See our reviews of the bands playing on Friday & Sunday
Get prepared for every hour of Pitchfork with ourfive Saturday itineraries, compiled by staff, contributors, comrades, and readers.
Have a look at tonight’s afterparties, counterfests, and more.
Have a listen to what you’ll be seeing today, with digital content editor Tal Rosenberg’s Spotify playlist:
1:55 Lotus Plaza When Lockett Pundt isn’t playing guitar for Deerhunter, he’s fronting this bleary, stratospheric guitar-pop group. Pundt has been responsible for some of the best tracks on the most recent Deerhunter albums (“Desire Lines,” “Agoraphobia,” “Fountain Stars“), and he asserts his songwriting chops on Lotus Plaza’s recent, terrific album, Spooky Action at a Distance (Kranky). If you liked Kurt Vile’s set at last year’s Pitchfork festival, you’ll want to check this out. Also Fri 7/13 at Subterranean, 17+. —Tal Rosenberg Blue stage
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
4:15 Flying Lotus LA producer Flying Lotus (aka Steven Ellison) stepped up his game in a big way on his most recent album, Cosmogramma (Warp), whose mind-melting post-hip-hop integrates live instrumentation into its bumpy, restless electronic landscape. Ellison rarely tries to evoke any specific musical past with his slippery sound, but it is connected to the early-70s spiritual jazz of his great-aunt Alice Coltrane—in particular the 1972 orchestral album Lord of Lords. Sampled strings, live harp, and a couple of grainy tenor-saxophone lines courtesy of Alice’s son Ravi Coltrane (who’s also Ellison’s cousin) reinforce that vibe. There are loads of prolific electronic dance musicians, but few have anything like FlyLo’s range, quality control, and sense of forward development. A new album is due in October, so I’d expect to hear some fresh material today. Also Sun 7/15 at Bottom Lounge, 21+. —Peter Margasak Green stage
6:45 Chromatics It’s OK if you only know who the Chromatics are because they’re on the Drive soundtrack. Though the group’s multi-instrumentalist and aesthetic architect, Johnny Jewel (who also fills a similar role in the groups Glass Candy and Desire), played a role in the much-hyped electroclash movement, he’s always been less concerned with publicity than with making records. The upshot is that there’s a lot of his dark, luscious electro-pop awaiting listeners who are only just hearing about him now. The Chromatics’ latest, Kill for Love (Italians Do It Better), is a good place to start—it’s sexy and dangerous and immaculately made, like how really high-end bondage gear must be. Also tonight at Lincoln Hall, 18+. —Miles Raymer Blue stage
Your day’s not over yet. There’s lots more to do at Pitchfork’s afterparties.
