare for the weekend, we have compiled a list of the best artists to see live at Union Park… with the catch being that these are artists that we haven’t yet seen perform live. The point behind that is that we get around a bit… and well you probably already know how we feel about the almost-legendary ascents to fame by Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa along with our affinity for the likes of Vince Staples, Run The Jewels, and Freddie Gibbs & Madlib.
So hit the jump and check out our list of the best acts at Pitchfork Fest 2015 that you should check out.
Tobias Jesso Jr.
The first time we posted about Tobias Jesso Jr. was after hearing the stellar “Without You.” This song feels like a modern Harry Nilsson, just a beautiful mix of sweet melodies and lyrics that you can feel right down to your soul. It almost gives me chills just how hard his music hits me, which gets accentuated by the fact he can be so impactful with just his voice and the piano. To quote that same song, “There is no future I want to see without you.” One without having seeing you in concert, that is, TJJ.
Courtney Barnett
Courtney Barnett is an immediate contender for breakout artist of the year. This Aussie newcomer can play a mean guitar and her vocal delivery is so chill, making her music a fine example of what a modern Nirvana would sound like. If that’s not enough to convince you then the only explanation for that is that you probably hate yourself, though not in a cool way that inspires artists to pour their hearts out in the form of art, but rather in a sad and some other non-cool way.
Mac DeMarco
The prince of weird is an instant pick here thanks to his music that’s heavy on the jangling guitars and a notorious reputation for rowdy live shows. You can fully expect expertly crafted mellow Pop, but the bets are off on what onstage antics he’ll pull off.
Chvrches
Our love for this synthpop outfit kicked off with their brilliant cover of the Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?” and it developed from there. Their tunes are insanely catchy and lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s voice is
Future Islands
Another breakout act really hitting “the big time” recently is Future Islands, who took a major leap towards success after an epic appearance on Letterman. Samuel T. Herring’s dance moves made that night were performance to be remembered forever and it can be named as one of the best ever on that now-defunct legendary late night show, but that’s not the only takeaway you should have of the band, those killer moves are actually a testament to just how fantastic the synthpop created by this Baltimore band can be.
Sleater Kinner
These Alterna-Rockers have quite a legacy thanks to their key role in the riot grrrl and indie rock scenes in the Pacific Northwest, as well as generally being one of the most heralded and critically-acclaimed of the mid 90s/early 2000s. The spirit of Punk is felt in their songs and there’s hardly any feeling better than that. As if that weren’t enough to make you go check them out, their return to the scene after an almost decade-long hiatus came with the release of the solid new album No Cities To Love, which dropped earlier this year. A mix of the old with the new material already will make for one awesome setlist; one that we dare not miss.
Wilco
Perhaps my favorite band on the whole lineup, Wilco has always been a group that I wanted to see but somehow never had the chance to attend a concert of theirs. Their music can reach legendary proportions and their live shows are a spectacle that can only truly be admired adequately by actually being there… At least that’s what I’m told. They’re to Chicago what Bruce Springsteen is to Jersey, so with a lineup that also features Vic and Chance, how could we not show love to another hometown hero?
