When Lamb Chop said, “Little Boy Blue, come blow your nose,” we’re willing to bet that wasn’t a reference to cocaine. But in the latest video for El-P’s “The Full Retard”, director Timothy Saccenti spins that quote on its head, pitting puppets against gangsters in a reckless night of margaritas, guns, convertible cruising, and some ol’ Aunt Nora. It gets pretty dark, but what else did you expect with that stalker of a beat? Check it out below.

El-P’s latest full-length, Cancer For Cure, is out now via Fat Possum. Recently, Consequence of Sound had an opportunity to sit down with the rapper, which you can read all about here.

Featured Music:
01. Young Man – “21” (excerpt), “Do” (excerpt)
02. HEALTH – “Tears” (excerpt), “The Imperial Palace” (excerpt)
03. Reggie Watts – “Havin’ Sex”, “Thanks/Silencer”, “Tweet Yourself Right”
04. El-P – “$4 VicFTL” (excerpt), “Works Every Time” (excerpt)
05. ZZ Top – “La Grange” (excerpt)
06. OFF! – “Wiped Out”, “Feelings Are Meant To Be Hurt”, “Jet Black Girls”, “I Got News For You”, “King Kong Brigade”
07. Circle Jerks – “World Up My Ass” (Group Sex)
08. The Dream Syndicate – “Halloween” (Days of Wine and Roses)

Audiography Episode 039 – “Keith Morris (of OFF!)”
Written and Produced by Len Comaratta, Alex Young, Michael Roffman, Adam Kivel, Nick Freed, Jeremy Larson and Bryant Kitching.

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Are you enjoying Audiography? Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes!

Consequence of Sound’s Summer Tour Guide will lead you to the darkest, dankest (not every venue has a ventilation system, folks) concerts where you can dance the night away after spending too many hours in the sun. From Dirty Projectors to Phish to the Diplo/Grimes/Skrillex extravaganza that is the Full Flex Express, we’ve listed the best and brightest artists that are touring new or as-of-yet unreleased albums, touring around festival appearances, or just touring because it’s damn fun.

-Harley Brown
Associate Editor

Feature artwork by Mike Zell.

Beach House

Photo by Phillip Roffman

Who: Beach House

When: May-July

Support: Wild Nothing

Key Dates: July 13th at Forecastle Festival // July 23rd at Central Park Summer Stage

What CoS Says: Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House are supporting their expansive, haunting new LP, Bloom, and the floating, wonder-drenched tunes therein will echo majestically through many concert halls. The disc is likely to hit at or near the top of many best of the year lists, and this will be your chance to see things unfurl in person. -Adam Kivel

Dirty Projectors

Who: Dirty Projectors

When: July – August

Support: Purity Ring and Wye Oak

Key Dates: July 10th at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park // July 13th at Pitchfork Music Festival

What CoS Says: Dirty Projectors may have produced their masterpiece on 2009′s Bitte Orca, but on this tour they’ll be playing tunes from their first attempt to top that, Swing Lo Magellan. The early sounds from the disc suggest we’re in store for more hocketing and other multi-part vocal insanity that needs to be seen produced live to be believed. -Adam Kivel

Fiona Apple

Who: Fiona Apple

When: June – July

Key Dates: June 24th at New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival // July 10th at the Chicago Theatre

What CoS Says: After drawing eyes and ears from critics everywhere at this year’s South by Southwest, Fiona Apple hit the road for a select number of intimate gigs, all to critical acclaim. Most reviews championed this unspoken, newfound energy in her performances, where she twisted and turned some of her older tracks like “Criminal” or “Extraordinary Machine” into urgent personal affairs. With her forthcoming LP – The Idler Wheel... – due out June 19th, Apple will have plenty to get off her chest once and for all. In other words, expect something emotional. -Michael Roffman

Full Flex Express Tour

Who: Skrillex, Pretty Lights, Diplo, Grimes, KOAN, and Tokimonsta

When: July

Key Dates: July 14th at Ottawa Bluesfest // July 15th at Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau

What CoS Says: If Grimes is Janis Joplin, would Diplo or Skrillex be Jerry Garcia? The comparisons might not be entirely fitting, but either way, this bumpin’ tour featuring three of the best beat-making songwriters in the game today might just give the original Festival Express a run for its money. -Harley Brown

Hot Chip

Photo by Cap Blackard

Who: Hot Chip

When: July – September

Key Dates: July 14th at Pitchfork Music Festival // September 9th at Hollywood Bowl (w/ Passion Pit & Omar Souleyman)

What CoS Says: Leaving longtime label DFA doesn’t seem to have put a crimp in Hot Chip’s high step, if their dance-tastic new cuts are any indication. Close to the release date of In Our Heads, this extensive summer tour provides the first chance to hear the fivesome’s fifth installment of technolectronica hot off the vinyl presses. -Harley Brown

The Into The Wild Tour

Who: El-P, Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire, Killer Mike, and Despot

When: June – July

Key Dates: June 23rd at Austin’s The Mohawk // July 6th at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge

What CoS Says:  All four guys guest on the majority of each other’s tunes so I feel bad for them on this tour — no one’s going to get a break for too long off stage before they have to come and guest on another verse. Bad for them trying to read a book backstage, but incredible for the audience who are sure to see “Tougher Colder”, “Hail No”, “Butane”, and possibly “The Last Huzzah”. Also, do play the “What liquor will eXquire’s crew spray on the crowd?” betting game for kicks! -Jeremy D. Larson

Japandroids

Photo by Karina Halle

Who: Japandroids

When: May – July

Key Dates: May 31st at Primavera Sound // July 13th at Pitchfork Music Festival

What CoS Says: A Japandroids show is essentially that feeling of screaming yourself hoarse to rock music in your car with the windows down and the radio cranked to the max, only everyone at the show is doing that and you’re all on the same page because Japandroids make you feel young again, dammit. Help out Brian King and David Prowse with those “Ohhhs”from the back of the club — you won’t be the only one. -Jeremy D. Larson

My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses

Photo by Ryan Mastro

Who: My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses

When: August

Key Dates: August 3rd-4th at Red Rocks Ampitheatre

What CoS Says: Ask anyone who’s seen them live (Bonnaroo 2008, anyone?): My Morning Jacket is hands down one of the best contemporary live acts on the circuit(al). Band of Horses, who opened MMJ’s MSG show in December, are hard at work on new material with the legendary Glyn Johns. Put the two acts together, and you’ve got a southern rock fan’s wet dream. -Ben Kaye

Phish

Photo by Debi Del Grande

Who: Phish

When: June-September

Support: Only our resident Phan, Rob.

Key Dates: June 10th at Bonnaroo Music Festival // July 3rd-4th at Jones Beach Theatre

What CoS Says: Bust out the tape recorder and Grateful Dead bong, Phish is hitting the road again this summer. The Vermont jam gods are slotted to headline Bonnaroo alongside Radiohead, marking the first time Thom Yorke will have ever smelled Patchouli. –Bryant Kitching

Refused with OFF!

Who: Refused and OFF!

When: July

Key Dates: July 18th at Williamsburg Summer Garden // July 19th at Riot Fest East (Philadelphia)

What CoS Says: It’s been almost a decade and a half since Refused toured America, and that ended with the police breaking up a Virginia basement show. No one ever thought their classic The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts would see the light of a stage again, but after an appearance at Coachella, fans across the map have a chance to witness the songs in all their glory. The fast and furious kick-assery of punk supergroup OFF! is just the sweetest icing this reunion cake could have, so eat up. -Ben Kaye

Sigur Rós

Who: Sigur Rós

When: July-September

Key Dates: August 3rd at Osheaga // August 5th at Lollapalooza

What CoS Says: It’s been four years since the Icelandic export hit the States. That’s a long time for an act as sweeping and majestic as Sigur Rós to be off the map. But, with time comes reason, and their latest album, Valtari, is an agreeable excuse to trot around the globe. The LP expands upon their sound in dense, circuital ways; as a result, the band will come stocked with an arsenal of new melodies and emotions to levitate that heart of yours into any summer night. Actually, it might be the only festival act that has you packing tissues. -Michael Roffman

Sleigh Bells

Photo by Lauren Guagno

Who: Sleigh Bells

When: July

Support: Class Actress, Jel, Hot Chip, James Murphy, Dave P, and Sammy Slice

Key Dates: July 20th at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing (w/ Dave P & Sammy Slice) // July 22nd at Merriweather Post Pavilion (w/ Hot Chip & James Murphy)

What CoS Says: Sleigh Bells have come a long, loud way since Treats, building a stadium-sized sound behind their Top Star-earning Reign of Terror with their trademark wall of Marshalls. Good thing as they get bigger, they also get better, so be sure to catch them while you still can. -Harley Brown

System of a Down with Deftones

Who: System of a Down and Deftones

When: August

Key Dates: August 5th at Jones Beach // August 12th at HEAVY T.O.

What CoS Says: With System of a Down fresh off a five-year live hiatus and Deftones gearing up for a new album, this is a prime double-header. In fact, there’s no better bill this summer for anyone who likes their rock hard, loud, and fist-pumpingly furious – and who doesn’t? -Ben Kaye

Wilco

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Who: Wilco

When: June – September

Support: Andrew Bird, Dr. Dog, Lee Ranaldo, Lee Fields & the Expressions, and Blitzen Trapper

Key Dates: July 23rd-24th at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (w/ Lee Fields & the Expressions and Lee Ranaldo) // September 30th at the Hollywood Bowl

What CoS Says: With no new album to tour behind (they trekked across the globe for most of last year in support of their eighth LP, The Whole Love) you can expect Tweedy & co. to pull out some deeper cuts this time around. Our fingers are crossed for either “Kingpin” off their 1996 folk-rock opus Being There or “I’m Always In Love,” the unsung hero off 1999’s Summerteeth. –Bryant Kitching

You don’t usually hand out MVPs this early in the season, but let’s guarantee El-P a spot on the short list. He recently wrapped up a Company Flow reunion. He produced Killer Mike‘s unbeatable R.A.P. Music and not a week later dropped his first album in over five years, Cancer 4 Cure. He’s heading out an A-list tour with Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, and Despot in a couple weeks. King Midas ain’t got shit on him.

El-P talked to us over the phone about all of his recent projects, about what his paranoia and the lenses through which he views the world, the current state of hip-hop, how to survive in the world today, and how Top Secret is an underrated comedy masterpiece. It was early in the morning, but El didn’t seem to have a problem putting the bellows to his fire.

–

One of my favorite tracks of last year was that eXquire track, “The Last Huzzah”, and you had Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown and a lot of those guys appear on Cancer for Cure. How did that collaboration come about?

We had all just become cool with eX, ya know? A couple of us saw eX’s video for “Huzzah” and no one had really seen it apart from a small group of people cause he just kinda put it out himself, and I had him out here and I was like, “Hey man I like that song,” and I didn’t realize that he had actually used a bunch of my music for his mixtape. Turned out he was a fan and we just became friends and we just all liked him. Everyone thought he was dope and then he stepped to all of us like, “Hey you wanna jump on this shit?” and he thought it would be a cool thing to happen and everyone was like “hell yeah.” I had already been friends with Das [Racist] and Despot. It was just one of those things that just happened over a course of a year or so, and when it came time to do my record I called for those guys.

I remember I think I read a tweet that you wrote that said, “that awkward thing when you put Danny Brown on a track and it’s almost too good you wanna take him off.”

Definitely. When it’s your album and you put someone else on it’s their time to be the star. On that one song when it’s finally not your voice it’s like it’s such a dope slot,and everyone murdered it, I was really happy with what everybody brought to the table. Everyone just really brought their A games and you’re just looking at it like “Damn, mother fucker went in! You bastard, I’m doing a record and that was a crazy 20 bars!”. I wanted from everybody to come out swinging and everyone really did so I’m excited.

When you have a guest on your record, do you direct them a little or do you give them full creative license like, “here’s 20, here’s the beat, do it”?

I kinda direct them a little bit. Just because I usually have some sort of idea or structure or something, but at the end of the day of course it’s really up to them with what they say and how they say it. With eX we were actually in the studio together and what happened was eX had his verse and I had my verse and he heard my verse and I heard his verse and then Danny did his verse. I like to give a little bit of a direction because I think it’s important when you’re doing collaborations that the song will come out in some way with real emotion and it doesn’t sound like random guest spots.

You just got off tour and finished up with Company Flow. It’s interesting because even doing some of your early work you’re still focused on the future and doing an album with Killer Mike. What is it like to go back to the past on a show and still have your mind be focused on an album coming out?

It was great to be honest. We had a really good time and it was pretty natural and easy for us. Once we started rehearsing we were like, wow, all of this is really ingrained in us so it wasn’t difficult for us. It is a little weird though, like here I am playing Coachella with songs from 1997 and I’m on the verge of putting out a new record. But it has all really been working for me. We try to always be classy about the way that we handle ourselves. With Company Flow, we never wanted to be a nostalgia group and call it quits, we thought it was the right time to call it quits, and we got back together at the right time when it felt right for us. It feels good, it feels right.

Did going back to Company Flow inform you in your current way of writing or way of producing?

No it’s really not. I mean if anything when I listen to that stuff I’m like, “Wow, I don’t think this way anymore” or “I don’t approach music the same way” or “I don’t write the same way anymore.” I love that time, and I love that album – it’s important to me now, but I kinda have a different trajectory. I kinda always stay on my path. There’s an energy for sure that I was reminded of that this felt good and I’m glad I did it. I think it was just a coincidence that I was coming back to that energy again, having fun with that raw, in-your-face kind of attitude. I think that’s a big part of my new record.

El-P – “The Full Retard”

You mentioned in some interviews and Twitter conversations here and there that you think that the lines in hip-hop are kind of dissolving. The line between “indie” and “mainstream” and back when Company Flow was starting it was like clearly that could have a label of indie hip-hop and now those lines are dissolving.

Well, let’s be honest, Company Flow started the label of indie hip-hop. At the time it was necessary, but yeah, I do believe that.

I think that it’s dissolving but I also think that there are still more lines forming because now you have stuff like “blog rap” and “street rap.”

I think that’s all bullshit to be honest. I guarantee you that you’ll never meet a rapper who said those words. I actually don’t feel that more lines are being drawn. It’s just another generation and everybody’s influenced by a lot of different things and because of the fact that over the past five years there has really been no one way to do anything. There’s been no infrastructure. No one knew how to put their music out, they just did whatever they wanted and put their music on the Internet. Then you got eXquire who deservedly got a big major label deal, but he did that doing just whatever the fuck he wanted to do. I just think that people are having fun making music again.

There has been some really positive growth in terms of the way that people see shit. A lot of rap has gone and influenced a lot of other types of art and current music and vice versa so their attitude is a little more open. I think it’s a good time now because everyone is kinda doing their thing and I never hear so much about you’re either this or that so much anymore. It’s there, but I think it’s on its way out. It’s amazing because I always thought that this should be like that

I think that makes sense and that for someone like yourself who has probably seen those lines dissolve that makes sense.

Well I saw the lines go up and I saw the lines be drawn too. I remember when the lines weren’t there. I feel like it’s changing the way people think about shit, ya know? I honestly think that for me this is an exciting time for hip-hop music.

And in the end it’s not even about any of that bullshit anyway, it’s about the music.

Absolutely! I don’t care what other people think about my music because it has gone to weird places. There’s no easy way to just point at me and just be like, “You’re one chain!” And I think that, for me, I’ve always listened to everything. I’m a fan of everything that’s good, no matter where it comes from or how it’s delivered. So it was annoying for me cause no one else thought like I did and just said, “Hey that’s a dope new song”.

You sampled Rush earlier and that was great. It’s just a cool song and it worked really well on that track.

“Tom Sawyer” is my shit.

On Cancer for Cure, there’s an underling theme of paranoia, which isn’t a totally common trope in hip-hop. Is that idea of a sort of wariness of others and not being insecure of yourself but questioning the others around you, is that something that’s compounded in your years you’ve been doing this?

Isn’t this a fertile time for a healthy dose of paranoia? I’ve been trained to be paranoid, ya know? I think that we’re living in a time where paranoia is encouraged. So, even at your best, even when you’re trying to be the most alive or most open, it’s very common and natural to feel tension and question what’s going on around you. That’s really what I’m saying in the record, about that paranoia. It’s not even paranoia, it’s more like, “I don’t believe you.” I don’t think it’s paranoia to say that we’re being watched on a daily basis.

It’s just you no longer buy into what they’re selling.

And never have been really. I think at this point it’s like throwing your arms up like, “Oh fuck this shit.”

Do you feel like that’s directed towards more of an abstract societal thing or a political thing or even a personal thing – do any of these things reflect on a personal level or is this more of a societal thing with you?

It’s all on a personal and societal level. You walk around and go through your personal life and we’re all trying to change things or whatever strange destinies you may have. You kind of walk around and you make these conscious decisions to ignore certain things and pay attention to other things that please you. It’s personal because it affects you on a physical and spiritual level. Everything that happens and everything that’s said and has gone on and is beamed into us is engineered to effect you. When you hear me talk about it, I’m more examining it than trying to explain it. I’m talking as a dude who’s affected by all this stuff , but I’m not sure what to make of all of this. It’s just the truth of how I feel. I don’t know if that makes any sense.

No, it does. Do you have a specific example that recently has come up that had just sort of pushed you over the edge?

No man. Every time you turn on the fucking news, every time you walk outside and see an advertisement, every time you have a conversation with somebody who thinks that they know more about life than you do because of politics or whatever. There’s a lot that we’re all kind of up against and we’re all being asked constantly to buy in to certain things and those things change and we’re all being asked to pay attention to certain things and ignore other things, and there at a certain point it goes against your subconscious and your subconscious is like, “What the fuck you talking about? None of this is real, this is all fucking constructed and made up by us.” I think that it has a damaging effect on your soul and it has an effect on your mind, and I’m not getting on records and trying to preach about anything, I don’t know anything more than anyone else. I’m just trying to express as eloquently to paint a picture of how I feel because I feel like I can’t be the only one who feels like this.

