Pavement, one of the much-anticipated acts playing at Pitchfork this weekend. For more Pitchfork staffers’ picks, launch the gallery »

Modest Mouse and Pavement are two best bets.

FESTIVALS We’re headed to Pitchfork this weekend! The three-day independent music festival, which kicks off this Friday at Union Park, will feature three stages worth of rock, hip-hop, and dance-pop offerings—not to mention a few comedians thrown in for good measure. While poring over the schedule, we went to the experts for help navigating the choices among the 40-plus acts. Here, three writers for Pitchfork, the Chicago-based music review site behind the annual festival, each share their daily schedules and give us two can’t-miss picks. Plus, check back Monday for photos and our list of favorite moments from the fest.

(a) Aluminum Stage | (b) Balance Stage | (c) Connector Stage

Tom Breihan, staff writer

MY TWO PICKS:

BIG BOI As half of the legendary rap duo OutKast, this nimble-tongued MC has a decade and a half of experience in rocking huge crowds, and his catalog of classics runs deep. But the best reason to catch Big Boi’s set might be his new solo album, the mind-bogglingly funky Sir Lucious Left Foot. On that record, Big Boi displays a spirit of adventure rare for a rap veteran of his vintage, and if he attacks the stage with any of the zest he shows there, this will be a tough show to beat.

TITUS ANDRONICUS This New Jersey punk band is brave. If you’re going to write a 15-minute song that uses the Civil War as a metaphor for a bad breakup, you have to be brave. But in concert, there’s nothing forbidding about the band’s ragged fists-up anthems; they write choruses huge enough to justify all their eccentricities. If you like Bright Eyes but wish Conor Oberst had a bit more fun onstage, Titus has what you need.

Ryan Dombal, staff writer

MY TWO PICKS:

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Led by 40-year-old Brooklyn godhead James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem make dance music for cool people. And cool people actually dance to it. It’s an amazing phenomenon. Murphy’s crack band keeps the liquid grooves going while their fearless leader spouts beautiful, rambling nonsense. A typical live highlight is the epic blowout "Yeah," which features Murphy repeating the word "yeah" over and over until it loses all meaning.

LIARS Liars are dangerous. Like, I’m sort of scared of them—good scared. The art-punk crew has made a career out of disturbing their audience with lurching songs about guns and murder and going completely insane. In concert, lead wildman Angus Andrew spits and screams, his long frame constantly bending in odd ways. Think Iggy Pop, but (even more) unstable and (usually) shirted.

Larry Fitzmaurice, associate staff writer

MY TWO PICKS:

PANDA BEAR Just the fact that Noah Lennox, a member of the sample-pop mastermind Animal Collective, is making a live appearance at this year’s festival is cause enough for excitement; between working with his main outfit and living with his family in Portugal, he doesn’t play solo often. That he has a heavily anticipated solo album, Tomboy, set for release later this year, makes this sure-to-be-heady set a can’t-miss for those hoping to get a taste of the new jams.

PAVEMENT After years of solo projects and saying repeatedly that they’d never get back together, the 1990s indie-rock titans have finally reunited for a tour, 11 years after the release of their swan song, Terror Twilight. A pretty big deal, right? Reports from the shows that the band’s played so far suggest that they’re in top form– some have even gone to state that they’re better live now than they were back then. It’d be a mistake to miss this one.

GO: July 16th through 18th, Fri 3-10 p.m., Sat and Sun noon-10 p.m. at Union Park, 1501 W Randolph; $40 per day, sold out. pitchforkmusicfestival.com

GOOD, RELATED LINKS:

• AV Club Chicago’s Pitchfork guide
• Greg Kot’s guide to Pitchfork
• Time Out Chicago’s Pitchfork roundup

Photograph: Courtesy of Pitchfork