Pitchfork Previews 2012 – Sunday
By: Dylan Samson and Bari Finkel
Previews are in descending order of time of the show.
Beach House
Red Stage: 7:25
Beach House makes some of the most haunting and beautiful music around to date. Its the kind of music perfectly suited to driving down Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive at 3 in the morning, the kind of music to get completely lost in. Victoria Legrand’s deep vocals seem to surround you with each listen, and when combined with the swirling, dreamlike instrumentals created by Alex Scally, create something truly magical. Bloom, the band’s most recent record, takes all the ideas the band had produced so skillfully on 2010’s Teen Dream, and found a way to improve on it, in small, but decisive ways. They won’t hit you in the face with the fact that they are evolving, thats not their style; they will lure you in with the hint of small changes, revealing more and more with each listen. This year, they’ll take to Pitchforks Red stage Sunday night. Check a performance of Norway from Teen Dream below.
Beach House – Norway – YouTube
King Krule
Blue Stage: 6:45
Archy Marshall’s straining baritone is more than enough to hold the interest of anyone who listens to his debut EP under the moniker King Krule. Full of honest, personal songs. Though flawed in the same way most young musicians are, Marshall’s lyrics are often mature beyond his years, covering bleak topics in a dark, soulful howl, while most of his contemporaries would rather sing about going to the beach. Backed by sparse instrumentation, Marshall’s stunning voice carries the majority of his songs, and is sure to captivate audiences when he takes to Pitchfork’s Blue stage Sunday night. Check out his debut single below.
Out Getting Ribs – Zoo Kid/King Krule – YouTube
AraabMuzik
Green Stage: 6:15
The most impressive thing about the mile a minute beats Abraham Orellana creates under the name AraabMuzik is the fact that he does it all on one tiny drum pad. While some producers spend hours creating the finding the perfect beat to match up to a sample, Orellana approach is much closer to that of a drummer, except for the fact that his kit consists only of one MPC drum machine. Watching some of his live Youtube videos, you’ll often see his fingers become a blur, moving so quickly across his drum pad that only your ears can really process how quickly he’s moving. Pulling heavily from a wide array of electronic styles, AraabMuzik’s Pitchfork set is destined to turn into a giant dance party the second he starts playing.
Araab Muzik – Making Beatz – YouTube
Kendrick Lamar
Blue Stage: 4:45
On Section.80, the debut album of Compton MC Kendrick Lamar, the young rapper spends almost an hour paying direct tribute to the forefathers of west coast hip-hop. Its very clear that Lamar spent most of his childhood listening to Tupac and Dr. Dre. Simple melodic beats, earnest lyrics spat fourth with a dynamic, deliberate flow. Before Section.80, Lamar released a series of mixtapes and EPs, catching the attention of blogs and earning Lamar a spot in Schoolboy Q’s group, Black Hippy. Later this year will see the release of Good Kid, m.A.A.d city, Lamar’s debut major label album. Check out the video for his song A.D.H.D. and keep an eye out for Lamar when he takes to Pitchfork’s Blue stage Sunday evening.
Kendrick Lamar – A.D.H.D – YouTube
Ty Segall
Red Stage: 3:20
Everyone at WIUX has a sweet spot in their heart for Ty Segall. Maybe it’s because he played our yearly music festival Culture Shock, maybe its because he puts out so much music every year, we almost always have someone playing at the station, or maybe its the awesome interview our own Bari Finkel did with him on this very blog (http://www.wiux.org/blog/2011/04/21/culture-shock-interview-ty-segall/). Whatever the reason, festival attendees are in for a crazy show when Segall and his band take to the stage Sunday afternoon to bring a much needed dose of raw, stomping, rock and roll to Pitchfork 2012.
Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread (Official Video) – YouTube
Thee Oh Sees
Blue Stage: 2:50
Thee Oh Sees are no rookie band. They have been bringing their sound from the garage to the stage since the 1990’s. To no surprise, this band hails from California and originated as a solo project for John Dwyer. The band has grown into a four piece band since then, and even includes Culture Shock alumn Ty Segall. Ty and Thee Oh Sees have been touring together and are both playing Pitchfork this year. They are known for getting the crowd riled up, and this reputation will certainly be upheld on Sunday. Pitchfork may be in Chicago, but Thee Oh Sees will be bringing that Cali sound and sun. It’s up to you to bring the Cali dance moves.
Thee Oh Sees – “Meat Step Lively” (Official Video)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Red Stage: 1:45
If you want an easy way to fall in love with a band, watch the music video for Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s “Strangers Are Strange.” The confusing, and yet cute, music video gives viewers a taste of the band’s quirky behavior and rocking music. Their sound encompasses a blend of indie-rock with a nod to Woodstock. Besides exposing themselves through their music, UMO utilizes social media such as Instagram to really give fans a look into their lives. They seem nothing other than kind, funny, and passionate about their music. An outdoor music festival like Pitchfork seems like a perfect setting to see UMO.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Strangers Are Strange” (Official Video)
Dirty Beaches
Green Stage: 1:00
On his debut album, 2011’s Badlands, Alex Zhang Hungtai, better known as Dirty Beaches, creates the scene of a boardwalk at midnight. Processing guitars, vocals, and any other instrument so they sound like they are drifting from a small speaker from the top of a carousel, one can easily imagine flashing lights and carnival games. With riffs that could fit in with almost any song by The Ronnettes, it would seem that Hungtai, has realized that Lo-Fi doesn’t just mean poor quality recordings of modern music, but can actually transport someone back to a time where hi-fi wasn’t even possible. Check out the song Lord Knows Best below, and be sure to catch Dirty Beaches when he kicks off Pitchfork’s Sunday attractions.
Dirty Beaches – Lord Knows Best – YouTube
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