I think it’s telling that though the lines of how we define, how we talk about hip-hop are being dissolved, the lines of how we deal with society are still very binary and still very, “You’re either this or you’re that, if you think this way you must be against them.”

Right, and that’s not natural human thought. That’s something that we came up with pretty recently.

It’s a survival technique for a lot of people, though.

And I think it’s a manipulation technique, too. And I think as you’re listening to a guy who is basically immune to the  manipulation but completely associates with it at the same time. In my mind I see through the curtain. But at the same time, I’m just as much as a dumb motherfucker as anyone else walking around. My arrogance in terms of me thinking that I know what’s going on or that I know that something is off doesn’t help me that much, it really doesn’t.

Does the anger come out of the futility of this situation or the fact that you’re aware of the situation or both?

I think it’s all those things, ya know? I’m not trying to paint any one picture, but multiple pictures with perspectives of someone who’s just trying to walk uphill in a snowstorm.

As opposed to having this album being a very sort of heavy handed manifesto or anything like that, it really just sort of presents itself in a lot of ways of like, “Here are some questions that I’m facing and I think you should all realize that these are questions to question things and here are the answers.”

Yeah, it’s a lot of that. The only way that I’ve ever lived and do shit is to go inward and ask those questions. And the reason why I think that works is because we’re not unique little snowflakes that don’t feel the same thing. The closer you get to being to your own inner dialogue, the close you are to relating to everyone else – we are all the same thing, no matter what anyone says. So that’s my approach, I’m going to write something that I think is really only about me and I’m going to treat it that way and hopefully that will then connect to you. And I think when people go out of their way to tell you that this is how you should think or that you should be listening to me because I know something you don’t know. That’s when it doesn’t relate; I don’t want to talk to that guy like, “Fuck you man.” Make something that gets me emotionally and I’ll follow you. No one wants to be lectured. But beyond that no politics, I have no interest in manipulation nor am I political or am I smarter or better than anyone. I just kind of got to get this shit off my chest is what all this means.

And I think that’s what makes none of Cancer for Cure come off as being preachy, but I think a lot of what hampers that from being is that you have this way of injecting humor into a lot of what you do. Some of the best political statements and some of the best movies are always these dark comedies who look at Dr. Strangelove or something like that.

Absolutely man, I think once you realize scope of the absurdity of everything that we’re wrapped up in, it’s really hard not to have a little bit of a sense of humor about it, and it is kind of tragically hilarious in a lot of ways. That’s just me man. You have to have a little bit of leather. And even if you feel like you’re fucking dying it’s really difficult for me in some way not to find the whole thing hilarious.

Right, and that’s the real survival technique.

It is, absolutely. Maybe that’s a crass one, maybe that’s the cynic’s technique, you know what I mean? Maybe I’m a cynic but what I actually think I am is a romantic who’s having a difficult time dealing with reality.

You reference a couple of things, like you have that line, “I guess I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue” which is from Airplane! and you have a little sample from Top Secret which are these two…

It actually wasn’t a sample.

Did you grab it from that movie?

Nah, I was watching that movie and I wanted to use this. I sampled it originally, but there was music in the background and it didn’t worked in the music, so I ended up just saying it. If you listen to it it’s actually my voice.

Do you like those screwball comedies or was it just sort of a thing you were watching randomly?

Oh I grew up on those comedies. You talk about absurdity… Of course when you look back on them now they’re actually like oddly racist and you’re like, “Oh, wow, I didn’t realize how racist Airplane! was,” but as a child how wicked Airplane! was. There’s so much in there that is brilliant, and Top Secret is a very under-appreciated gem I believe.

Yup.

What’s that fucking Quentin Tarantino movie? Inglorious Bastards? I felt like Top Secret was better than that. I really think they tried to remake Top Secret and it wasn’t as good.

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time El-P has talked about fucking throats. This isn’t the first time he’s spun surrealistic word clusters, or spat anti-Big Brother propaganda, or caked his production with ear-piercing boom-bap distortion, or was paranoid with good reason. As the erstwhile DefJux label head progresses in his solo career, he’s taking the road less-travelled by veteran artists: In lieu of pumping the brakes and realigning his compass, El-P beats on, boats against the current for every second of C4C. He still puts his pain in portmanteaus (“painbows”, “paincave”, “painiacs”), his beats flay, and his war is not yet over.

Part of the allure of El-P, and especially so on C4C, is trying to get in front of the hail of words El-P fires off at fully automatic speeds. His free-form verse structure and impulsive word association have steadily evolved since his Funcrusher Plus days with Company Flow. Even compared to his last proper LP in 2007, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, El is deeper entrenched in abstract word play, creating lyrical atmospheres not bumper stickers. “True Story” is one line of sick dexterous prose after another, like a series of surreal Twitter rants with loose threads of distrust and dark humor stringing them together. “Pardon the fuzz I’m distorted, contorted, pardon the hiss/don’t let ‘em Henson me, enter me and control how I twitch.” (Okay, I’d buy the bumper sticker for “Don’t let ‘em Henson me.”) Similarly, the single he dropped in 2011, the scarily prescient “Drones Over BKLYN”, employs the same phoneme over function aesthetic, delivering dense warnings, threats, and fuck-yous to enemies in his airspace.

And then there’s unfadable bangers, like the (not entirely) politically incorrect “The Full Retard”. Above the buzzsaw bass, discordant synths, and a hook that all but forces you to pump this shit like they do in the future, El punches his way through the track, classifies his music as “rust funk”, and includes my new favorite thing to say: “I’ll rugby-kick the shit out your groin, boy.”

Two tracks of a similar vein feature guest verses from two pairs of El’s usual suspects. “Tougher Colder” sees El, Despot, and new partner in grime Killer Make trading eights over the toughest beat on the album, with both rising up to El’s energy that’s already building on the album. “Hail No” features one of the best guest verses of the year from rising star Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire who just vibrates double-time over the track like it’s nothing, “concealing [his] mental illness by willing a smile.” It’s far more deft and congruent than Danny Brown’s obtuse verse, which recenters the energy to Brown’s arhythmic flow and despite clever bons mots, feels tacked-on and indulgent.

Hiding behind some of the psycho-fight songs are tracks with clearer narratives. After the guest spots are through, the album’s second half turns darker, slows down, and cross-fades into a menacing, if not a tad laborious, fun house ride. “The Jig Is Up”, ostensibly the only love song on the record, wrings all the acerbity out Groucho Marx’s famous quote “I wouldn’t want to be a part of any club that would have me” until it’s just a pathetic, lovelorn martyr’s last words. Because when El goes full introvert, the danger becomes even more palpable, extenuated by increasingly macabre soundscapes and atonal razor MIDI patches. The further C4C burrows inside of of El’s brain, the more frustrated and futile he appears, racing around the the track trying to hurdle over his own nihilism. He says “there’s no joy in repetition” on the sardonic ballad “For My Upstairs Neighbor”, and it becomes clear that for El that exponential frustration and repetition of his paranoia isn’t making things easier for his fatigue becomes our fatigue, for better or for worse, just before to the conclusion of “$4 VicFTL”.

“And I can no longer contain what is under my disguise/I’ve always had the cancer for the cure that’s what the fuck am I.” The whole album builds to this climax on “$4 VicFTL”, like the words finally came to him after the 10,000 previous ones failed him. It’s a moment with no rebuttal — a self-fulfilling prophecy for someone immersed in the paranoid systems of the military and the government. El-P said that this was a fight record. Yeah, he takes arms against many seas of oppression, throwing shade at politics, police, corporate greed, and filthy streets. But the real fight this time around isn’t directed outward. El-P has been there before, and more recently got Killer Mike to make the more obvious fight record of 2012. C4C is something more sinister and involuted: It’s El-P fighting El-P, but damn is it fun to watch.

Essential Tracks: “Full Retard”, “Tougher Colder”, “$4 VicFTL”

El-P’s new solo album, Cancer 4 Cure, is now streaming at RollingStone.com. His first solo album in five years, the 12-track effort contains collaborations with Danny Brown, Interpol’s Paul Banks, Nick Diamonds, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, and Killer Mike, among others. The album will be officially released on May 22nd via Fat Possum.

Cancer 4 Cure Tracklist:
01. Request Denied
02. The Full Retard
03. Works Every Time
04. Drones Over BKLYN
05. Oh Hail No (feat. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire and Danny Brown)
06. Tougher Colder Killer (feat. Killer Mike and Despot)
07. True Story
08. The Jig Is Up
09. Sign Here
10. For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)
11. Stay Down (feat. Nick Diamonds)
12. $4 Vic/FTL (Me and You)

R.A.P. (Rebellious African People) Music is Mike’s sixth album, and Mike’s hailed it as his best one yet. It is. Tapping abstract ex-Def Jux savant El-P for the entirety of the record’s production, the whole thing feels audacious and downright important, at least for the sake of some urban, disgruntled-youth populace out there. Erudite without being overwrought and passionate without being dogmatic, what we’ve got here may be the best rap album of the year – at least, so far.

At any given time, Mike has a lot on his mind — he commonly gives long-winded responses to a single interview question. Mike divulges his opinions on disparate sociopolitical issues, past and present, with more fervor here than ever. On “Reagan”, he goes in on every POTUS since the titular one: “Ronald Reagan was an actor/Not at all a factor/Just an employee of the country’s real masters/Just like the Bushes, Clinton, and Obama/Just another talking head telling lies on teleprompters.” With “Don’t Die”, it’s police brutality: “[The cop] said, ‘Chill or we kill — this is a warning’/Then I told him, ‘Fuck you, where is the warrant?’/Then they got to punchin’ and kickin’ and macin’/Then the whole situation went Larry Davis.” The meaning of “Conscious rap” is fuzzy, but under just about every definition, R.A.P. Music fits that bill and is better for it — even the references to Dalí and Basquiat feel proper, natural, opportune.

And then there’s El-P. From his early work with Company Flow to his masterful new Cancer for Cure, the beatsmith born Jamie Meline has assembled legions of quirk-rap weirdness that feels like a genre unto itself. With R.A.P. Music, El brings his Big Apple idiosyncrasies to Mike’s ATL strut, resulting in beats that feel far from provincial yet vital in how now and emphatic they sound. With the T.I.-, Bun B-, and Trouble-featuring “Big Beast”, far and away the most confident rave-up here, the opening lone synth stabs fluidly erupt into a menacing wall of loud. On “Southern Fried”, bass ripples and choppy guitar chords are processed into a lightning-paced track that matches the cool of the chorus: “Ain’t I fresh? Ain’t I clean?/Ain’t I ridin’ through the city in the meanest machine?” No doubt El Producto pulled out all the stops for this one, and the chemistry between producer and rapper is uncanny (however unlikely it might seem on paper).

What ends up being the most enticing thing about R.A.P. Music is that it’s the first instance of Mike putting out an end-to-end great album. On the closing, triumphant title track, Mike works in a who’s who of musical R.A(-merican).P.: Robert Johnson, Outkast, Curtis Mayfield, Coltrane, George Clinton. More than anything he’s done prior, the album feels like a singular document destined to juxtapose him with those legends. You’d be foolish to miss it.

Essential Tracks: “Big Beast”, “Southern Fried”, “R.A.P. Music”

Today marks the launch of a new Brooklyn imprint called Young One Records. A subsidiary of Partisan Records, the label has already signed up Bay Area duo Main Attrakionz, Nigerian-American MC Fat Tony, and Queens, NY trio Children of the Night.

To kick off their first day in business, the label has released a slew of new or unreleased music from their three artists, as well as Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Bun B, and Cities Aviv.

“Bad Habits” is the first track from Fat Tony’s upcoming mixtape, Double Dragon, due out June 1st. It features contributions from Bun B and Islands’ Nick Thorburn (aka Nick Diamonds). Check it out below.

After that, you’ll find a mixtape of unreleased tracks from eXquire, Main Attrakionz, and Cities Aviv. Of particular note is eXquire’s track “The Rocketeer”, which was produced by El-P.

Fat Tony feat. Bun B & Nick Diamonds – “Bad Habits”

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On Letterman last night, El-P showcased his new solo album, Cancer 4 Cure. Backed by an ensemble which included Islands’ Nick Thorburn, the Brooklyn MC performed “Stay Down”. Watch the replay below (via The Audio Perv).

Cancer 4 Cure arrives May 22nd via Fat Possum.

Killer Mike’s new LP, R.A.P. Music, is now streaming at SPIN.com. The 12-track effort features cameos from T.I., Bun B, and El-P, who also served as producer. The album will be formally released on May 15th via William Street Records.

R.A.P. Music Tracklist:
01. Big Beast (feat. Bun B, T.I., and Trouble)
02. Untitled (feat. Scar)
03. Go!
04. Southern Fried
05. Jo Jo’s Chillin
06. Reagan
07. Don’t Die
08. Ghetto Gospel
09. Butane (Champion’s Anthem) (feat. El-P)
10. Anywhere But Here (feat. Emily Panic)
11. Willie Burke Sherwood
12. R.A.P. Music

Consequence of Sound’s Summer Music Guide contains a comprehensive breakdown of the season’s biggest albums, complete with artwork and audio preview when available. These are the albums that you won’t be able to quit. They’re worthy of deluxe pre-orders, long email chains discussing their place in music today, and soundtracks to balmy summer nights. We hope you find it useful, and please share your most anticipated albums in the comments below.

-CoS Staff

Artwork by David Stanley.

Beach House – Bloom

Fortune surrounds Beach House’s fourth studio offering. Teen Dream producer Chris Coady is back at the helm, the album was mixed at New York City’s legendary Electric Lady Studios, and the already-revealed cuts (“Myth”, “Lazuli”) could be described as no less than divine. It’s far too early to write any year-end lists just yet, but here’s a hypothesis: It’s doubtful we’ll shake off Victoria Legrand’s balmy, dreamy vocals by winter. -Michael Roffman
Due Out: May 15th via Sub Pop 

Beach House – “Lazuli”

Best Coast – The Only Place

With Jon Brion (Kanye West, Fiona Apple, of Montreal) on board as producer, some might be expecting a departure from the endlessly endearing surf pop that earned Best Coast’s 2010 debut our Top Star recognition. Fear not, because while Brion’s more polished and refined touch can certainly be felt on The Only Place (a string quartet actually makes an appearance on a couple of tracks), Bethany Cosentino still keeps her feet firmly planted in her signature fuzzy lo-fi punk sound. -Bryant Kitching
Due Out: May 15th via Mexican Summer

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Garbage – Not Your Kind of People

Nineties alt-pop darlings Garbage go for a surrealist escape in the lead single off their first album in eight years, Not Your Kind of People. The video for the song, “Blood for Poppies”, shot by L.A. cinematographer Matt Irwin, is a shaky, black-and-white montage of space-age black magic and sunny So-Cal scenes. Musically, it’s classic sneer-and-wink Garbage: chainsaw guitars, wonka-wonka bass, and a pop-delicious hook that rushes into the chorus like a gust of wind, and that can only bode well for the rest of the album. -Katjusa Cisar
Due Out: May 15th via STUNVOLUME

Garbage – “Blood for Poppies”

Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

Some of the first words shot out by Killer Mike on R.A.P. Music reference KRS ONE’s “9mm Goes Bang”. He shouts, “Wa da da dang, wa da da da da dang/listen to my Kimber .45 go bang.” These lyrics could serve as a summary for the whole album: old-school nods that pack more fire power. Killer Mike’s flow keeps it anachronistic like Slick Rick meets Chuck D, but El-P’s production–as always–keeps the whole record avant. It will tear as big a hole in the space-time continuum as it will in your speakers. -Jeremy D. Larson
Due Out: May 15th via William Street Records

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Tenacious D – Rize of the Fenix

After the commercial nonsuccess of 2006′s Pick of Destiny, the greatest rock band in the world is set for the biggest resurgence in music history! In the works since at least 2007, Rize of the Fenix once again sees “Hollywood” Jack Black and Kyle “Rage Kage” Gass teaming up with ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, and despite the sentiments of album track “Rock Is Dead”, the metal is still righteous. The album is replete with the raunchy humor and outrageously spun stories of sex, rock-n-roll, and friendship The D is known for. Hell, Val Kilmer took a bullet for this record. -Ben Kaye
Due Out: May 15th via Columbia

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El-P – Cancer for Cure

No lie: After pressing play on my promo download of Cancer for Cure, El-P’s first album since 2007′s I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, I stared at my computer screen, practically slack-jawed, for almost 10 minutes. But what does the greatest and most epic left-field rap full-length of the year so far actually sound like? In essence, it’s a full-on assault of sprawling, 22nd-century boom-bap juxtaposed with justly garrulous and truly cerebral 16s that never cease to impress. El Producto es el genio. -Mike Madden
Due Out: May 22nd via Fat Possum

El-P – “Tougher Colder Killer” (feat. Killer Mike and Despot)

Mount Eerie – Clear Moon

Phil Elverum’s haunting brand of black metal proved intriguing on 2009′s Wind’s Poem, and since then he’s kept rather quiet, save for an archival collection and a couple of singles. This year he returns with two albums: Clear Moon and Ocean Roar. Based on the hazy, driving “House Shape”, the former’s first single, Elverum remains in the darkness, but there’s just enough light to keep us moving. -Michael Roffman
Due Out: May 22nd via P.W. Elverum and Sun, Ltd.

