Opening night Friday of the Pitchfork Music Festival is shaping up as one of the more memorable events of the summer concert season. It will feature three performances, each by a band or artist performing a classic album in its entirety. Here’s what to expect:
Slint: “Spiderland” (6:30 p.m. Friday)
This Louisville quartet splintered in 1991 soon after releasing “Spiderland,” the album that secured the band’s below-the-radar legend. It explored an eerie netherworld of tangled guitar textures, mumbled voices and shadowy arrangements. Countless bands were in its debt, though Slint didn’t stick around to enjoy any of the commercial spoils.
Three of the four original band members (guitarist-singer Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo and drummer Britt Walford) briefly reunited in 2005, abetted by two musicians. Now they’re back once more, to re-create an album that just keeps growing in stature and influence.
Genius/GZA: “Liquid Swords” (7:45 p.m. Friday)
Gary Grice’s first smart move was renaming himself “Genius,” because just about anything would’ve been an improvement over Gary Grice. His second was forming the Wu-Tang Clan with his cousins RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. After adding six more MCs, the Staten Island, N.Y., group went on to record one of the defining albums of the last decade, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).” A spate of solo albums by the Wu crew ensued, with “Liquid Swords,” released in 1995, among the strongest.
Though the other Wu-Tang rappers make cameos, “Liquid Swords” is foremost a showcase for GZA’s rhyming skills and the formidable production of RZA, who surpasses even his “36 Chambers” work. The album’s spoken introduction, lifted from an obscure kung-fu movie, sets the scene: a chilling description of the kill-or-be-killed world of a paranoid Shogun. It sets the table for a dark ride into GZA’s interior universe, where his tongue-twisting wordplay unfolds with a descriptive precision and inventiveness that matches the cinematic production.
Sonic Youth: “Daydream Nation” (9 p.m. Friday)
A handful of great double albums were released in the ’80s, all from the indie-rock world: Husker Du’s “Zen Arcade” and the Minutemen’s “Double Nickels on the Dime” both came out in 1984, and “Daydream Nation” followed in ’88. In its scope and ambition, the Sonic Youth release was the equal of any album that came out that year.
Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo reinvented the guitar for a new generation of post-punk bands with their daring approach toward tone, tuning and dissonance. They proved that guitar solos didn’t have to be about showing off.
On the quartet’s mid-’80s albums, “Evol” and “Sister,” a more-focused songwriting perspective emerged. “Daydream Nation” consolidated the two impulses, as strong melodies merged with the adventurous guitar excursions of the band’s earlier work. With a bigger recording budget, the band was finally able to capture some of its unruly racket in the studio, while drummer Steve Shelley emerged as the disc’s unlikely hero. Shelley ensured “Daydream Nation” would rock like no other Sonic Youth album.
Greg Kot co-hosts “Sound Opinions” at 8 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. Saturdays on WBEZ-FM 91.5.
In talking to the organizers of the second annual Pitchfork Music Festival, the self-deprecation runs deep. While devouring a pizza across the block from the Internet music magazine’s second-floor office in Wicker Park, editors Scott Plagenhoef and Chris Koskie and promoter Mike Reed laugh like kids still giddy that they get to put on a show.
“I think this is the first year we’ve had something like a ‘contingency plan’ in case it rains,” Plagenhoef says.
“Have we ever been in a bidding war with another festival? I don’t know,” Reed says. “What usually happens is I’ll make an offer to a band and I’ll get a pat on the head from the agency, like, ‘We’ll get back to you.'”
Reed is still somewhat bemused about the business of dealing with high-roller talent agencies such as William Morris, which represent some of the bands Pitchfork tries to book. Reed doesn’t have the budget to compete with big hitters such as Lollapalooza. But mostly, Pitchfork occupies its own niche.
“What other U.S. festival is going to have Ken Vandermark on the same bill with Yoko Ono?” Reed says. “It’s an aesthetic thing, and it’s huge that we can stand behind both of those acts.”
Here’s Greg Kot’s guide to the best of the fest.
SATURDAY
1 p.m. The Twilight Sad: On its stellar debut, “Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters” (Fatcat), the Scottish band unleashes a mighty wall of guitar sound.
1 p.m. Ken Vandermark’s Powerhouse Sound: The saxophone titan is in a quartet that aims to fuse James Brown, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Public Enemy.
1:30 p.m. Califone: Few modern sound painters close the gap between studio experimentation and antique art forms such as blues and folk with as much grace and invention as Tim Rutili.
2 p.m. William Parker Quartet: Bassist Parker is a veteran of the first wave of free jazz, and he continually walks the fine line between chaos and creation.
4 p.m. Battles: Hey, who said progressive rock couldn’t be fun? This quartet infuses the ghosts of Yes and King Crimson with electronic textures and playfully melodic vocals.
4:10p.m. Fujiya & Miyagi (below): If there’s not enough Kraftwerk in your life, this trio should provide a fix with a sound that echoes ’70s German art-rock.
6 p.m. Mastodon: A metal band big and nasty enough to take on Moby Dick and “Land That Time Forgot” beasties on its last two albums.
