Pitchfork Music Festival, Day Three

July 15th, 2007 -- While Sunday’s lineup doesn’t pack as much star power as the previous days, there are still more than a few exciting performances to experience. And damn, I’m late for one of them. I just miss Deerhunter. This is a big bummer.

  Chicago’s The Ponys are traversing material from its recent Matador release, Turn the Lights Out, a sort of amalgam of its two previous albums, which dealt in garage and new wave. While the band is exuding enthusiasm onstage, it’s not translating out into the crowd, as sound issues emerge again from the speakers. This time, it seems, the bass is not getting any juice.

  Menomena, do do do do do! Across the field at the other stage, the Portland, OR, trio named after the famed Muppets song by those fuzzy rockers Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, are faring much better. With baritone sax, quirky keyboard jaunts, excellent vocal interplay (all three sing), Menomena is as much fun as its namesake implies.

  Canadian duo Junior Boys are up next with a laptop-driven, bass heavy electro-dance set. Cool blips and bleeps enhance the quiet singing, a cinematic soundtrack vibe takes over. Michiganders Nomo are on the competing side stage, so I wander over to see what all the noise is about. Ten people armed with bells take over the tiny stage in a jam-y, energetic set filled with Caribbean beats, bongos and thumb piano.

  Chicago indie rock progenitors The Sea and Cake know how to translate their music into a larger setting. Its recent Thrill Jockey release, Everybody, is a gorgeous exploration of sun-kissed and more straightforward rocking gems than previous efforts, but live the driving electricity of the new material is much more apparent. “Up on Crutches” and “Crossing Line,” two of the group’s most catchy songs to date, are idyllic for the sun-drenched afternoon. Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt’s guitars flirt, while John McEntire’s rhythms skitter jazz and more muscular beats, which lock into the meatier basslines of Eric Claridge. It’s lovely.



  It’s time for dinner, but I’m watching Jamie Lidell on a monitor, and honestly not getting it. After some chow, I saunter to the small stage to catch the latest MCs to make waves in Chicago. The duo are dubbed Cool Kids, and the moniker fits. Though their age seems suited to check influences from the booty-bling-obsessed landscape that pervades popular American hip-hop today, they fortunately look to the old-school for both their beats and their style. With a nice flow and a nod to hip-hop’s finest groove period, they’re one to watch.

  Steven Malkmus performs acoustically, giving the crowd Pavement tunes to incite a good-time sing-along. Onstage, Malkmus is joined by former Pavement drummer Bob Nastanovich for a handful of tunes. It’s a pretty tame display, with a bit of humor thrown in during the finale, “We Shall Dance,” which finds Nastanovich and some other guy slow dancing about the stage.

  If anyone is in the mood for a carnival, it’s Of Montreal. With several costume changes, including a dominatrix bustier and hot pants worn by singer Kevin Barns, pink angel’s winged guitarist, a golden painted bassist and odd blow-up toys, the theatrics were a-plenty. Spectacle aside, the music is just as kinky, with jaunty keyboard romps and a dance-y groove. The encore is the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night” — ending as it started, with a party sentiment still top of mind.

    As the sun begins to fade, the harmony-laden New Pornographers take the stage to usher in the twilight with beautiful refrains. Its gorgeous melodies and incredibly catchy hooks take over the park and fill it with a choir of fans, singing in unison with the band on songs such as “Sing Me Spanish Techno” and the melodica-drenched “The Bleeding Heart Show.” Its only downfall is the absence of Dan Bejar, who occasionally joins them, and Neko Case is not present. No matter for Chicagoans, as the band returns in October, with Case in tow.



    De La Soul is ready to get the party started, even as it’s winding down. And with almost a quarter century together, Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove and Pasemaster Mase can kick it with the best of them, in fact they are the best of them. With a surprise appearance by producer Prince Paul, the exuberant set was a reminder that live hip-hop can be good, and not just a brief stint with a bunch of hype men running in circles. Keeping it real for more than an hour, the group delivered its hits, but also gave a shout-out to James Brown and threw in some humor, with a stellar synchronized robot dance and crowd-pleasing banter. It was engaging, and the last chance to Dance Your Ass Off, which was the case as the crowd bumped to the beats, before tthe festival came to a very fine close.

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