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Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Here

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros exploded onto the scene in 2009 with their shakable brand of hippie-soaked indie folk. Three years later, they’re ready to return with a vengeance. Here is actually the first of two albums due this year, birthed from exploring “a wide variety of subject and sound” upon their return to the studio. The lead single, “Man on Fire”, burns slow and warm, the kind of comforting, uplifting stuff that made their Up From Below debut so welcoming. -Ben Kaye
Due Out: May 29th via Community Music/Vagrant

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Lemonade – Diver

After sashaying onto the scene with 2009′s self-titled debut, Lemonade return with their long-awaited sophomore effort, Diver. Constructed from “sounds of the past synthesized with contemporary dance music buoyed by the most immediate matters of the heart,” the album arrives just in time for summer. If you’ve already got your toes in the sand, label True Panther Sounds has gone ahead and released first single “Neptune” along with remixes by various artists. -Harley Brown
Due Out: May 29th via True Panther Sounds

Lemonade – “Neptune”

Regina Spektor - What We Saw from the Cheap Seats

Currently embarking on a tour through the U.S. with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Regina Spektor has already revealed to us nearly one-quarter of her upcoming album What We Saw From The Cheap Seats. The cute, earnest “Small Town Moon” and reworked, jumpy “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” showcase Spektor in her most accessible, but the cryptic (and a tad awkward) video for  “All The Rowboats” may make you wonder why it was chosen to be the lead single. We can expect a solid sixth record from Regina, and we’ll be looking for those gems undoubtedly buried within the songs yet unheard. -David Dililo
Due Out: May 29th via Sire/Warner Bros. 

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The Walkmen - Heaven

The Walkmen, with the help of producer Phil Eck and a guest spot by Robin Pecknold, returns with a rich album, a sound not previously heard from the band. With Heaven, that nervous energy is gone, but what has been left in its wake is a group comfortably growing old. In doing so, they’ve compiled their most personal collection of tunes. As clues into the rest of the sprawling LP, the first single and title track provide insight into the bucket of hooks there to unpack when the album is finally unleashed. -Ryan Staskel
Due Out: May 29th via Fat Possum 

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Sigur Rós - Valtari

Sigur Rós can take their records off the shelf, polish it, repackage it, and send it resounding through the snow fields and white-capped mountains of Iceland until the end of time for all I care. But what sets Valtari apart is its leap into cosmic reflection in contrast with the more neo-natal wonderment of their previous work. It dares to create even larger post-rock expanses and does so without the crutches of tension and release. Instead, Valtari is all about riding for the feeling. Of course it’s still cinematic, but now it’s less Vanilla Sky and more Tree Of Life, which is unequivocally a good thing. -Jeremy D. Larson

Due Out: May 29th via EMI/XL

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Big K.R.I.T. – Live From the Underground

Over the course of some seven years, Mississippi rapper/producer Big K.R.I.T. has manned the boards for everyone from Ludacris to Freddie Gibbs, all while releasing an increasingly influential and captivating series of mixtapes. Though the temptation for change undoubtedly abounds, expect his debut LP to continue on the same trajectory as his back catalog: spiritually aware, socially conscious raps backed by a soulful, retro-centric production style, created by a man who’s never forgotten his Southern roots or sense of duty. In essence, as the album’s title cleverly summarizes, K.R.I.T. will look to entertain throngs of new fans without leaving the confines of the underground bunker he’s worked so hard to fortify. It’s taken nearly a decade to get here, but K.R.I.T.’s more than well equipped to handle the Big Show. -Chris Coplan
Due Out: June 5th via Def Jam 

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Japandroids – Celebration Rock

Fans of Brian King and David Prowse’s Post-Nothing debut shouldn’t have a problem with their second LP. Of course, there’s the previously released single “The House That Heaven Built”, the monstrously fuzzed-up bro-down that doubles as contender for song of the year. But jams like “Younger Us” (also previously released), “Fire’s Highway”, and “Evil’s Sway” will hold up just fine on those long-sought summer nights, too, exuberant and flat-out fun in their catharses. Cheers to post-adolescence, once again. -Mike Madden
Due Out: June 5th via Polyvinyl 

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Liars - WIXIW

Liars have never been predictable, producing over the course of their 12-year tenure both a concept record about creativity and doubt and an album inspired by German legends about witchcraft, among others. Despite these disparate influences, they’ve always hewed to the same dance-inspired punk and drum machine-based songwriting; WIXIW, however, is “simultaneously the most accessible and most challenging release from these iconoclasts, it is both a summation of Liars’ work up to now, and a complete break from anything you’d ever heard the band do previously.” They’ve pretty much covered all the bases with that, leaving listeners with “No. 1 Against the Rush” to guess at what it means. -Harley Brown
Due Out: June 5th via Mute

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Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Americana

Last year’s Buffalo Springfield reunion came sans new recordings, but Neil Young devotees will be satiated when he drops his first album with the complete Crazy Horse lineup (Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, and Frank “Poncho” Sampedro) since 1996’s Broken Arrow. The material is comprised of classic folk tunes like “This Land Is Your Land” and “She’ll Be Comin’ Round The Mountain”, which will disappoint fans aching for new material. Still, these guys getting back together is nothing to scoff at. Besides, a second record is coming this fall, so let this one tide you over. -Ben Kaye
Due Out: June 5th via Reprise 

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Oh Susannah”

PUJOL – United States of Being

With United States of Being, his full-length 12-track debut, Daniel Pujol ropes in his gritty-yet-catchy brand of garage rock. It would be wise to take the title literally, as Pujol states, “love can be a pretty subversive thing. It’s 12 neoliberal love songs for you and the significant Other.” How sweet. -Michael Roffman
Due Out: June 5th via Saddle Creek

PUJOL – “DIY2K”

Guided By Voices – Class Clown Spots a UFO

The classic GBV lineup is back for a victory lap with the album Class Clown Spots a UFO. No doubt, it will be a run through the lo-fi playground that Robert Pollard has called home for more than two decades. Let’s Go Eat the Factory, the inaugural album by the returned classic lineup brought us a sprawling 21 track brilliant mess, and with Class Clown Spots a UFO we have every reason to believe the band of merry drunkards will bring the goods one more time. -Ryan Staskel
Due Out: June 12th via Fire Records

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Hot Chip – In Our Heads

Hot Chip might not be putting out their fifth LP, In Our Heads, on longtime label DFA, but that doesn’t mean things are going to be any different. According to the band, whose myriad side projects (The 2 Bears, New Build) have been shelved for the greater good of dance floors everywhere, the new album will be “an unadultered delight of an album bursting with dynamic dancefloor-movers, instant yet enduring hooks, and verbose synth-fuelled love songs.” That sounds like everything they’ve ever done before, but, fortunately for Hot Chip, they always pull it off with Alexis Taylor’s bittersweet quaver between bumpin’ percussion. -Harley Brown
Due Out: June 12th via Domino

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Redgrave - National Act

It’s a rock renaissance out there in 2012, and Redgrave fills a perhaps unseen vacancy. The Chicago duo takes Sleep’s Holy Mountain, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, and The Dead Weather’s Sea Of Cowards and melts them all down into a five song EP that just incinerates everything in its path. Singer Angie Mead’s lupine bellow hits blue note after blue note over her dirge guitars and Stephen Howard’s economic drum work. National Act is a rare moment where something brash and ostentatious creeps slowly in the night, low to the ground, unseen but certainly not unheard. -Jeremy D. Larson
Due Out: June 12th via Lovitt Records

The Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now

Kristian Matsson arrived more or less fully formed when he released his first EP under the Tallest Man on Earth moniker in 2007. Since then, the actually-kinda-short Swede has continued to pump out sophisticated, yet totally natural and happily bare-bones folk that has translated to a pair of great-to-excellent LPs: 2008′s Shallow Grave and 2010′s The Wild Hunt. With There’s No Leaving Now, the usual shtick is to be expected, but so is a little (relative) experimentation; think “The Dreamer”, from ’10′s Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird EP, featured some electric guitar, a then-unprecedented move for the usually acoustic-and-pipes Matsson. -Mike Madden
Due Out: June 12th via Jagjaguwar 

Usher – Looking For Myself

Though Usher has proclaimed his seventh LP, Looking For Myself, to be a revolutionary blend of pop, EDM, and R&B, the first three tracks indicate less soul-searching and more rehashing of past hits. There’s a baby-makin’ anthem (the Diplo-produced “Climax”), followed by the always-bangin’ club hit (“Scream”), and the most recent preview, the prerequisite rap collabo (the Rick Ross-aided “Lemme See”). Still, one can’t blame the guy for sticking to what works, with each subsequent effort a shinier, more succinct piece of pop craftsmanship. That, in a way, is far more rewarding than even the most meaningful of personal revelations. -Chris Coplan
Due Out: June 12th via RCA

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Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…

The highly anticipated follow up to 2005’s Extraordinary Machine, The Idler Wheel is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do marks the enigmatic singer’s triumphant return after seven long years of silence. As evidenced by her recent SXSW performances, where she debuted a few tracks off the epically titled new album, Apple’s voice is as strong and emotive as ever. A North American tour—her first in five years—will follow the release. Don’t miss out—history argues that it’ll probably be another half-decade before you’ll get the chance to see her again. -Lainna Fader
Due Out: June 19th via Epic

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A Place to Bury Strangers – Worship

If your ears have a tendency to shy away from these Brooklyn shoegazers, it’s understandable. On their forthcoming LP, however, the band relies less on the reverb, distortion, and crunch, opting for “threads of krautrock, dream-pop, and ’80s goth without ever losing the edge,” according to a press release. Based on the careening first single, “You Are the One”, it’s likely your dancing shoes will shy away this time around. -Michael Roffman
Due Out: June 26th via Dead Oceans

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DIIV – Oshin

Beach Fossils guitarist Zachary Cole Smith carved out 60 tracks before formally crafting DIIV. Now with a full band in tow, Smith’s decided upon 13 tracks that gush with New Wave decadence, complete with glittery guitar work and Peter Hook-inspired basslines, all primed to add unnatural atmospheres to your summer nights. -Michael Roffman
Due Out: June 26th via Captured Tracks

DIIV – “How Long Have You Known?”

Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse

Bay Area psych-rocker Ty Segall isn’t routinely labeled prolific for nothing; Slaughterhouse, a collaborative effort from his Ty Segall Band (also featuring Mikal Cronin, Charlie Moothart, and Emily Rose Epstein), is Segall’s second of three albums in 2012. Despite the unrelenting release schedule, each record sees Segall further hone his wizard-like mastery of punk-inspired, psychedelic-colored gems of effervescent fuzz. From the hardcore doo-wop of “Diddy Wah Diddy” to the awkward-yet-unwaveringly furious “I Bought My Eyes”, Segall and co. have gone beyond blending pop, punk, garage, blues, etc. With passion and distortion galore, they’ve transformed the random, rockin’ components into something unequivocally Segall-ian. At this pace, Segall may very well reinvent all of rock just in time for the new year. -Chris Coplan
Due Out: June 26th via In The Red 

Ty Segall – “Wave Goodbye”

Mission of Burma – Unsound

Can we stop talking about Mission of Burma’s comeback already? It’s been 10 years since the seminal post-punk act reunited, and in that decade’s span, they’ve been more prolific than they were during their original 1980s go-around. (Some may even argue that Mission of Burma 2.0 have rocked even harder in their old age.) Jumping from Matador to Fire Records, Unsound will be their fourth record post-reunion, and from the sound of preview track “Dust Devil”, it’ll continue in their tradition of crank-the-volume-til-your-ears-bleed guitar rock. -Austin Trunick
Due Out: July 9th via Fire Records

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Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan

Spoiler alert: Angel Deradoorian will not be appearing on Dirty Projectors’ sixth studio album, Swing Lo Magellan. It’s definitely in keeping with frontman David Longstreth’s “stripped-down” approach, even if Deradoorian’s supernatural octaves had become one of the defining features of the band since she was brought on board in 2007. But the bare-bones arrangement of “Gun Has No Trigger” allows each classic Dirty Projectors element, from the choral atonalities to Longstreth’s Oberstian quaver, to still make every ear-hair stand on end. -Harley Brown
Due Out: July 10th via Domino Records

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Nas – Life Is Good

Is Lost Tapes II still a possibility? We might not care, because if “Nasty”, “Daughters”, and “The Don” are any indication, the Illmatic One’s 10th album will be one to remember. It’s Nas’ “magic moment” after all, and he’s spared no expense, enlisting both heavy hitters like Common, the late Heavy D, and No I.D., and relative freshmen like Jay Electronica. It even makes sense logically: God’s Son wouldn’t make an album that was even a contender for the “it’s-no-Illmatic” dismissal while touring his seminal first album at the exact same time. It’s definitely a more mature, fatherly Nas this time around, but the MC is still Nasty through and through. -Harley Brown
Due Out: July 17th via Def Jam 

Nas – “Nasty”

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten

On their previous releases, Jersey boys The Gaslight Anthem fashioned themselves the torchbearers of Springsteenian songwriting. Singer Brian Fallon has stated he’s moved on from that style, abandoning characters and allegorical storytelling for the more openly personal Handwritten - a fitting motif, as it’s the first album Fallon wrote entirely by hand. While the lead single, “45”, has only just been unveiled, the album promises to be “big, like Tom Petty songs played by Pearl Jam or the Foo Fighters.” The band seems pleased with what they’ve crafted, an album said to delve down a new path of fearlessness and growth for these Garden State rockers. -Ben Kaye
Due Out: July 24th via Mercury Records

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Passion Pit – Gossamer

Boston synthpop quintet Passion Pit kept enough momentum behind their Manners debut to headline MoogFest over two years after the album’s release. Scores of top festival spots have already rolled in for this summer, and their followup LP, Gossamer, was formally announced only a week ago. Much of what can be expected from the 12 new tracks comes from an interview with Pitchfork: contributions from composer Nico Muhly (“I’ll Be Alright”) and Swedish a cappella trio Erato; R&B stylings (“Constant Conversations”); and some honest, self-disparaging lyrics. The newfound lyrical bluntness, musical experimentation, and major label backing (Columbia) will attempt to meet some massive anticipation. -Ben Kaye
Due Out: July 24th via Columbia 

Atoms For Peace – TBA

If Thom Yorke’s latest DJ set is any indication, Atoms For Peace’s long-awaited LP may see light sooner rather than later. That being said, as one astute reader points out, it’s hard to read much into a remix. So what we know now remains the same as what we knew back in October when Yorke discussed the project with BBC Radio. “It was initially for fun to play all the Eraser stuff, but it sparked something off. So we ended up at the end of that getting into the studio and generating some new beats.” He added that their collaboration in an album in “the sense that Eraser was an album.” -Scoop Harrison
Due Out: Summer (hopefully)

The Avett Brothers – TBA

Producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin aided the brothers Avett on their last release, 2009’s breakthrough I and Love and You, so popping back in to produce their upcoming LP is a no-brainer. What we’ve heard live and seen on TV appearances is promising, to say the least. Scott and Seth Avett switch off on lead vocals during the string-sweeping “Down With the Shine”, while “The Once and Future Carpenter” features harmonies as strong as we’ve come to expect from the duo. One cause of concern: their trimmed hair. May the Gods keep them off the paths of Kings of Leon. -Justin Gerber
Due Out: Summer via American/Columbia 

The-Dream – Love IV MMXII

The-Dream, a.k.a. Terius Nash, still has yet to announce a release date for his fourth LP, but he couldn’t resist sharing a sneak preview with Rolling Stone back in March. As of right now, mere mortals can only hear (and watch videos for) singles “Roc” and “Kill the Lights” in their entirety. But if those are any indication of The-Dream’s forthcoming effort… ladies, watch out. -Harley Brown
Due Out: Summer via Def Jam

The-Dream – “Roc”

GOOD Music - GOOD Music

Just months after its “definitive” announcement, GOOD Music’s eponymous debut compilation has already reached near-mythical proportions. So far, the album’s sole preview, “Mercy”, is indicative of a very Kanye West-sounding album, with its references to Sarah Palin and Pac-Man and wobbly, bass-heavy production. Factor in West’s obsessive control complex and the fact that it is his label, and it should be an album of non-stop West-ian jams and bangers. Still, for a label looking to reach Wu-Tang Clan levels of influence, there’s perhaps no better way to bring home that coveted Platinum record plaque. -Chris Coplan
Due Out: 2012 via G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam

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How to Destroy Angels – TBA

In December, Trent Reznor announced to Rolling Stone that the debut full-length from How To Destroy Angels, his project with wife Mariqueen Maandig and longtime collaborator Atticus Ross, would be released sometime during the first quarter of 2012. Alas, that time has come and gone, and summer fast approaches with little more information on the album. However, during the same interview, Reznor mentioned that early stages of production were influenced by the textures and deconstructed rhythms of “early Cabaret Voltaire“, pioneers of the industrial music genre. The LP is yet to receive an official release date or tracklisting, but according to a tweet from Reznor, the album’s final mixed was completed in mid-February. Reznor was notoriously slow at releasing his early NIN work, so here’s hoping for further details soon. -Derek Staples
Due Out: Summer via The Null Corporation

Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t

Following a health scare in October 2011, Rick Ross was ordered by doctors to take it easy, leading to the delay of his long-awaited fifth album, God Forgives, I Don’t (originally slated to drop in December). Yet, despite the trauma associated with the ordeal, Ross took it all in stride, telling MTV’s RapFix that he planned to keep the release tentative until he was certain he could deliver a truly impactful work. Since then, the release of three album tracks (“You the Boss”, “I Love My Bitches”, and “Stay Schemin”) and the Rich Forever mixtape have indicated that Ross may well be steppin’ up his game (not hard considering past gems like “Only fat n***a in the sauna with Jews/Went and got a yacht, I’m talkin’ Carnival cruise”). If going for real, earnest rap gold is the true endgame, you take your time, Mr. Ross; even if we write about this LP in our summer 2013 guide, we’ll forgive you. -Chris Coplan
Due Out: Summer via Maybach Music Group/Def Jam 

Rick Ross feat. Nicki Minaj – “You the Boss”

Swans – The Seer

That conspicuously suspicious 13-year hiatus apparently gave Michael Gira more material than he was able to fit on My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky, because Swans’ forthcoming double album is a “complete synthesis of everything I’ve done and everything Swans has done.” It features fellow innovators in equally disparate fields, like Akron/Family, Karen O, and slow-core staple Low’s Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. For The Seer, Swans continues to move somewhat away from its seminal, defining abrasion toward a more nuanced, “beautiful and pastoral” sound. So far, the only hint we have is Swans performing a new song, “Avatar”, in Moscow. -Harley Brown
Due Out: Summer via Young God

This summer, El-P will join forces with frequent collaborators Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, and Despot for a U.S. tour. Kicking off in Atlanta on June 19th, the 21-date trek wraps around the country before ending in D.C. on July 15th. Check out the full docket below.

