The Insider

Five picks for the Pitchfork Music Festival (July 17-19, Union Park, pitchforkmusicfestival.com) from Mark Richardson, managing editor of Pitchfork.com

1 Lindstrøm
Saturday, July 18th
“Norway’s Lindstrøm crafts lengthy, layered tracks that have the mind-bending psychedelic properties of progressive rock.”

2 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Saturday, July 18th
“Relentlessly tuneful guitar pop.”

3 Yeasayer
Saturday, July 18th
“Yeasayer bring an array of references—slick synth rock in the vein of Tears for Fears, the golden harmonies of 1970s folk-rock, hints of West African guitar—into a forward-thinking style that’s hard to classify.”

4 Frightened Rabbit
Sunday, July 19th
“This Scottish band uses modest instrumentation in service of epically emotional songs, bringing to mind the earnestness of early U2.”

5 The Very Best
Sunday, July 19th
“A promising new form of world music fusion, combining traditional song structures from southeast Africa with references to hip-hop, indie rock, and beyond.”

This article appears in the July 2009 issue of Chicago Magazine.

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