Pitchfork Music Festival boasts an impressive lineup that is as eclectic and genre-spanning a collection as it is all-encompassing. Just as it has in past years, Pitchfork delivered a list that truly has something for everyone without relying on superfluous bill-filling bands or kitsch or campiness. Here’s what to look forward to…
A list of artists and bands this meticulously curated is, naturally, crowd-pleasing for nearly any attendee: from Thurston Moore to Solange to American Football to Pinegrove, this lineup is rounded out by accessible and yet genuine acts that have proven to consistently deliver fantastic performance. And luckily, the lack of overlapping artists mean you don’t need to make too many difficult decisions.
Pitchfork Music Fest doesn’t fill space with extraordinarily obscure or esoteric bands–their niche, especially as a well-known publication that has the power to pull big names and big names only, allows for a lineup with both a very specific type of music personality that’s at once universally enticing. You probably don’t need us to convince you to watch LCD Soundsystem or Solange or Danny Brown or A Tribe Called Quest (!!!!), but if you’re doing some mental acrobatics to decide which bands to watch in person or who to seek out first from online coverage/livestreams, allow us to gently suggest WRVU’s highlights from the lineup:
Friday:
– Check out Nashville’s own William Tyler for aloof, instrumentally-driven folk at 4 on Friday.
– At 5 on Friday, plan to watch living legend Thurston Moore, founding member of Sonic Youth who helped define a novel niche of noise rock. His contribution to shaping this entire genre (and subsequent sub-genres, and so on…) makes for our suggestion that his will be an absolutely unmissable performance.
– For breathy, more straightforward and yet refreshingly airy vocals, find Frankie Cosmos at 5:15.
Saturday:
– For aggressively nostalgic, gritty-synth-power-pop, see Cherry Glazerr at 2:45 on Saturday.
– For infinitely engaging tunes oozing comforting-but-jarring cognitive dissonance, see Mitski playing at 4 on Saturday.
– At 4:15, find George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic for soulful, spectacular, and out-there funk rock.
Sunday:
– At 2:30, check out NE-HI, who deliver new twists on familiar, fuzzy, cozy indie rock themes.
– For more minimalist, orchestral and melodic indie, see Hamilton Leithauser at 4:15 on Sunday.
– For melancholy but catchy, irresistible alternative-country-inspired-rock, seek out Pinegrove at 5:15 on Sunday (and prepare/reminisce with our interview with them from last year!).
Keep comin’ back to your internet home of wrvu.org for daily highlights and updates, as well as some surprise special features. And, of course, check out our snapchat (@WRVU_Nashville) for live coverage of the festival this weekend in Chicago.