El-P will be supporting his upcoming solo LP, Cancer For Cure, which arrives May 22nd via Fat Possum. Incidentally, your latest taste from the effort, “Tougher Colder Killer”, features two of his upcoming tour mates (Killer Mike and Despot). Listen to it below (via Pitchfork).

As for Killer Mike, he’ll be showcasing tracks off his El-P produced LP, R.A.P. Music, due out May 15th via William Street Records.

El-P – “Tougher Colder Killer” (feat. Killer Mike and Despot)

El-P 2012 Tour Dates:
05/21 – New York, NY @ Santos Party House ^
06/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *#^
06/20 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues *#^
06/21 – Dallas, TX @ Granada *#^
06/22 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live *#^
06/23 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk *#^
06/25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent *#^
06/26 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah *#^
06/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex *#^
06/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency *#^
06/30 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne *#^
07/01 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s *#^
07/02 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune *#^
07/05 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fineline *#^
07/06 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge *#^
07/07 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *#^
07/08 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig *#^
07/09 – Toronto, ON @ Hoxton^
07/11 – Boston, MA @ Paradise *#^
07/12 – Providence, RI @ The Met *#^
07/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero #^
07/15 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel *#^

* = w/ Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire
# = w/ Killer Mike
^ w =/ Despot

Atlanta rap veteran Killer Mike releases his sixth album, the El P-produced R.A.P. Music, on May 15th via Williams Street. You’ve already heard the posse cut “Big Beast”, featuring Trouble, Bun B, and T.I. Now, Pitchfork reveals “Don’t Die”, which you can stream below.

While we were at South by Southwest, the album track “Untitled” hit the web. If you missed that one, stream it at SoundCloud.

Parties and Showcases

Incan Abraham – 9:00 p.m. @ Hype Hotel

Photo by Harley Brown

A little nepotism led me to Incan Abraham, who was also playing at Hype Hotel on Tuesday night, when I learned we had a mutual friend. After actually listening to last year’s hypnotic Ancient Vacation, I wanted to see their laissez-faire Local Natives vibe in action. The foursome played with refreshing enthusiasm, layering synthesizers with more organic drums, nesting Teddy Cafaro’s voice—which at times uncannily but also unsurprisingly mimicked Yeasayer’s Chris Keating—in humid polyrhythms. Smoke and low orange and purple lighting added to the totality of the experience, making Incan Abraham an act I would get lost in again. – Harley Brown

Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire –  10:00 p.m. @ Mohawk Patio

Photo by Michael Roffman

Spittin’ rhymes is one thing, but bringing a party is another beast altogether. Brooklyn’s Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire brought both to Pitchfork’s Tuesday showcase at the Mohawk – and then some. After moody electronic sets from Teengirl Fantasy and Schlomo, patrons flocking about the close-pocketed venue sprang to life during the Brooklyn rapper’s set. His crew sprayed bottle after bottle of water, invited more members on-stage, seemingly laughed together at inside jokes, and jumped to and from the stage, all while attendees held up their hands and screamed along to random verses, mostly from tracks off last year’s Lost in Translation mixtape.”What’s yo’ favorite part of the pussy,” he asked a dazed white spectator, caught in the madness. He didn’t wait too long for answer, screaming back: “It’s all good!” When he dove into the crowd towards the end, his crew joined along, and, well, it felt less hip-hop and far more punk rock. -Michael Roffman

UCB Comedy presents: The Best Damn Stand-up  -  10:30 p.m @ Esther’s Follies

Photo by Michael Roffman

Tucked away in the cubby that is Esther’s Follies, Upright Citizens Brigade hosted one hell of a lineup for well over two hours, featuring Chris Gethard, Eliza Skinner, Gabe Liedman, Kyle Kinane, Jenny Slate, Joe Wengert, Ron White, and Pete Holmes. From top to bottom it was a stellar night, though some highlights included: Gethard’s quirky brand of hyper-literate, pseudo-stonerish afterthoughts, which involved a digression on his mother being raped by Willem Dafoe (“I am the Green Goblin hate baby!”) and the choice of commercials during Biography’s I Survived series; Skinner’s manic yet whimsical analysis of cat ladies vs. dog guys; Kinane’s Carlin-like brand of crude humor, specifically his thoughts on being 35 and finally living by himself; and Pete Holmes, who told the best off-hand joke involving BBQ that Austin, TX will ever receive.

White’s appearance was a surprise, and that was sort of the delight of it all, though his cutting lines are always witty in the moment. Slate’s shocker-fueled routine, alongside Liedman, was commendable, though she belongs on film rather than the stage. (She also is Gilda Radner resurrected.) Holmes, however, essentially shanked everyone’s sides with his stream-of-consciousness-styled comedy. In addition to his thoughts on Austin’s eateries, Holmes skipped to and from several topics, all of which included his thoughts on wanting to fuck/be Ryan Gosling, wearing a boot for six months, his rogue’s gallery of celebrity doppelgängers (e.g. David Duchovny, fat Val Kilmer), and a random old joke about Ruby Tuesday. “I’m like the ol’ crotchety neighbor of this entire festival,” he stated. Hardly. He’s just the funniest. -Michael Roffman

Delta Spirit – 1:00 a.m. @ Hype Hotel

Photo by Harley Brown

When I noticed that the “Special Guest” headlining The Syndicate’s Conflict of Interest-curated Hype Hotel was from Long Beach, CA, I knew it was Delta Spirit. Even though I’ve seen them before and I will definitely see them again, I wanted to be among the first audiences to see them perform Delta Spirit at SXSW. As usual, they didn’t disappoint: Matt Vasquez and co. blasted through “Bushwick Blues” at warp speed, and new songs like “Empty House” and “Money Saves”, backed by a wall of hot, flashing lightbulbs. Vasquez throws his back and neck veins into every performance, but being back onstage seemed to be a homecoming of sorts. He got visibly choked up at several points and doubled over with emotion (or exhaustion) after encoring with “California”, eschewing the audience’s request for one more song. – Harley Brown

Read on for Wednesday’s coverage of SXSW including Mobb Deep, Killer Mike & El-P, Free Energy, Trash Talk and more.

CoSigns – The Beauty Bar – 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Who: Future Unlimited, Princeton, The Henry Clay People, Mikal Cronin, Bleached, Mr. Dream, The Men, Screaming Females, Titus Andronicus, and Cloud Nothings.

Photos: Heather Kaplan and Michael Roffman

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Consequence of Sound – The Jr. – 8 p.m. – 2 a.m.

Who: Miracles of Modern Science, Hey Marseilles, Ezra Furman, Emily Wells, Thomas Dolby, and Free Energy.

Photos: Heather Kaplan and Michael Roffman

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Parties/Showcases

Jonathan Meiburg – 2:oo p.m. @ Hype Hotel (MOKB/Songs by Toad party)

A solo set from Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg marked the second act of Hype Hotel’s Wednesday day party. The Hotel’s shimmering, scattered spotlight caught Meiburg’s head in a sort of beatific light—a gorgeous repose similar to a religious Renaissance painting. However, instead of holding up a crucifix or delicately outstretched hand, Meiburg wielded the best tool he has: an electric guitar. That guitar’s sound, along with his spine-tingling vocal wail, cut through the meat-locker-temperature air of the Hype Hotel. Tracks like “Dread Sovereign” from Shearwater’s latest record, Animal Joy, loomed menacingly and beautifully. “Run the Banner Down” was maudlin and reflective. For his last song, he eased into a 10-minute-plus vamp based around a single, delay-heavy guitar loop, which created a gorgeous drone that the entire audience got blissfully lost in. – Paul de Revere

The Twilight Sad – 3:oo p.m. @ Hype Hotel (MOKB/Songs by Toad party)

Photo by Paul de Revere

Despite sound problems throughout their set, Scottish shoegaze band The Twilight Sad gave a performance that was nothing less than punishing and beautifully punctuated with skeletal drum machine, what little of it the band could seemingly hear, and wall-of-shoegaze-sound guitars just two steps away from heavy metal. They squealed up to a start like an old locomotive with “Reflection of the Television” off 2009’s Forget the Night Ahead. The band, however, seemed to favor tracks from their debut, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, delivering stunning live arrangements of “Cold Days from the Birdhouse”, with a chilling, quiet opening followed by megaton slams of distortion, and “That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy”, with the haunting refrain of “The kids are on fire/In the bedroom.” – Paul de Revere

The Allah-Las – 10:40 p.m. @ 512 Bar (Innovative Leisure Showcase)

Photo by Harley Brown

As soon as The Allah-Las took the 512 stage in bolo ties, Ray-Bans, and skinny orange pants, I knew their self-described surf Topanga had to be good. I didn’t realize they were going to take me back in time to the previously undiscovered intersection of Austin Powers and The Surfaris. In addition to their fashion sense, the California-based band was groovy in all the right ways, riffing just hard enough to keep their “perfect mixture of the sands, the seas, the streets, and cities of the Golden State” from being too saccharine. After an album’s worth of flawlessly executed material, I was disappointed to find that the 45” of their only two available songs has already sold out, but at least it means they’re getting the recognition they deserve. - Harley Brown

Tycho – 11:25 @ Club de Ville (Ghostly International Showcase)

Photo by Harley Brown

The recording and performing moniker of San Francisco-based artist and designer Scott Hansen, who also goes by ISO50, Tycho embodies his “search for efficiency.” Even though Hansen and his two band members play the sort of progressive electronica more associated with trippy meanderings than minimalism, Tycho’s crystalline blips and driving beat are airtight. At Club de Ville on Wednesday night, tracks like “Hours” and audience favorite “A Walk”’s keyboard crescendos undulated in conjunction with Hansen’s drum and synthesizer beats, almost comforting in its symmetry. I closed my eyes to let the most affecting moments wash over me, but given that Hansen is a mesmerizing artist (I could stare at Dive‘s album art all day), I wish the band had done more to visually engage the audience. – Harley Brown

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G-Side 8:30 p.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Alabama Rap duo G-Side continued their 10-show SXSW run with something akin to a musical blitzkrieg, only less hostile and with more laser lights. The sweet mojo was all in the details, be it the ultra-catchy introductory interludes with the backup singers or the pair’s mere stage presence (more engaging than menacing thanks to crack lyrical displays and primo showmanship). The pair demonstrated a tried and true hip-hop dichotomy, with Yung Clova the menacing anchor to ST 2 Lettaz’s sweat-soaked dance and stage-diving act. The highlight of the show, though, saw ST 2 Lettaz bring his brother and sister onstage for a few verses, transforming their set into a rousing family affair light on the drama and heavy on displays of anarchical dissent. Bringing your siblings onstage may hurt the street cred of some rap outfits, but it only made G-Side appear that much more willing to go all out in order to stand above their peers and to deliver something as earnest and personable as it was boomin’ and bass-tastic. – Chris Coplan

Action Bronson – 9:45 p.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Where G-Side’s set represented the warm glow of community, Queens rapper Action Bronson took to the stage like a man alone in misery. It should be noted that Bronson’s set was delivered with gusto, and that the 315-pound MC never skipped a lyric, resulting in a performance that more than did its part to rock crowds and break necks. Once more, though, the details spun the whole picture, with Bronson seemingly removed from the sea of cronies and underlings that huddled around him and stopping songs prematurely on the slightest of whims. Even the way Bronson lit up a cigarette purveyed a sense of tense annoyance, with songs a distraction between each puff. And yet, despite the copious amounts of ‘tude and mood swings, Bronson’s set matched the intrigue and exhilaration of watching and waiting to see a caged lion go berserk. Now, imagine the kind of shows he could deliver if he ever decided to smile. – Chris Coplan

Jacques Green – 10:25 p.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

There was a notable displacement of mass from Action Bronson’s set to Jacques Green’s, and a notable increase in pretty-boy vibes. In black patent leather boots, an Yves Saint Laurent t-shirt, and gold chain necklaces (no, the really long and thin ones) — the Montreal producer stood alone on the side of the stage, undulated with his knees together, and spun the hell out of some deep house/jungle/R&B jams. He integrated shadowy samples of Ciara, Araab Muzik, and I’m sure many others into grad-school club hits that balanced fun and flair and was totally danceable. Two things: I find it pretty suave when a DJ packs up his shit as he’s closing out his last song, as Green did ( though I’m probably the only one), and it was a fine coincidence that I noticed the totally Target Collection area rugs on the stage during his set. – Jeremy D. Larson

Wavves – 11:35 p.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Wavves are good — they are always good, only it seemed obligatory for them to perform tonight. A handful of new songs that didn’t really stick and a handful of old songs that have peeled off made for a serviceable set that went mostly appreciated by the increasingly inebriated bros at The Lustre Pearl. However, they can still hang their whole set on the gem “Post Acid” — a song that will probably always stick. - Jeremy D. Larson

Trash Talk – 12:15 a.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

“My ribs may be broken” said frontman Lee Spielman before note one. Even in an evening filled with rap posses 15-deep, this was the most nonsensical, superfluous thing said on stage that night. Because you’d think that if your ribs were broken you’d maybe mark a bit on stage — take care of your health and your broken ribs. But a hardcore punk Trash Talk show is not the place for a comforting, experience. Or maybe it is? When the audience opened up a circle pit that repurposed about 70% of the floor space — it was easily 40 feet in diameter — the pit became as much of the show as the band was. And because this was my first Trash Talk show and I don’t often find myself being swallowed into a chugging punch-fest, I just gawked in pure joy at the riotous violence.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

The crowd and Trash Talk became a giant anarchist expurgation of emotions (mostly anger, and mostly in good fun) which I found to be extremely comforting. The polite, unspoken rules of public performance were shattered over and over again, as Spielman front-flipped into the audience, let fans scream whole verses to songs, made everyone sit down on the ground, told the pit to “go to the back of the audience and fuck those people’s shit up”, and even allowed himself to be fucking tackled off of the stage and into a small group of people into the audience without, like, getting mad about it. It was a relief to know that this kind of uncontrolled hysteria still exists, and that it was born from only heaviest of music. “Yeah, I broke my ribs” he said, later on. He probably mean that he broke more of them. - Jeremy D. Larson

Mobb Deep/Prodigy – 12:40 a.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

The general feeling of the crowd during the obviously tight Mobb Deep set was, “Oh my god Havoc, Prodigy, and Big Noyd are on a stage and they’re — oh man, they just did ‘Survival of the Fittest’ I can’t believe that I’m actually watching this. Oh my god they just did ‘Shook Ones’. I just saw Mobb Deep do ‘Shook Ones’” But even in the hazy awe of the reunion, they didn’t miss a single beat as they went through their greatest hits. A momentous occasion for the nostalgia, and unequivocal proof of Mobb Deep’s tenacity and influence on the whole genre. - Jeremy D. Larson

Killer Mike/El-P/SL Jones – 1:15 a.m. @ Lustre Pearl (Life or Death PR Showcase)

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

I was unclear as to whether this was going to be a full premiere of his forthcoming El-P-produced album R.A.P Game front to back. It wasn’t, but that was probably for the better, as the waning crowd at the Life or Death PR Showcase were showing signs of fatigue at the late hour. But, man, Killer Mike. I had never seen him before, but as with every other act of the night, he commanded the crowd with confidence, ridiculous skill, and off-the-cuff humor (in rousing speech about what defines R.A.P. (Rebellious African People’s) music, he yelled, “I make the music that makes you want to punch a reindeer in the face!”). Sure enough, El-P showed up and they both dropped a new track together, which was of course on fire. Killer Mike’s stage presence is like the perfect combination eXquire and Action Bronson — lyrics that come through the teeth with enough energy to get everyone screaming “Grind Time Rap Game!” at 2:00 a.m. - Jeremy D. Larson

Free Energy – The Jr. (Consequence of Sound Showcase) - 1:30 a.m.

Photo by Michael Roffman

It would be fair to say that true rock ‘n’ roll folklore is purely incidental. Most authors would agree that you can’t expect that sort of magic on-stage, you just have to let it happen. An hour and a half into Thursday morning, Philadelphia’s own Free Energy sparked up something pretty extraordinary at The Jr. (formerly Emo’s, Jr.), framing exactly who they are: an honest to god American rock ‘n’ roll band. But, first, some context…

Prior to their set, Thomas Dolby, whose setup went 25 minutes over the mark, bled his performance into Free Energy’s time slot, essentially nixing the band’s original bracket for sound check, which pushed everything back by about 30-35 minutes. Given that all the bars must close by two a.m. and Free Energy couldn’t start ’til about half past one, well, you do the math.

That didn’t matter, though. What could have been a shitshow turned into one of the most invigorating sets in recent memory. Frontman Paul Sprangers, now sporting a shorter, cleaner ‘do, paced the stage after a slightly awkward soundcheck, only to throw out a smile and the warm embrace of fuzzy, balmy ’70s rock. “One a.m., gotta keep it rockin’,” he stated coquettishly.

Photo by Michael Roffman

This mentality isn’t too much of a surprise. After all, it was only this past week that Sprangers told us, “I kinda like the idea that rock is dead because I can prove the point that when you put love and care into something– even if it’s a dead, shitty form where fuckin’ Nickelback or whatever is considered rock– it can be resurrected.” Big words, but he put ‘em to action.