7 p.m. Clipse (above) : The Virginia duo turns gangsta cliches inside out with chilling narratives about the cocaine trade.
7:15p.m. Dan Deacon: Proof that classically trained composers like to party, too.
8 p.m. Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues: Chan Marshall has cleaned up her act, and her onstage meltdowns are supposedly a thing of the past.
8:30p.m. Girl Talk: Greg Gillis jump-cuts between familiar riffs and melodies on his laptop and turns them into the ideal soundtrack for a Saturday night free-for-all.
9 p.m. Yoko Ono: Besides her marriage to that Beatles singer, Ono is highly regarded within avant-garde circles for her daring solo albums. She’s expected to collaborate with a couple of high-profile acolytes, Cat Power and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore.
SUNDAY
1 p.m. Deerhunter: Here’s another Neu fix for you, this time from an Atlanta quartet that knows the value of a relentless groove and reverb-soaked guitars.
3 p.m. Junior Boys: The light dance beats and droll lyrics owe more than a little to the Pet Shop Boys, and that’s not a bad thing.
4 p.m. The Sea and Cake (below): On “Everybody” (Thrill Jockey), Sam Prekop’s airy vocals ride unabashedly direct melodies and grooves more insistent than ever.
4:10 p.m. Craig Taborn’s Junk Magic: The keyboardist puts a futuristic spin on jazz with an array of electronic effects.
5:15 p.m. Cool Kids: This crew ripped it up at a recent South by Southwest Music Conference showcase in Austin, Texas, with its hard-edged MySpace hit “88.”
6 p.m. Stephen Malkmus: The former Pavement singer and guitarist has gotten more oblique over the years, but his band should rock with the addition of former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss.
6:15p.m. Cadence Weapon: Highly touted hip-hop MC from Canada who is also a former Pitchfork scribe.
7 p.m. Of Montreal: Not to be missed, if only to see what kind of outfit singer Kevin Barnes is or is not wearing.
8 p.m. New Pornographers: Ridiculously catchy melodies and puzzle-piece lyrics are the specialty of A.C. Newman and his merry band.
8:30 p.m. Klaxons (above): They’re all the rave in the U.K. with their blend of rock and dance beats, but I was underwhelmed by their set at Coachella in California a few weeks ago.
9 p.m. De La Soul: The hip-hop veterans are a reminder of an era (1987-91) when ground-breaking hip-hop albums seemed to come out every month.
— G.K.
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Getting there
CTA: Green Line train to the Ashland stop
No. 9 Ashland bus, north or south, to Lake or Madison Streets
No. 20 Madison bus, east or west to Ashland Avenue
BY BIKE: Secure bicycle parking will be provided on site.
BY CAR: Consult Google Maps or Mapquest.
To score cool points, just hit play
With the same affection that a teenager creates a mix tape, On the Town has created a Pitchfork Playlist. Want to know which bands you should see and what they sound like? Wondering why in the heck you should stand in the hot sun, baking and losing your hearing? We picked 15 artists performing at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival and chose one killer song.
Sonic Youth “Teen Age Riot” from “Daydream Nation”
Fuzzy guitars, pop-infused drums. Cool and classic, yet always relevant.
GZA/Genius “Liquid Swords” from “Liquid Swords”
Powerful rap flow and ominous lyrics, yet friendly and danceable.
Slint “Nosferatu Man” from “Spiderland”
Talking, full-blown yelling and screeching guitars. Cool.
Iron and Wine “Naked as we Came” from “Our Endless Numbered Days”
The barely whispered vocals and gently plucked guitar. Sigh…
Deerhunter “Heatherwood” from “Cryptograms”
Catchy beat+muddled vocals=lo-fi, bittersweet vibe.
Cadence Weapon “Sharks” from “Breaking Kayfabe”
Straightforward rap vocals and electronic noises like an old-school video game.
Voxtrot “Raised by Wolves” from “Raised by Wolves”
Hum along to: “If you go, you won’t look back and anywhere you go, you know the ugliness will follow you still.”
Battles “Atlas” from “Mirrored”
An Oz-like world of heavy drums and squeaky, child-like vocals.
Fujiya & Miyagi “Collarbone” from “Transparent Things”
Even a wallflower would find grooving to this song’s funky, yet modern beat easy.
Dan Deacon “The Crystal Cat” from “Spiderman of the Rings”
Electronic buzzes and grinds, like the Beach Boys on speed.
Beach House “Apple Orchard” from “Beach House”
A dreamy, ethereal song for a slo-mo, pastel-toned world.
Professor Murder “Free Stress Test” from “Professor Murder Rides the Subway”
Percussion, declamatory vocals and yes…cowbell in this dance anthem.
Jamie Lidell “Multiply” from “Multiply”
Looks like Elvis Costello, sounds like Otis Redding.
Grizzly Bear “Knife” from “Yellow House”
Ghostly vocals, simple harmonies and a languid mood.
Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Lightbox Orchestra #18(Roby’s) from “First Contact”
Jazz for the new millennium, electronic beeps and buzzes, possibly misunderstood.
-By Becky Schlikerman
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onthetown@tribune.com
