Wouldn't be a series of Pitchfork scores without at least one bearing little-to-no relation to the verbiage that followed, right? Well, day last of this year's P4K party in Union Park was another fine one, bringing two more mind-bending sets, and ending (for us) on a perfect note. A perfectly triggered sample, really -- compliments of the Field (aka Axel Willner), who delivered the house-nodding, trance-y From Here We Go Sublime to a rapt set of dance-happy beat-seekers. This set's in a tie for top honors on the day, and if you have the means to make it to the Field's NYC debut Wednesday night at Studio B, you really should be there.
After Axel's set we were off to tie up some loose ends before hitting the surreal and unforgettable "secret" Dan Deacon/Deerhunter warehouse show at 2AM (post tk), but we didn't leave the grounds without having had socks rocked a couple more times. One of the weekend's best came as Sunday's first: yes, Deerhunter. Deerhunter, Deerhunter, Deerhunter. They were that good (with Grizzly Bear on encore), but we'll hold off on the gush (and most of the 'fork fest pics) for tomorrow's post. The other happy surprise on the day came from soul-swaggering, beatboxing loop king Jamie Lidell, irresistibly cooing and funking in a shiny jacket (with equally flashy headgear, having him look like a pimped out sonic sorcerer). Last we saw him at Webster, he went too far on the loops 'n' samples geek-out; yesterday he kept it in check and let his tunes and charisma do the talking.
Of Montreal were good vibes as always, pulling largely from album-of-the-year contender Hissing Fauna..., and featuring Kevin in a late-set costume change: tight black leather biker/dominatrix getup (all while his wife looked on from sidestage with smiling eyes). Of course this was after our camera was away, but let's take a moment to hear it for understanding wives.
Menomena: Love 'em to death, good as always, but we've heard 'em better. Think Justin's voice was a little shot, but it (and they) got better throughout. Although Junior Boys's latest garnered some 'Gum love, we've never been that hot on the live show (last seen at Studio B a few months ago), and Sunday didn't change that. Fair to note, though, that the smoother/mellower acts didn't fare as well this weekend, by our ears or most others'. Maybe that was a sound issue thing?
And in that light, Stephen Malkmus turning up solo and sans Jicks was troubling before he even took stage. Seeing Malkmoose will always be a thrill, but thesinger-songwriter vibe (along with uncompromising, meandering guitar parts built for band-backing jams) didn't carry far beyond the stage-lining rows of Pavement/Jicks worshippers. (In fairness, there were many -- and they were loving it.) Still, when Stephen trotted out the Pavement tunes (including "Spit On A Stranger," "In The Mouth A Desert") -- and Bob Nastanovich on the kit -- a friend turned and said "special, right?" Right.
And this may be difficult to believe, but Pitchfork Festival actually appealed to other MP3 bloggers! Good as always to see our friends at Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, Idolator, Muzzle Of Bees, and You Ain't No Picasso. Big thanks to the 'Fork folks for being hosts with the mosts, and Battles/Clipse/Mastodon/Twilight Sad/Deerhunter/The Field/etc. etc. for being so awesome. Take the jump for the rest of Sunday's pics, and tune in tomorrow for a report from the insane Deaconhunter gig. See ya in a couple of weeks, Chicago.
DEERHUNTER
MENOMENA
JUNIOR BOYS
JAMIE LIDELL
STEPHEN MALKMUS
OF MONTREAL
THE FIELD