With such a late start, the most die-hard of fans stuck around – swimming somewhere between 40-50 patrons, altogether – which explains why a setlist featuring only two “oldies” eked out and worked. Intimate doesn’t even begin to explain it. When Sprangers sang the chorus to “Free Energy”, screaming, “This is all we’ve got tonight/We are young and still alive/Now the time is on our side,” it truly summed up everyone’s feelings in the room. In other words, shit happens, this is still pretty great, and let’s enjoy this.

Working from an arsenal of new material off their forthcoming sophomore LP, Love Sign, the Philadelphia rockers previewed an array of tracks that, according to a setlist, read something like: “Back”, the previously released “Electric Fever”, “Hailey”, “Hey Tonight”, and “Hangin’”. Hardly any of them strayed too far from what sold the band to millions of youthful rockers back in 2010, but they make it work. “Back” could have slid into Stuck on Nothing with ease, “Electric Fever” blossoms on-stage via Scott Wells’ stadium rock tendencies, “Hey Tonight” felt like a genius coagulation of early Cars and (strangely enough) U2, while top notch addition “Hailey” dipped into Jackson Browne and especially the best moments of Tom Petty.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Minutes before the clock struck two in the morning, Sprangers asked the crowd if they wanted to hear more new material (the group had two more new songs planned for the original setlist), or an oldie. Several screamed out past hits, but “Something in Common” stuck. Here’s the thing: It wasn’t like they didn’t want to hear new material, it’s hard to believe anyone would have balked at hearing a new track. Instead, everyone wanted one last chance to sing along, dance, and just rock out. That feels cheesy even writing that line, but it’s the honest to god truth, and fuck it, that feels good. -Michael Roffman

Company Flow mastermind El-P will return with his first solo LP in five years, Cancer for Cure, on May 22nd via Fat Possum. As Pitchfork reports, the album includes collaborations with Danny Brown, Interpol’s Paul Banks, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, and Killer Mike, among others. For an early peak, take a listen to the Tugg Speedman-referencing lead single, “The Full Retard”, below.

El-P – “The Full Retard”

South by Southwest continues to add to its 2012 music lineup. Among the latest additions are a slew of notable rappers, including Nas, T.I., GZA, B.o.B., Freddie Gibbs, Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., ScHoolboyQ, Action Bronson, El-P, Murs, and Juicy J.

Other recent adds include Santigold, Norah Jones, Jimmy Cliff, Cults, Tom Morello, Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Trash Talk,  Ben Kweller, Charli XCX, Lower Dens, Torche, Bass Drum of Death, Father John Misty, Flux Pavilion, New Build, Crocodiles, Japanther, and Cymbals Eat Guitars.

Too see the full list acts confirmed for South by Southwest, visit our Festival Outlook. And stay tuned for additional lineup news and updates — typically, the biggest acts aren’t revealed until just days prior to the festival.

The music portion of South by Southwest 2012 runs March 13-18th in Austin Texas. Registration is now ongoing, with various types of badges to chose from. Click here for all the details.

Atlanta MC Killer Mike broke into the game as a running body of OutKast. For his upcoming sixth LP, R.A.P. Music, he enlisted another rap icon, Definitive Jux head El-P, to serve as producer. Our first taste of the album comes in the guest-heavy opener “Big Beast”, featuring even more star power thanks to cameos by Trouble, Bun B, and T.I. The resulting cut sees all four MCs spit their quintessential gangster ish over a beat that’s a bass-heavy barrage of noises, tweaks, and random, jumbled effects. Stream it below (via Pitchfork).

R.A.P. Music hits stores on May 15th via Adult Swim’s label Williams Street Records.

R.A.P. Music Tracklist:
01. Big Beast (feat. Bun B, T.I., and Trouble)
02. Untitled (feat. Scar)
03. Go!
04. Southern Fried
05. Jo Jo’s Chillin
06. Reagan
07. Don’t Die
08. Ghetto Gospel
09. Butane (Champion’s Anthem) (feat. El-P)
10. Anywhere But Here (feat. Emily Panic)
11. Willie Burke Sherwood
12. R.A.P. Music

El-P didn’t even put out an album this year and he still owned it. He reunited with Company Flow, dropped a new track, remixed it with Rush, and appeared with Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire & Friends on “The Last Huzzah“, which landed on our Top 50 Songs of the Year. It ain’t over yet.

As unlikely as the pair may be, Prince and Metallica just got the El-P mashup treatment. El-P had this to say about the track:

“I was asking people who follow me on Twitter about who the most anti downloading/digital music musicians were and we landed on Metallica (who I dont give a shit about) and Prince (who is one of my biggest influences).  For fun, I put this thing together comprised of Metallica’s “Unforgiven Part 2″ and Prince’s “Purple Rain.”

And to complete the circle, download the mashup below.

El-P – “The Unforgiven II/ Purple Rain”

As a way to benefit his longtime friend and touring partner Mr. Dibbs, who recently fell ill, legendary emcee El-P has reworked his recent banger “Drones Over BKLYN”. Teaming up with Legitmix, a new platform that allows musicians to legally sample music, the Company Flow honcho laid the track’s rhymes over a sample of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and called the end result “Rush Over BKLYN”. You can listen to the reworking below (via Prefix) and purchase it at Legitmix’s website. All proceeds will benefit Mr. Dibbs.

Says El-P of the track:

“I did this because I think it’s an interesting idea and approach to the sample clearance issue. Most importantly I hope this raises awareness and money for my good friend, collaborator and hip hop legend Brad Forste aka DJ MR DIBBS. He is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and (like so many of us) uninsured. He has racked up almost a half a mil in hospital bills after just one month, and he needs help. All proceeds from this song go to him.”

Rising Brooklyn rhyme spitter Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire tapped El-P, Das Racist, Danny Brown, and Despot for the remix of his track “Huzzah”. There’s now a corresponding music video and everyone showed up for the shoot.

Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire’s new mixtape, Lost In Translation, can be downloaded here.

Consequence of Sound turns four years-old today, which in internet years is about seven decades. Quick, without looking, can you name two songs on last week’s Top 10 list? One song? See I barely got two off the top of my head. Things move quick and yesterday’s Lana Del Ray quibbling is tomorrow’s Lana Del Who? I’m always in search for a song that can withstand more than a day, or a week, or maybe the golden song that I can listen to for a year straight. I’m still waiting for that perhaps unattainable 365 day half-life to be ascribed to a tune, but you never know, maybe it’ll be one of these songs here like Thee Oh See’s brilliant new track or that Twin Shadow rearrangement of an early 80′s Italian-disco track. Who’s got a year-long track so far this year, or in internet years, 100 lifetimes?

-Jeremy D. Larson
Content Director 

The Big Pink – “Stay Gold”

“Stay gold, Ponyboy” quoth The Outsiders. The nostalgia that book elicits predates the rock-arena nostalgia you get with The Big Pink, but let’s hope that these guys can stay. -JL

James Blake – “Not Long Now”

Everyone’s (or maybe just my own) post-dub heart-throb James Blake is at it again. Following the annunciation of his upcoming EP Enough Thunder, he dropped this little ditty on us. It could very well have been on his superb self-titled LP, but it does carry a bit of the feelings from his earlier EPs and singles. So, this one ought to appease both audiences – the ones who hate his poppy sound, and the ones who loathe his experimental days.-WR

Curren$y – “N.O. Shit”

Curren$y is like a fine wine; better with age. The 30 year old rapper just keeps on trucking with mixtapes and albums, and this cut from his forthcoming Muscle Car Chronicles is a first rate track from one of independent hip hop’s first rate acts. Can’t ask for much else. -WR

Curren$y – “N.O. Shit”

Jay Electronica – untitled demo

Please bear in mind that this is a demo. This didn’t even make the cut for his forthcoming debut album. That’s how good Jay Electronica is. This is seriously one of the strongest spitting on a single or otherwise in a long time, and it wasn’t even good enough to make the album. With that in mind, Act II: Patents of Nobility should be an absolute masterpiece. -WR

Mr. Muthafucking eXquire – “Huzzah!” (Remix feat. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown, El-P)

Want a crash course on who’s on the forefront of the rap scene right now? Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire just dropped a pretty complete and outrageously fun mixtape, and the remix of the previously released “Huzzah!” features underground forerunners Despot, Das Racist, and Danny Brown, as well as hip hop figurehead El-P coming in for a verse, too. This is the 2011 “pass the mic” party of the year. -JL

Mr. Muthafuckin eXquisit – “Huzzah!” (Remix feat. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown & El-P)

Quilt – “Penobska Oakwalk”

Quilt are a cross-generational psych-folk outfit that calls as much from younger bands Woods as they do from more historical acts like Nico and Lou, or even Jefferson Airplane. That production and performance style where the power in vocals are twice that of the instrumentation below it gives it this 1968 anti-war vibe that’s both urgent and relaxed. This Boston group has their debut album out on Mexican Summer November 7th. -JL

Quilt – “Penobska Oakwalk”

SE62 – “Dreaming”

It’s not often that we get to write about the music scene in Ukraine. And by not often I mean absolutely never. So, it’s been a sweet couple days with SE62 and their funky soul tunes. Sweeter yet – I get to tell you all about them. Three cheers for Ukraine! -WR

Thee Oh Sees – “Carrion Crawler”

My only qualm with earlier John Dwyer recordings with the Thee Oh Sees is that they seemed a little choked. It’s raw, but Castlemania never really breathed as deep as I wanted to. Dwyer must have gotten my mind letters, because not only is the title track from their forthcoming album a good indication that Thee Oh Sees are taking more time with their instruments, but that their sound is opening up to something just as erratic but on a larger playing field. And no, that’s not a Megadeth album cover. -JL

Thee Oh Sees – “Carrion Crawler”

Twin Shadow – “Changes”

This one is a cover. Kind of. Well is it still a cover if you change the title? That’s a question for a different day. For now, we’ll stick to the task at hand: Twin Shadow’s cover of an Italian disco band from the 80′s, Bargarre. The original is called “Circus Is Gone”, Twin Shadow’s is called “Changes”, which is fitting for obvious reasons. He’s made it all his own – dark, dance-able, and, uh, some other adjective that starts with a “d”. -WR

Twin Shadow – “Changes”

Wavves  feat. Fucked Up – “Destroy”

Two stoners with a penchant for bringing the motherfuckin’ ruckus mustered up all the energy they could and came out with something pretty exciting. I talked with Damian Abraham earlier this year, who said he’s going to try to use his carnal bark in more guest spots in the coming future, and so it begins here. Abraham and Williams are at their rawest they’ve been in years on this track. -JL

This Lollapalooza come down is rough. That whole festival is a sensory overload, and if you’re an introvert like yours truly, it can bring out some serious anxieties probably worthy of medication, though beer usually does the trick. One time over the weekend, I had to swim upstream through a sea of people to get to the other side of the fest and I had a full-panic attack and almost threw everyone into the Buckingham Fountain and then ran off into the distance. It’s good to be back in the land of singular songs that aren’t shirtless and asking me if I can “hook me and my girl up with some caps.” El-P is back, Warpaint is back, with John Fruscante of all people, and the world seems to be finally spinning a tad slower, but just as loud. Always loud. Always good.  -Jeremy D. Larson

Bear Ceuse – “I Saw It Beating”

Bear Ceuse is drinking the same water as everyone at Merge Records because that shit tastes real good. Perhaps if Thurston Moore and Ryan Adams worked on a project together in the 90′s, there would be no need for this Brooklyn band but since that never happened, Bear Ceuse picks up where that (my) dream left off. The four-piece capitalize on hook-ass hooks, guitar chords stacked to the 13ths, and everything in between, all piled over a skate-or-slack rhythm that lands right in that sweet spot between warm nostalgia and excitement. Look for their full length LP Don Domestique out later this fall.

-Jeremy D. Larson

<a href=”http://bearceuse.bandcamp.com/track/i-saw-it-beating” mce_href=”http://bearceuse.bandcamp.com/track/i-saw-it-beating”>I Saw It Beating by Bear Ceuse</a>

Com Truise – “Ether Drift”

Technically this track’s been out for a little over a month, but if you haven’t heard it, it’s worth a listen. Re-released this week as a free download, Com Truise‘s “Ether Drift” is a dreamy synth-pop number straight out of a John Hughes film – possibly in the film’s critical turning point. If there’s a better fit for a tourmate for Neon Indian, we’d love to see them. Truly a match made in heaven. -Winston Robbins

Com Truise – “Ether Drift”

DJ Diamond – “Speakerz ‘n’ Tonguez”

Creamteam.tv puts it well: Juke music is the grandchild of Chicago house, the son of Ghetto house. DJ Diamond (24-year-old Karlis Griffin from the West Side of Chicago) traffics in juke styles of sample repetition and stretched out tension that’s long enough to not expect a “sick drop” and to just move to it. This is the second track from the album, this is the first, and you can pick up the rest from Planet Mu. Do all of those things if you want some more style in your life. -Jeremy D. Larson

DJ Diamond – “Speakerz-n-Tonguez”

Ducktails – “Sit Around With Ya”

The ultimate chill song: A song so chill that its subject is about chilling, albeit with someone else. Three chords go a long way with Real Estate guitarist Matthew Mondanile. “Just be on my side,” he barely ekes out as part of an ode to a fellow chillaxer. That’s the line that got me. -Jeremy D. Larson

Ducktails – “Sit Around With Ya”

El-P – “Drones Over BKLYN (censored mix)”

Company Flow is reuniting and El-P dropped a new track after four years of radio silence. Someone up there is listening. Speaking of radio, this track comes ready (for some reason or another) for the FCC with the censored version which flexes that Beastie Boys’ “The New Style” horn sample a heck of a lot of times. “It sucks to be nothin/no one struts when they’re down on their knees” he laments in one of the many lines on fire with internal rhymes. The half-time space-rock jam reaches its peak, ends, and El-P knowingly brings it right back in a somewhat comical, mostly sick moment. -Jeremy D. Larson

El-P – “Drones Over BKLYN” (censored mix)

Frank Ocean – “Best Seller”

Trending lately: Frank Ocean, and with good reason. Not only is he responsible for two of the tracks from the towering tyrant that is Watch The Throne, but he just keeps dropping great songs. This time it’s in the form of “Best Seller”. In it, Ocean croons beautifully (is he capable of anything less?) over the woes of trying to make his work a “Best Seller”. Trust me, Mr. Ocean, if you keep dropping tracks like these, you’ll always be a best seller. (Writer’s note: My favorite part is when he makes his voice sound like a female robot and says “R&Bexclusive.com”… Apologies for r&bexclusive.com’s audio tagging, it seems to be the only version of the song on the web at the moment. Trust me, it’s worth ignoring to get to the goods.) -Winston Robbins

Ganglians – “Drop the Act”

On “Drop the Act”, Ganglians take their turn in the spotlight of the sun-bleached sound that has been so rampant lately. What makes them intriguing is that they incorporate the pop sensibility and brightness of Brian Wilson’s Smile, but also go where no surf- pop band has gone before: over three minutes. -Winston Robbins

Ganglians – “Drop the Act”

The Mountain Goats – “Babe (Styx Cover)”

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Can we just dwell in the past for a second with a live track from last weekend? What. A. Festival. Lollapalooza 2011 was packed with savory moments. This particular moment with The Mountain Goats was completely out of left field and completely stunning. I still can’t tell whether it’s supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or if it’s a legitimate dedication. You can be the judge. But either way, it’s a superb listen, and a great way to re-live Lolla. -Winston Robbins

Mountain Goats – “Babe” (Styx cover)

Warpaint – “Billie Holiday” (prod. John Frusciante)

Before now, it was a bit of a head trip to try to connect the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Warpaint. But, surprise, surprise: John Fruscante offers his touch behind the knobs for this slow burner in preparation for the re-release of Warpaint’s debut LP, The Fool. The ladies actually get more lush on this remix if you can believe it. -Jeremy D. Larson

Zechs Marquis – “Everlasting Beacon Of Light”

If we’re talkin psych-rock, it doesn’t get much more divisive than Marcel and Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez. There are those who believe prog doesn’t belong in their psych cereal, and that the sound should get soggy and mushy as opposed to crackle and pop. Man, fuck those people, but seriously the brothers Rodriguez-Lopez in Zechs Marquise deliver to all sides of the psychedelic spectrum with this new one from their forthcoming sophomore album Getting Paid (notable artwork above). The restraint pounding underneath the track isn’t comfortable, but it’s really effective. -Jeremy D. Larson

Zechs Marquise – “Everlasting Beacon of Light”

]]> Jeremy D. Larson Bear Ceuse - "I Saw It Beating" Bear Ceuse is drinking the same water as everyone at Merge Records because that shit tastes real good. Perhaps if Thurston Moore and Ryan Adams worked on a project together in the 90's, there would be no need for this Brooklyn band but since that never happened, Bear Ceuse picks up where that (my) dream left off. The four-piece capitalize on hook-ass hooks, guitar chords stacked to the 13ths, and everything in between, all piled over a skate-or-slack rhythm that lands right in that sweet spot between warm nostalgia and excitement. Look for their full length LP Don Domestique out later this fall. -Jeremy D. Larson <a href="http://bearceuse.bandcamp.com/track/i-saw-it-beating" mce_href="http://bearceuse.bandcamp.com/track/i-saw-it-beating">I Saw It Beating by Bear Ceuse</a> Com Truise - "Ether Drift" Technically this track’s been out for a little over a month, but if you haven’t heard it, it’s worth a listen. Re-released this week as a free download, Com Truise's “Ether Drift” is a dreamy synth-pop number straight out of a John Hughes film - possibly in the film's critical turning point. If there’s a better fit for a tourmate for Neon Indian, we’d love to see them. Truly a match made in heaven. -Winston Robbins Com Truise - "Ether Drift" DJ Diamond - "Speakerz 'n' Tonguez" Creamteam.tv puts it well: Juke music is the grandchild of Chicago house, the son of Ghetto house. DJ Diamond (24-year-old Karlis Griffin from the West Side of Chicago) traffics in juke styles of sample repetition and stretched out tension that's long enough to not expect a "sick drop" and to just move to it. This is the second track from the album, this is the first, and you can pick up the rest from Planet Mu. Do all of those things if you want some more style in your life. -Jeremy D. Larson DJ Diamond - "Speakerz-n-Tonguez" Ducktails - "Sit Around With Ya" The ultimate chill song: A song so chill that its subject is about chilling, albeit with someone else. Three chords go a long way with Real Estate guitarist Matthew Mondanile. "Just be on my side," he barely ekes out as part of an ode to a fellow chillaxer. That's the line that got me. -Jeremy D. Larson Ducktails - "Sit Around With Ya" El-P - "Drones Over BKLYN (censored mix)" Company Flow is reuniting and El-P dropped a new track after four years of radio silence. Someone up there is listening. Speaking of radio, this track comes ready (for some reason or another) for the FCC with the censored version which flexes that Beastie Boys' "The New Style" horn sample a heck of a lot of times. "It sucks to be nothin/no one struts when they're down on their knees" he laments in one of the many lines on fire with internal rhymes. The half-time space-rock jam reaches its peak, ends, and El-P knowingly brings it right back in a somewhat comical, mostly sick moment. -Jeremy D. Larson El-P - "Drones Over BKLYN" (censored mix) Frank Ocean - "Best Seller" Trending lately: Frank Ocean, and with good reason. Not only is he responsible for two of the tracks from the towering tyrant that is Watch The Throne, but he just keeps dropping great songs. This time it’s in the form of “Best Seller”. In it, Ocean croons beautifully (is he capable of anything less?) over the woes of trying to make his work a “Best Seller”. Trust me, Mr. Ocean, if you keep dropping tracks like these, you’ll always be a best seller. (Writer’s note: My favorite part is when he makes his voice sound like a female robot and says “R&Bexclusive.com”… Apologies for r&bexclusive.com’s audio tagging, it seems to be the only version of the song on the web at the moment. Trust me, it’s worth ignoring to get to the goods.) -Winston Robbins [youtube U2_M8rQN85c 500 25] Ganglians - "Drop the Act" On “Drop the Act”, Ganglians take their turn in the spotlight of the sun-bleached sound that has been so rampant lately. What makes them intriguing is that they incorporate the pop sensibility and brightness of Brian Wilson’s Smile, but also go where no surf- pop band has gone before: over three minutes. -Winston Robbins Ganglians - "Drop the Act" The Mountain Goats - "Babe (Styx Cover)" Photo by Heather Kaplan Can we just dwell in the past for a second with a live track from last weekend? What. A. Festival. Lollapalooza 2011 was packed with savory moments. This particular moment with The Mountain Goats was completely out of left field and completely stunning. I still can’t tell whether it’s supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or if it’s a legitimate dedication. You can be the judge. But either way, it’s a superb listen, and a great way to re-live Lolla. -Winston Robbins Mountain Goats - "Babe" (Styx cover) Warpaint - "Billie Holiday" (prod. John Frusciante) Before now, it was a bit of a head trip to try to connect the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Warpaint. But, surprise, surprise: John Fruscante offers his touch behind the knobs for this slow burner in preparation for the re-release of Warpaint's debut LP, The Fool. The ladies actually get more lush on this remix if you can believe it. -Jeremy D. Larson Zechs Marquis - "Everlasting Beacon Of Light" If we're talkin psych-rock, it doesn't get much more divisive than Marcel and Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez. There are those who believe prog doesn't belong in their psych cereal, and that the sound should get soggy and mushy as opposed to crackle and pop. Man, fuck those people, but seriously the brothers Rodriguez-Lopez in Zechs Marquise deliver to all sides of the psychedelic spectrum with this new one from their forthcoming sophomore album Getting Paid (notable artwork above). The restraint pounding underneath the track isn't comfortable, but it's really effective. -Jeremy D. Larson Zechs Marquise – “Everlasting Beacon of Light” ]]> http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/08/top-10-mp3s-of-the-week-812/feed/ 0 http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/08/check-out-el-p-drones-over-bklyn-cos-premiere/ http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/08/check-out-el-p-drones-over-bklyn-cos-premiere/#comments http://c438342.r42.cf2.rackcdn.com//wp-content/uploads/2011/08/el-p-adult-swim.jpg Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:05:25 +0000 Alex Young http://consequenceofsound.net/?p=141702

For the second-to-last installment in Adult Swim’s Singles Program 2011, Company Flow emcee turned solo extraordinaire EL-P dishes out  “Drones Over BKLYN”. Check out an exclusive stream of the track below.

The mp3 series, which has brought us exclusive offerings from The Tallest Man on Earth, Mastodon, Best Coast, and more, wraps up next week with a track from Cerebral Ballzy. Click here to download the entire series.

El-P – “Drones Over BKLYN”

Piggybacking off the success of the irritatingly catchy “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”, Brooklyn’s Das Racist dropped two mixtapes in 2010, Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man, that caught the attention of a hungry fanbase. Now, the trio try to serve up another hit with their proper debut album, Relax, this September 13th. The 14 track effort features cameos from Despot, Danny Brown, and El-P, while Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, Anand Wilder from Yeasayer, Diplo, and the aforementioned El-P all had a hand in the production.

Along with the impressive guest list, the band are releasing the LP on their own via member Himanshu Suri’s Greedhead Music label. Dig into the tracklist below.

Relax Tracklist:
01. Relax
02. Michael Jackson
03. Brand New Dance
04. Middle of The Cake
05. Girl
06. Shut Up, Man [ft. El-P]
07. Happy Rappy
08. Bootyin the Air
09. Power [ft. Danny Brown & Despot]
10. Punjabi Song [ft. Bikram Singh]
11. Selena
12. Rainbow in the Dark
13. The Trick
14. Celebration

There’s an idea to Asheville. You could say it’s a small town with the heart of a city, but you’d be wrong. It’s not a city and it’s not a town. The most obvious word to use would be “community.” At least judging from its downtown area, there appears to be a sense of pride towards ownership. Dozens of independent shops and restaurants litter the area – everything from creative vegan eateries (Rosetta’s Kitchen) to southern-fried goodness (Tingles Cafe) to snazzy bars (Sazerac) – and yet they all work. People flock to them. Items and goods are sold. Smiles filter everywhere. The stores appear happy rather than desperate. It’s great, it’s inspiring, and it’s 100% American.

That’s why Asheville and MoogFest make such a great couple. Despite being the hometown of Moog Music, the overall mission of Robert Moog’s fascinating experiments and technology fully embodies the spirit of community and positivity that pervades the area. People were meant to use these machines to communicate their music in a way they couldn’t before. Seeing as how you can’t cross a street here without coming across one musician pouring his heart and soul out to passersby and pooches, it makes sense that such an open-door instrument would call this place home.

Although New Orleans’ Voodoo Festival capitalized on the Halloween weekend, this year’s inaugural MoogFest has done one hell of a job in making a name for itself. With sold-out ticket tiers and thousands of natives and travelers flooding the intricate downtown streets, all in various (and ultimately creative) costumes, it’s safe to say that this country can handle two landmark music festivals on All Hallow’s Eve.

Three times the charm?

-Michael Roffman

Friday, October 29th

Although Consequence of Sound and WNC Magazine kicked off things the night before at The Southern, with one chill-out DJ set by Saturn Never Sleeps’ King Britt, the party didn’t officially start until around Friday evening. This let everyone else who arrived early to explore the city and take advantage of time. But, that’s exactly what the festival intended.

If you were lucky enough to snag a hotel room at the nearby Four Points Sheraton (basically the hub for all things press and media), then you set yourself up for an easy weekend. Everything’s within walking distance, really. In fact, you can crawl to the Asheville Civic Center. No lie. Well, a little bit of an overstatement, but if you wanted to, you probably could. Bottom line: Comfort should take precedence at music festivals, so here’s a place to start.

King Britt [DJ Set] – CoS/WNC KickOff Party
Photo by Cap Blackard

There’s a reason to focus on where you’re staying. Simply because you’re walking everywhere. This isn’t like Lollapalooza and it’s nothing like that other Ashley Capps-produced event. You know, the one in Manchester? Instead, MoogFest works much like SXSW or Capps’ recent endeavor, Big Ears Festival. Several of the town’s venues take a piece of the line up. There’s the legendary Orange Peel, the vintage-yet-endearing Asheville Civic Center, the corresponding Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Stella Blue, and the Moogaplex. Not only does this give festivalgoers a chance to visit the town’s establishments, but it gets folks out into the nighttime air, offering nearby bars and eateries an opportunity to snag some business for themselves.

The first night started with a bang, but there were some issues. Mild confusion led to some disconnect on where patrons could enter or exit – especially for media – resulting in some traffic issues, at least in terms of moving people around. Several folks seemed lost on where the venues were, as well. The festival had attached maps to the guides, but that didn’t stop attendees from shouting out to one another for directions. It was pretty common to hear, “Dude, you know where the Moogaplex is?” Also, and this isn’t the festival’s fault, but the late-night eating was an issue. Actually, it wasn’t so much an issue as it was just non-existent. Save for the Civic Center’s “ballpark” offerings, and a couple of local places like Rosetta’s or The Bier Garden, there lacked a forum for late-night noshing – which is sort of a must given that the fest goes on until three in the morning. Let’s just say a taco truck would have made a small fortune.

But, by now, you’re probably wondering about the music, right?

-Michael Roffman

Dan Deacon
The Orange Peel, 6:00 p.m.

Dan Deacon kicked off the inaugural Moogfest by doing something that he had never done – stepping away from the wild craziness that usually defines his live show, turning it down a few notches, and performing an improvisatory ambient show. Armed with a table of mostly Moogerfoogers – positioned in the crowd and not on the stage, of course – Deacon began the set with a genuine speech about the Moog brand and what it means to him personally. According to Deacon, he was excited to play a festival where the main sponsor is a brand he actually believes in, and something that has influenced his music greatly. He was humbled to be playing in the same room as some of the people that actually assemble the Moogs that he uses, and the hoard of people crowded around his table didn’t help his nerves. After unsuccessfully suggesting to the crowd that they could take a seat if they wanted to – as he explained how this show would be different from his others – he decided to lead the crowd in some exercises to help everyone get “in the zone.” He led everyone in stretching, deep breathing, cartoon noise exhaling, and more. He then made everyone get their own personal space by spreading out to where no one could touch anyone else. Then he “tricked” them into following his lead and sitting on the ground – “pretend we’re at the beach! Just lay down!”

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

Once everyone was seated, he finally began his set. Through a series of plugging in wires and turning knobs, he somehow managed to create wonderful pieces of music right on the spot. He played two “songs” – if we’re using a loose definition of the word – and they each had their own very unique vibe. The first began as a rolling and calming ambient piece, but eventually was overrun by spurts of noise – but not in a bad way. His second piece was more dark and brooding right from the start, with a bass tone that could rattle your chest. A beat eventually kicked in and Deacon used his voice as an instrument until the piece came to a close. The difference between his early set and his late set were enormous, but they each held their own, especially the ambient set – where anything could’ve gone wrong but absolutely nothing did. -Carson O’Shoney

The Octopus Project/Devo
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

Austin, TX’s The Octopus Project is like nothing I’ve ever seen; electro-pop meets Mogwai in a loose sense, a dash of Californian HEALTH, and this is your nutshell. Every song is glazed with instrument change-ups on-stage by the band ñ guitarist Josh Lambert taking over drums, the poetic inclusion of a Moog theremin by Yvonne Lambert, and so on. A long focus on the band’s two latest electronic-heavy releases, Hello, Avalanche and Hexadecagon, had the scarce and costumed crowd discernibly engulfed in bizarre imagery and positive energy.

Photo by Cap Blackard

As if a giant banana and some colorful fairies seizing to “Truck” wasn’t icing on the cake, Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo made an astounding surprise guest appearance for a brief monologue about the band’s relationship with Robert Moog, the synthesizer factory heaven Mothersbaugh was privy to in ’70s New York, and a grand finale of “Girl U Want” and “Beautiful World”. We wish Devo the best, and though we’re sad to have seen them cancel, this little collaborative effort will be remembered forever in Moog – and spud – history. Now, where can we play their special synthesizer? -David Buchanan

Big Boi
Asheville Civic Center, 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

Big Boi’s hype man claimed that they were the “coolest motherf**kers on the planet”. After Friday night’s show at Moogfest, I’m inclined to agree with him. The moment Big Boi walked on stage, he had the entire arena’s attention, and he never let it go throughout the whole show. From song one it was a non-stop party, with Big Boi playing cuts from throughout OutKast’s discography as well as fresh tracks from his new album, Sir Luscious Leftfoot. From “Rosa Parks” and “So Fresh, So Clean” to “B.O.B.” and “Ms. Jackson” – the OutKast songs received the biggest response. Big Boi even dove into his group’s first album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, for “Player’s Ball”. That’s not to say the new songs weren’t fantastic live – they were just as huge as he intended them to be. As I looked around the Civic Center, even the people on the top level of the arena could not stop dancing for the whole hour he was on-stage. Big Boi put it best himself in a tweet after the show – “O yeah we just DESTROYED #Moogfest #weoutchea” -Carson O’Shoney

MGMT
Asheville Civic Center, 6:30 p.m.

An act like MGMT has built an accidental pedestal trying to be two things at once, essentially an amalgamation of psychedelic experimentation and modern pop; a clumsy gamble for a band only onto its sophomore release. As an innocent bystander watching the rise of MGMT, you get the feeling that they’re a very confused group of boys, experimenting within certain comfort zones while also branching out into the unknown, which essentially has resulted in a post-modern picture of ’60s psychedelia. Oh, and a few kick-ass music videos.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

For a raging, energetic crowd, maxing out the wide open space of Asheville’s Civic Center, MGMT took advantage of the energy. Early on, “It’s Working” and “Time to Pretend” kept costumed fans dancing and hopping over one another – most were singing the songs word for word. However, towards the middle, and following another crowd favorite “The Electric Feel”, the band turned to more material off of Congratulations and admittedly the crowd diminished. The lull in back to back spacey tracks didn’t sit well for those who came in with glow sticks and a desire to dance and “freak out.” However, for the thousands that remained, MGMT bounced back reliably with “Kids”, working off some lights and sounds that created a cloud of hum and happiness for “Brian Eno” and the meditative ballad, “Congratulations”. A little work on the set’s pulse rate could improve an otherwise tight and enjoyable set, even for this non fanatic. -David Buchanan

Van Dyke Parks
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 11:00 p.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

Van Dyke Parks has long been one of pop music’s unsung heroes. Most famous for his collaborations with Brian Wilson, he’s also worked with everyone from U2 to Joanna Newsom. His fans treated him the right way at Moogfest, with the utmost respect. Beginning (and ending) the set by telling the audience, “be nice to each other or I’ll kill you!” – Parks played a set filled with the pleasant songs that makes him such a popular collaborator. Of course, his Brian Wilson tunes received the biggest response. Towards the end of the set, Claire from Claire and the Reasons, the band supporting him on his current tour, came out to do a few songs – including a wonderful version of “Heroes and Villains”. The crowd was appreciative of Parks, and Parks was appreciative of the crowd. It was a big love fest – and Parks looked like he had a great time being the ringleader. -Carson O’Shoney

Dan Deacon
Asheville Civic Center, 12:00 a.m.

Take one part D&D player, one part Skittles bag, and a liberal helping of radio transmissions from deep space, and Dan Deacon is your result. From improvised dance contests to spoken word to commands and vocal distortion – Deacon is like sonic awesome, digitized for consumption, and while he can be a bit much for the lesser eccentric types, the acquired taste is something akin to Mike & Ike’s. As someone just getting introduced to Deacon’s repertoire (Meetle Mice = brain enema), the entire set was an experience that fed off of everyone participating.

On that note, Deacon isn’t so much a one-man band as he is a character with a voice-changer and some trippy lights coming from his mind. Enough said, check the static yourself. -David Buchanan

Panda Bear
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 12:30 a.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

To be honest, I was a bit worried about Panda Bear’s live show. I’ve always loved his work with and without Animal Collective, but I had heard mixed reviews of his live shows. Luckily, he laid those thoughts down to rest and came out on top in the wee hours of Saturday morning. With only a table of looping machines and a guitar, Panda Bear put on a show to remember. He only played three old songs – “Ponytail”, “Comfy in Nautica”, and Animal Collective’s “Daily Routine” – but some of the new songs showed the potential to become new favorites. The show’s opener was an astounding number that found him switching seamlessly between harsh white noise and a deep bass beat, all while keeping his voice as great as ever. The new songs ranged from slow, meditative pieces to straight up dance songs – so if it’s anything like his live show, it looks like fans of every side of Panda Bear should be satisfied with his upcoming album, Tomboy.  -Carson O’Shoney

Girl Talk
Asheville Civic Center, 1:00 a.m.

Feed The Animals is, to me, the epitome of party music this decade – Gregg Gillis’ latest foray into full-length album mash-ups. The man known as Girl Talk, infamous for his reputation as “that guy with laptops hosting the big-ass house parties”, is a forefront representative for the new age of DJs (term “disc jockey” used loosely). If you spin vinyl, the purist in you might mock him; if you embrace the digital age, you might see him on-stage, surrounded by dancing fans, and think he’s on cocaine.

Halloween weekend 2010 will go down as Girl Talk’s swiftest letdown in hype: entering dressed as Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare On Elm Street, he jolted the crowd with a Black Sabbath/Ludacris mash, some Halloween-themed pieces, lots of fun pop, and insertions from Feed The Animals, whereas the last half of Gillis’ performance hit a couple of tech snags (me thinks hard for one guy and two laptops) and a lapse in crowd return of energy. When people are dozing off at the second helping of your show, they aren’t full on Thanksgiving turkey or crashing on the candy buzz…they are bored. -David Buchanan

Gallery by Cap Blackard

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Gallery by Laura Helen Winn

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Saturday, October 30th

If Friday felt rough, it’s only because MoogFest decided to unpack the big guns, throw its attendees into the corral, and shoot off the fireworks. Think about it: One Dan Deacon performance could tire your calves, two could put you in a coma, but couple it with a performance by Girl Talk and a raucous hip-hop jamboree by Big Boi and you’re two-thirds from death. So, it’s no secret that plenty of folks would be exhausted, right? Thank god for the early-evening start times.

But, you can only sleep so late, and MoogFest organizers understood this. Sprinkled throughout the day, workshops and films cracked open the Moogaplex, all exhibiting Bob Moog’s fine legacy. In addition to tech panels and theremin performances, attendees had the opportunity to try out the latest Moog equipment, where for a few minutes (that is, if there wasn’t a line) they could feel like a world renown DJ. What’s the old adage? Education can be fun.

Most people celebrate Halloween. Asheville lives for Halloween. On Friday, it felt like All Hallow’s Eve, where nearly everyone showed off their wicked finest. For Saturday, however, everyone came dressed again, ready to relive their fictional personalities once more. Some even arrived with a new costume. Creative? Sure. Obsessive? Maybe. If anything, it added to the already overflowing charm this town offers.

Before we digress on the music, we’ll say three words: Tupelo Honey Cafe. If you were like us on Friday, starved and lost for grub, one healthy dosage of this Asheville landmark eatery will keep you satiated for 12 hours or more. If you have big pockets, take as much food with you as you can. Christ.

Write that down.

-Michael Roffman

Mountain Man
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 6:00 p.m.

When you see a name like this on the bill in Asheville, being unfamiliar, you could be easily misled, but more so pleasantly surprised. This quaintly-named Vermont acoustic trio of beautifully harmonizing birds could make the Appalachians ring ethereal. As the first act of Thomas Wolfe’s Saturday run, Mountain Man is a prize gem, and at a half capacity audience, three things become evident.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

The enormous amount of folks who paid no attention missed all the charm; those who made it received an intensely sensual experience and the taste of a faster-paced new song; the performance of debut material from Made The Harbor did more justice to a three-part harmony than Bob Marley’s back-up singers and the Dixie Chicks combined. This act seems like a wild draw for a festival dedicated to the inventor of the synthesizer, but I believe Mountain Man needs some extra-special attention immediately.

Sensuality and all. -David Buchanan

Nosaj Thing
Asheville Civic Center, 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

Nosaj Thing was a perfect candidate to open the second day of Moogfest – he appeals to both the indie crowd (he opened for the xx and jj earlier this year) and, of course, the electro crowd. He kept both sides interested by keeping the tempo high and atmospheric while throwing in samples of everyone from Portishead to Wu-Tang Clan during his non-stop hour-long set. The crowd, which started small and grew larger and larger as the set went on, locked in on what he was doing and never stopped dancing. -Carson O’Shoney

School Of Seven Bells
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.

The Curtis/Deheza front known as SVIIB by the fans has a lot of things going for it this day and age: Curtis’ former act, The Secret Machines, contributed music to a Beatles-based musical film, Across The Universe; his current undertow with SVIIB’s debut Alpinisms is atmospheric, but devotionally weighted in both lyric and love. How does this translate to Moogfest 2010?

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

The presence felt like watching Roxette with elements of David Gilmour or shoegaze, amplified for the setting appropriately. Live, the lyrics do not seem as legible due to volume and layers of sound surrounding them, so throw in some expert chameleon-esque lighting, and you get a show more color-crazed and ethereal than a DJ spinning prisms on the sun. Also, phenomenal music, as expected. The hair, too. -David Buchanan

Caribou
Asheville Civic Center, 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

An arena doesn’t seem like the most likely choice of venue for Caribou’s brand of electronic indie jams. But somehow they pulled it off – and had a very sizeable crowd, too. Caribou live and Caribou on record are two totally different animals. Their live show went a lot further than they attempt to go on record. With the drummer going crazy and the rest of the band following suit, Caribou put on a high energy set filled with extended jams and amped up freak-outs, almost turning into an electro jam band. The crowd loved every minute of it – and responded by treating the band to huge applause. -Carson O’Shoney

Thievery Corporation
Asheville Civic Center, 9:00 p.m.

I had no idea where this performance was going to go, nor was I aware of how many collaborators had been involved and on tap within Thievery Corporation. What was, on Radio Retaliation, a well-tempered but eclectic hum of awesomeness had taken on a giant Indian celebration with funk and reggae abound and tribal-esque dance vibes throughout the entirety of Asheville Civic Center. People dancing in elevators, on railings, on seats, and don’t even ask about the ground floor.

The brass accented when needed, the bassist was a madman every step of the way, Sly & The Family Stone received an honorable tribute via “Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)”, and this became the high that everyone needed before delving into our dark, demanding final act… -David Buchanan

Jónsi
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 8:30 p.m.

Let’s just get something out of the way – any words that I could say in this review will not do justice to the absolutely astounding set that Jónsi put on at Moogfest. But since it’s my duty, I’ll try my best. The value of his stage production cannot be understated – the visuals that overtook the stage were visually appealing and emotionally inspiring. At different times subtle and powerful, they fit the music perfectly, and only added an extra level to the show – never took away from it or overwhelmed the actual music.  The music itself was something to behold as well. While Jónsi’s debut Go never reached the same heights that he does his band Sigur Rós, the songs work much better live. The crowd was obviously familiar with the material – once each new song was recognized, a respectful applause arose.

Photo by Cap Blackard

The set started out with some of the slower numbers, but picked up with back-to-back performances of “Go Do” and “Boy Lilikoi” – which sent the large audience into a blissful frenzy. The applause through the rest of the set was nothing short of rapturous. Jónsi was at his best as a frontman when he was free from the restrictions of playing guitar and was free to roam around the stage, from the edge near the crowd to the back with the rest of his band. At the end of the set – all that was left on stage was Jónsi screaming into the mic while hunched over his pedals as a wall of sound engulfed him.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

When the set ended abruptly with the “thud” of his microphone as he let it fall to the ground – the audience let out an audible gasp of disbelief of what they had just experienced. Once they came back to their senses, the response was deafening. Jónsi came back out for an encore of a few songs that just solidified what everyone already knew – that was the defining set of the weekend. Women cried. Men cried. As I left I overheard multiple conversations including the phrases “religious experience” and “life-changing.” I’m inclined to agree with them – this was an experience I will never forget. -Carson O’Shoney

Photo by Cap Blackard

Massive Attack
Asheville Civic Center, 11:15 p.m.

A giant wall of LEDs scrolls seemingly random military command text across the boards; a veritable symphony of people enter the stage, followed along by frontmen 3D and Daddy G. The brooding bass and spacious crescendos were on tap, and Massive Attack came to milk it all. Aside from the Mezzanine standards like “Angel” — which was accompanied by our dear Horace Andy on vocals — or “Teardrop” and “Risingson”, the unintentional originators of so-called trip-hop who have graced soundtracks and strolling pedestrian earphones for years brought the house down during Moogfest 2010.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

The boards behind Massive Attack flashed numerous video and alpha-numeric messages, spelling out violence in statistics and news headlines, including a mention of the underpaid African-American farmers here in North Carolina (another matter entirely). As one of the biggest draws all Moogfest long, Massive Attack certainly lived up to expectations, following Thievery’s dark party with a little moodswing of its own.

Photo by Cap Blackard

I hope, for North Carolina’s sake, 3D and Daddy G and company bring the light back to the Carolinas again sooner than later — maybe an intimate Orange Peel setting? -David Buchanan

Jon Hopkins
Moogaplex, 11:30 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

Although the Moogaplex felt a little too sterile for a dance hall, UK favorite Jon Hopkins worked some magic and turned the office space into a mini underground club. Given the competition – Massive Attack and The Disco Biscuits, to name a couple – Hopkins entertained a handful of costumed spectators, spinning synth lines and hammering out bass punches left and right. The grooves hardly subsided, though when they smoothed out, Hopkins peered up from under his Jonny Greenwood-esque bangs and offered a boyish grin. As the night surged forward, the guru, who recently collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno, sipped his beer and danced just as much as the audience. By the time the midnight hour arrived, there was less office space to share and plenty of atmosphere to wade in. Maybe he’s learned a thing or two from Eno, after all.  -Michael Roffman

Gallery by Cap Blackard

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Gallery by Laura Helen Winn

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Sunday, October 31st

It’s only natural that human beings feel the need to stay connected. Isolation remains one of our greatest fears, and yet, ironically, we continue to widen the gap between two parties. Communication is cheap these days. Industrialization has shaped the world into one reckless social network, where each second millions of people “connect” with one another, typically in the confines of one’s home. We live in a loud society, but you’d never know it. That is, unless you listened intently for the click-clack, click-clack of the nearby keyboards on everyone’s laptop or smart phone. There’s plenty of chatter, only little noise pollution. But to every negative, there’s a positive. Technology not only makes things easier for folks, it enlightens them.

With MoogFest, technology runs rampant. This is essentially a festival celebrating the idea of pushing music past its limits and the media in which to do so. However, unlike the Facebook’s and iPhone’s that flood every tech convention, MoogFest embraces the agenda of using technology to bring people together. Literally. What’s more, the festival surrounds itself with some of the country’s most spectacular foliage and natural landscapes around. So, in a twist of irony, while the technology brought people here, it’s the nature and community that bound them.

Photo by Michael Roffman

That’s the wonderful thing about MoogFest. Well, that and the dedicated festivalgoers who decided to treat everyday like Halloween wouldn’t return until the next century. Albeit young and with plenty of errors to remedy, the newborn event succeeds in championing a new kind of music festival – one that understands its core principles, while also feeling the need to switch on a few new lights. People bleed their life out at these festivals because it’s an experience that, in hindsight, truly changes their point of view on music. With MoogFest, the weekend excursion shifts your perspective on a variety of things: nature, people, small town life, communication, independence, etc. The list could go on and on, the explanations could deviate and come together, but the truth of the matter is… it’s a meditative escape that expands your mind and yet keeps you grounded, as well.

You also get to wear a costume.

Two Fresh
Asheville Civic Center, 6:30 p.m.

Hailing from Asheville, NC, the twin DJs of Two Fresh are pure southern natives with dancefloor mentality. Others I’ve spoken to say they’re something of a minor living landmark in western North Carolina; judging by Moogfest’s generosity, they really love holding their own. The Civic Center’s arena was not appropriate for the small act’s audience pull, though with nothing but straight rap beats and heavy bass, everyone arriving got to sit back and relax to enjoy. -David Buchanan

Sleigh Bells
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 7:15 p.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

Scheduled for an hour, which everyone knew they wouldn’t fill, Sleigh Bells came on about 15 minutes past their scheduled start time. By then, the theatre had filled out quite nicely, and the people in the pit were already freaking out before they even played a note. Once they came out after the hardcore intro and bursted into “Tell ‘Em”, they got the audience jumping early and often – all the way to closer “Crown on the Ground”. The pit for Sleigh Bells might have just been the craziest one for all of Moogfest – but behind the pit, all of the auditorium’s seats made it difficult for anyone to dance, freak out, etc. If anything, this show should have been held at the Orange Peel – where the entire room could have been going properly nuts. But as it stands you had Sleigh Bells playing at an awkwardly large venue for them, but they made the best of it anyways.

Photo by Cap Blackard

One side of me was annoyed at the fact that about 75% of the music being played was just being played through a recording – the guitarist would add a couple licks here and there – and two whole songs were just Alexis Krauss alone on stage dancing and singing to a backing track. The whole thing felt like you could have just played their album Treats at an extremely high volume and gotten the exact same result, but I think that’s what Sleigh Bells are going for. They’re not there to be technically impressive or flesh out their songs with a drummer and bass – they’re just there to be loud as hell, in your face, and make you move. And if that was the goal, they accomplished it 100%. -Carson O’Shoney

MiM0sa
Asheville Civic Center, 7:30 p.m.

Drum-and-bass meets Girl Talk in a nutshell? Certainly. Stage presence and charisma? Definitely. Music selection? Depends on who you ask, but if you’re choosing between Girl Talk and MiM0sa, the recommendation is the former due strictly on mass appeal. MiM0sa as a live performer is really something to see, and he deserved a much bigger draw, but as an artist, Gillis utilizes far more than straight beat remixes for his arsenal.

Photo by Cap Blackard

Suggestion to MiM0sa: When you’re pushing the crowd, don’t just lace extra bass on extra bass for a reaction…pop snippets minimal regardless. -David Buchanan

Neon Indian
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 8:45 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

Chillwave bands don’t exactly have a reputation for being tight live. The style lends itself to half-assed performances where the audience can’t tell the difference. Somehow Neon Indian continues to break that trend by being a very tight live band – perhaps that’s the reason why they’ve become one of the most popular bands to come out of that scene, as evidenced by the nearly full crowd they pulled at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Sporting some fancy equipment, like an awesome LCD screen guitar – Neon Indian got the crowd grooving and never stopped. The obvious highlight was “Deadbeat Summer” – the crowd just went crazy for it. They are exactly what you hope for live – fun and chill at the same time. -Carson O’Shoney

Younger Brother
Asheville Civic Center, 9:00 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

This band from across the water works like an adrenalized Coldplay, and really makes its case with little strife and strain. Another alternative rock act that doesn’t quite fall into Moog electronic territory, Younger Brother brings enough artsy flare and visual stun to rock everybody’s night.

In the long haul, we sincerely hope that Younger Brother slams a larger dent in the overall rock scene, maybe try to build some more elaborate chord structures and funk time signatures to the work, avoid later Coldplay comparisons and kill any “everyone wants to be Radiohead” stigma. All in all, Younger Brother roped in a healthy crowd, especially given the competition, kneaded in some organic instrumentation, and became my ultimate find all weekend (aside from a kick-ass record store). -David Buchanan

Hot Chip
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 10:15 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

One of many finales to Moogfest arrived as an eclectic package of dance, synth-pop, steel pan work, and switcheroo madness on every instrument available. London electro-pop band Hot Chip hosted the final show of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and there was hardly a seat available. Not that it mattered, though, as hardly anyone sat in them. Things felt stuffy and sweaty, especially since the pit area had been closed off, due to it being weakened incredibly from the weekend’s wear and tear. (We’re now accepting all “Ready for the Floor” puns.) Regardless, the tight-knit crowd only kept the rhythm in form, as the bouncy quintet chiseled through its four album-strong discography.

Photo by Cap Blackard

If they’ve learned anything from touring with LCD Soundsystem recently, it’s that the audience needs to dance itself clean, which is exactly what everyone in the TWA did. Plenty of costumed ghouls sat sheepishly in their chairs at first, but once the heartbeat hitters like “Hand Me Down Your Love” and “Shake a Fist” rolled by, many sneakers scoffed up the floor. Flamboyantly finishing with “Ready For The Floor”, Hot Chip set the building on fire, balconies shook, and a courtesy bow with a flourish gave us all the last taste of time well spent in the Carolina. One of many treats of this tricky-yet-enviable weekend. -David Buchanan, Michael Roffman

El-P
The Orange Peel, 10:15 a.m.

Photo by Laura Helen Winn

Facing stiff competition from Pretty Lights and Hot Chip, El-P’s set at the Orange Peel didn’t pull as large of a crowd as he could have had at a different point in the weekend – but he made the best of it. While he’s supporting his instrumental LP Weareallgoingtoburninhell-megamixxx3, he came out with hype man The Mighty Quinn in full on rap mode – playing mostly tracks from 2007’s excellent I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead – like “EMG” and “Smithereens (Stop Cryin’)”. Prowling the edge of the stage to rap over top of his audience, El-P and Quinn spit fast and furious for the first half of the show before transitioning into the instrumental segment of the set. Somehow, the energy stayed high throughout the 15-20 minute portion, in part due to the special guest they brought on – Dam-Funk. He grooved with them for one song and once he left they got “back into this rappy shit”. As the last show of Moogfest for some – El-P did not leave his audience disappointed. He sent the festival off right – with one big party. -Carson O’Shoney

Gallery by Cap Blackard

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Gallery by Laura Helen Winn

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It’s About the Fans…

Half a decade later, I now call Chicago my home, and I return to Pitchfork Music Festival for the first time since then. A lot has changed. There are more stages, the line up sports more adrenaline, and it’s certainly become a popular locale for locals and weekenders every July. And while this summer happened to tag along a blitzkrieg of a heat wave, the festival still sold out, drawing thousands upon thousands to the intimate Union Park event.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts, feelings, and impressions…

Friday, July 16th

Sharon Van Etten
Aluminum Stage, 3:30 p.m.
“There’s a lot of pressure.”

For the first hour of Pitchfork, we were treated to two singer-songwriters. The first, Sharon Van Etten, is a kind, nervous, coffee-shop singer who plays a full-bodied cherry-red Gibson guitar. On Friday, cracking open the festival weekend, she played new songs – rather humbly, mind you – but her songs were hardly a change from the silence that preceded it. Maybe this uber slow fade was intentional on Pitchfork’s part, but poor Van Etten is just not suited to play her tortured love songs in the middle of a giant stage in 90 degree weather. Even if her downstroke-centric guitar playing added a great tension to her work, they still just faded into the ether. In The End: Her gorgeous voice and unrequited love ballads should fit nicely on a small wooden stage while you sip a ‘cino.

Tallest Man On Earth
Connector Stage, 4:00 p.m.
“Thank you. I haven’t slept for two days.”

Kristian Matsson, The Tallest Man On Earth, had a pretty easy act to follow, but I still was worried he wouldn’t be able to keep this crowd’s attention. It seems as though 75% of this crowd is lighting up right now, as I smell all the different varietals of cannabis sativa, from dirty to dank. Well, hipsters sure know how to get their smoke on. Anyway. The first few notes of “Wild Hunt” sent shivers limb to limb. He can whisper and have hundreds of people rapt, hanging on the sound of his raspy voice, eager to follow him on as he wispily travels to his next sweeping vocal line. His lyrics show wisdom beyond his years and his voice dances around his melodies skillfully and soulfully, like a sober Van Morrison. His setlist was a tad off-balance, playing “King Of Spain” third, and leaving no where to go to top that energy, but the Swede took the day so far, and filled that giant stage nicely. In The End: TTMOE pried smiles, stole ladies’ hearts, and proved his prowess as frontman. I can’t wait until he inevitably gets a band behind him.

El-P
Aluminum Stage, 4:35 p.m.
“Let’s get it fucking started.”

Charged with the above task of “starting it”, the Def Jux rapper El-P took the stage next and oh how I wanted to get with that first song. Oh, oh, oh, how I did. But sound problems plagued it and I just couldn’t. That’s not to say El-P didn’t do his job, though. His rhyme-centric and rapid-fire flow drew me in, as the backing band played more like a KMFDM industrial goth band than your standard hip-hop fare. El-P spit out his song “Patriot” a capella, and reeled me in to punch me in the face with his political style. The middle to end of his set suffered from a poor environment setting, but his throwback style and exuberance got it started and kept it going all the way to closer “The Overly Dramatic Truth”, which built his set to a powerful, distorted finish. In The End: El-P’s dark and cavernous hip-hop may not have been juxtaposed well in the midday heat, but with skill, speed, and spitfire lyrics and production, the group did its job nicely.

Liars
Connector Stage, 5:30 p.m.
“We’re gonna do a Bauhaus cover. We were going to do Tribe Called Quest but those guys did it first”

If you’re ever inclined to have intimate relations while on a punk spaceship, I suggest you check out Liars. Unlike James Murphy, I actually am inclined to believe that Liars were at the first Can show in Cologne. Lead singer Angus Andrew bounces around stage like a sex Christ on acid, distorting his vocals with a chaos pad. “We Fenced Other Gardens With Bones Of Our Own” sounded tight, or as tight as Liars choose to be. That aforementioned Bauhaus cover resulted in a pretty good version of “In The Flat Field.” In The End: Festival band? Probably not, but Liars commanded their set and asked the audience to get down with their art rock. Many people did.

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Robyn
Aluminum Stage, 6:25 p.m.
“[Brought] this thing like a Dancehall Queen”

Another Swedish import showed us lowly Americans how fem-pop is done. Robyn, armed with an all alabaster backing band put on the show of the day as she danced and cooed her way through a set mostly focused on her latest album, Body Talk Pt. 1. The radius of dancing that expanded from the center of the crowd was fearlessly led by the songstress whose afro-R&B gyrations inspired the masses. During “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do”, Robyn took part in her own personal workout routine that would have made Billy Blanks/Kanye West proud. In The End: As festival performances go, it doesn’t get much better than this. Sexy, groovy, and endearingly foreign, Robyn should be a regular headliner at American music festivals.

Broken Social Scene
Connector Stage, 7:20 p.m.
“This song is Forced To Love. It’s our mantra.”

If the music business is indeed an “industry of cool”, Broken Social Scene (BSS) are the CEOs. This dectet knew how to rest on their heels and play with confidence and is one of the few bands that doesn’t have to push or force it. This works both for and against them, especially with such a late spot in a festival. It’s one thing for fans, who love to hear their full sound on “World Sick” and “7/4 (Shoreline)”, but outside of the fan realm, their Ray Bans sound is somewhat innocuous. People bragged to me about their 2 ½ hour set at SXSW, and their headlining material at other festivals. I felt short-changed. Songs like “KC Accidental” and “It’s All Gonna Break” were dearly missed from their set, (though they did play those songs five years ago at Intonation/Pitchfork Festival, so I understand). It’s hard not to like them, though, because they make you feel so cool, and their guest musicians added more layers to their towering music. If The Band’s Robertson, Danko, and Helm formed a group in Canada in the ’90s, I bet they would sound like Broken Social Scene. In The End: BSS came up a bit short, but they go down like a nice glass of red wine as the day ends. Bluesy and mature, they were head-nod producers.

Eugene Mirman
Balance Stage, 8:00 p.m.
“[As Broken Social Scene played] See, from here it sounds like there’s an intergalactic war happening.”

Kudos to Pitchfork for adding a comedy tent on Friday to the festival. They had nothing but the best of intentions, and with Hannibal Burress, Wyatt Cenac, Michael Showalter, and Eugene Mirman, you couldn’t have asked for finer lineup. But here’s the thing, just like some bands don’t translate to festival settings, some comedians don’t transfer to festival settings. Michael Showalter’s brand of anti-humor mixed with the thickest sarcasm fell flat. Eugene Mirman, the “headliner” dealt with the sound bleeding in extremely well and warmed the crowd over, all while understanding that he was working under not-so-convenient conditions. Favorite moments were him playing a song from Joe Piscopo’s website and just letting it be stand-alone as a joke, grammatically incoherent protest signs (“Abortion is neither here nor there!”), and a delightful little story about sending a time machine full of a child’s cum back to Hitler. In The End: There probably won’t be a comedy stage next year, but at least for Mirman, he got the bulk of the crowd engaged, which was no small feat.

Modest Mouse
Aluminum Stage, 8:30 p.m.
“I am my own damn god.”

Modest Mouse (hereafter: The Mouse) headlined Friday night as the sun was setting. It’s the best time slot because you’re starting at dusk and it really is this sort of starting gate for the night: anything can happen. Full disclosure: I was not exactly looking forward to The Mouse unlike the thousands of other people. After this show, I am now convinced there are only two options for optimum Mousage. Option a) you get silly drunk and elbow your way to the front of the crowd and rock the fuck out. Option b) you listen to them at home. Any other option will leave you seriously disappointed, as was the case with yours truly.

It’s not that Brock has ‘lost it’, but his trademark bray—that scary and penetrating voice that sounds like it’s one rude screw away from becoming unhinged (a voice that drew me into The Mouse in the first place, even going so far for me as to compare him to Mr. Tom Waits a few times) – is homogenized live. It never feels dangerous, or unhinged. Just sloppy and loud. That’s not to say the band acts the same. The Mouse’s musicians are tight and are continually improving in sound over the years. But it’s Brock that has been left behind.

“The Devil’s Work Day” live is a mere husk of song compared to its palpability and immediacy on the album. “Autumn Beds” was a yawn. But there were moments of respite from the doldrums of Brock’s vocals: “Dashboard” cohered surprisingly well, and the “Dramamine” into “Life Like Weeds” medley was a great showcase of their dynamic possibility as a band. Oh, and they didn’t play “Float On”, which made me laugh. You’re at a fucking festival, dude. Sorry, but you have to play it. In The End: Modest Mouse is a decent festival headliner, but Brock needs to figure out a game plan and work with his band better if they’re going to be a great headliner, which honestly right now, they are not too far from. But far enough.

Saturday, July 17th

Free Energy
Aluminum Stage, 1:00 p.m.
“We’re breaking out this time.”

Friday’s opener Sharon Von Etten didn’t do it for me. Free Energy on the other hand, well, did. Either Pitchfork accidentally put them at one ‘o clock instead of way later in the bill, or Pitchfork is breaking music festival tradition and putting one of the best acts of the day first. I knew these guys could make a pretty good album, but I was blown away by their live show, and it honestly wasn’t anything all that special. They are a young-ish band who borrow from the likes of early Rolling Stones, The Strokes, T-Rex, and a little of The Hold Steady. Nothing fancy, nothing digital: just some good ol’ fashioned roots rock to open up Saturday. Their simplistic lyrics are about high-steaks love, implying there’s nothing else to do but make these choices, like “this is all we got tonight” or “we’re never waking up if we never let it go.” They also (cheaply) throw in the casual indefinite pronoun like “child” and “kid”, which just win me directly over. In The End: Poppy, fun, and packaged for arenas, Free Energy is a must see live act, kids.

Real Estate
Connector Stage, 1:45 p.m.
“Budweiser, Sprite, everything is alright.”

After Free Energy, I was already a hot mess and only one band into the day. I needed a cool down and lead singer Martin Courtney served up the best kind of afternoon refreshment, a “Suburban Beverage”. As I laid supine in the shade and took in the surf rock of Real Estate, I thought about their song structure, style, dynamics, and themes: it’s all pretty much the same. I couldn’t really tell what song was which, or what direction they were going with their setlist. Normally this would make me bored or angry or mysteriously hungry, but as the notes pawed at me under the tree, I never wanted it to end. Visions of pools, beaches at sunset, barbeques, and laughter danced in my head. Real Estate is the epitome of summer, and added a great feel to an oppressively hot afternoon. In The End: Refreshing, chill, and dreamy, the oasis that was Real Estate disappeared too soon.

Delorean
Aluminum Stage, 2:30 p.m.

It’s hot out at half past two, about 92° by my phone. Delorean acted as our first foray into the dance-pop column at Pitchfork, and after winning The World Cup, these Spaniards were riding high with big hopes of besting the heat to get the crowd moving. Cutting to the chase immediately with “Seasun”, Delorean’s electronics sounded crisp and digestible, but lead singer Ekhi Lopetegi sounded quivering and unsteady. His reverberated vocals never reached the audience as a command; only a suggestion. And with that, the heat won. People conserved their energy and nodded politely to their pounding electro-pop, though each individual track begged for something more. Bad luck, Delorean. In The End: Aggressive, optimistic, but vocally unspecific, Delorean played like the US Team in The World Cup: with heart, skill, and pride, but their competition got the better of them.

Titus Andronicus
Connector Stage, 3:20 p.m.
“Wow, that’s my head up there on the screen. It’s like a metaphor about our post-modern condition. More about that later.”

Titus Andronicus won.

They won new fans, (I heard “These guys are amazing” and “Holy shit!” and “Why have I never heard of these guys?”) They won best onstage banter about the heat, (“I’m sweating like a pregnant nun talking to the Pope up here.”) They won best audience participation when lead singer Patrick Stickles dove into the audience during “No Future Part Three” and offered the mic to a fan. They won best onstage augmentation with a horn-blower, keyboardist, and cellist complimenting most of their set. They won best rock show. They won for giving a shout out to public libraries at the end of their set. But most importantly, they won for convincing all of Pitchfork Music Festival that we will always be losers. In The End: Titus Andronicus forever.

Dâm Funk
Balance Stage, 4:15 p.m.
“Came to kill this mother fucker today.”

I caught Dâm Funk (pronounced “dame”) at the Bottom Lounge on Thursday night, because I knew scheduling wouldn’t allow me to catch his set here. But since Raekwon was running late, I stopped by. He looks like Ice-T’s younger cousin, plays a keytar, and champions P-funk mixed with enough synths and MIDI controllers to make the 80s something we can reach out and touch. His festival performance faltered a bit, due in part to the expanse of the space and his backing band not being a significant part of the show. His vocals come off a bit milk-toast soul, like a studio singer as a guest on a hip-hop track. But Dâm Funk is a damn fine musician, tickling the horizontal and vertical ivories deftly. In The End: Funky, futuristic yet retro, go see Dâm Funk at a club and get your resurrected groove on.

Raekwon
Aluminum Stage, 4:15 p.m. (But let’s call it, 4:35)
“WU-TANG, WU-TANG”

“Yeah hi, I ordered one large “Mother Fucking Ruckus” to be brought by Raekwon and it’s like 20 minutes late. Can I get it for free?”

So: strike one. But when Raekwon did show up on stage, he informed us that we were gonna hear some “old shit”. And with that, much to everyone’s delight, he went right into “C.R.E.A.M.” This should have been fresh, but from where I was standing, the levels were way off and Raekwon’s verse was swallowed. After the song, the DJ was ill-prepared and was having serious issues with his decks. Technikal diffuculties? [rim shot] Anyhow, strike two. But Raekwon covered decently, surveying the audience on a variety of topics between how much we Chicagoans like Chicago and if we think this sound problem is shitty, too. Finally things seemed to be rolling along. Everything except for an interest in Wu-Tang classics. Back-tracking, song-truncating, and hype-men interfered with what could have been a unique hip-hop set. The old Wu-Tang songs sounded cliche at best, and stale at worst. “Da Mystery Of Chessboxing” was a smart choice, if only more songs carried that kind of intellect. Of note were guests Chi-Town Finest Breakers, a group of four pre-pubescent brothers and sisters who came on stage and boogalooed through “Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin to Fuck With.” In sum, the kids stole the show. In The End: Raekwon wanted to please, but the lack of new solo material left me feeling cheated. Good flow, bad punctuality, weird and choppy energy.

Wolf Parade
Aluminum Stage, 6:15 p.m.
“It’s getting better all the time.”

Wolf Parade was the first band of the day that, for me, didn’t draw any comparisons to other bands. Wolf Parade is carved into the hall of music as Wolf Parade. Two singers with two distinct voices, heavy rock blended with synths, and an image-based lyrical style that mixes with some real anthemic love songs. Everything they played off Expo 86 seemed like the amps were up to 11, jumping out of the speakers, allowing for copious banging of heads. The climax came mid-set with crowd (and personal) favorite “I’ll Believe In Anything”, as hands reached up to the heavens like a regular tent revival. Pen- and ultimate songs “Cave-o-Sapien” and “Kissing The Beehive” also reignited the energy, though the crowd seemed less receptive. Maybe Wolf Parade’s distinction is too limited for those unfamiliar with their sound. In The End: They could be a headliner, but that would require some research on the audiences’ part. They rock too hard to have songs go unknown. Steady, solid, and hard-hitting, but maybe too much of Wolf Parade is a bad thing.

Panda Bear
Connector Stage, 7:25 p.m.
“…”

There was some talk at the festival about how disappointing Animal Collective was last year at Lollapalooza. I’ve only seen their live videos, but it does seem a little strained and thin. So Panda Bear was fighting some negative vibes from me already, but I’m open to everything and I kept telling myself “this is going to good.” Since Saturday, I’ve actually been torn on how to write about Panda Bear’s set. On one hand, the music was almost entirely unentertaining, self- indulgent, easy to make fun of, and so left-field avant-whatever that there’s no way a crowd of thousands would have the patience to absorb it. On the other hand, there wasn’t anything remotely “chill” on the A or C stages since Real Estate played a whole six hours beforehand. The festival was close to lighting up the tilt button at that point, and after careful consideration, I find myself actually behind the Panda Bear set. It was a genre not yet explored at the festival, and yes, we should have something that hardly anyone understands or follows. I’m serious. We all need to live in the abyss sometimes, in the dark unknown of sonic experimentation, even if it’s challenging, esoteric noise peppered with level-peaking vocals and only two or so songs with a real nice beat. I recognized a few tunes: new track “Tomboy” and Person Pitch diddy “Ponytail”, but most were streamlined through a constant tone of Panda’s nasally drone. In The End: Atonal, bizarre, and challenging. Good or bad, Panda Bear’s set allowed for a new kind of energy, one that led nicely into LCD Soundsystem.

LCD Soundsystem
Aluminum Stage, 8:30 p.m.
“Sorry, but we have these 12-minute songs and it’s just the same shit over and over again.”

…Quipped James Murphy in a moment of improv during “Pow Pow”. LCD Soundsystem can arm themselves to the teeth with lyrical wit, self-deprecation, pop-culture references, and, like Titus Andronicus, couple that with songs that speak earnestly to the hearts of their listeners. They fire those beats into you and cull from your body every last ounce of energy to dance with strangers and celebrate the search for unattainable solutions to relationships, modern music, and the conundrum of life in the 21st century. There’s that, and there’s also the fact that their 90 minute set tore into Pitchfork the way a headliner ought to.

The Aluminum Stage capped the night off right with one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend: LCD Soundsystem. As the first bass drum hits pulsed through the speakers (which, admittedly, didn’t resonate well toward the back of the crowd), the band soon glided into “Us V Them”, picking up where Titus Andronicus left off. Live, LCD find a heavier sound in David Scott Stone’s guitar, which sounds like they have some real nice Marshall stacks hooked to it. “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” turned into a punk ‘n’ roll headbanger, and “Movement” had a powerful hard rock tweak to it. It was a running theme to have a band’s climax in the middle of the set, as “All My Friends” united the crowd in joyful, teary sing-a-long. Groups of people were locked arm over shoulder and yawped together the final lyrics of the song, only to realize that friends were all around, whether strange or familiar.

Following that, LCD played on into the evening, with other mini-climaxes appearing in “Yeah “ and the closer “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down + Empire State Of Mind”. The pit was a sweaty mass and on the edges of the crowds, dance pods ebbed and flowed. Murphy sounded perfect, blending those shielded ironies (“Losing My Edge”) with real close to the vest moments (“Someone Great”). The gamut was run, and LCD Soundsytem left me wholly and wonderfully exhausted. But then again, I’m an easy mark. In The End: It’s what a headliner should be: pushing the crowd to the finish line of an exhausting and amazing day and being the best reward when you get there. Epic, inspirational, spectacular, and totally awesome.

Sunday, July 18th

CAVE
Balance Stage, 1:00 p.m.
“Don’t forget to check out Bitchpork.”

I get CAVE, cause I was in a similar band during high school. Riff-based hard-rock with few if any lyrics. Like CAVE, our drummer was a metal drummer and heavily influenced our sound. The band digs back to like an early Faith No More aesthetic with some nasty synths and hard hitting guitar, and prog-rock leanings. They slammed the side stage into fifth gear with near 40 minutes of doom-funk. In The End: I wouldn’t hear anything harder for a long while on Sunday.

Best Coast
Balance Stage, 1:55 p.m.
“Free Weezy.”

Clouds loomed overhead, as Bethany Cosentino and her California outfit Best Coast begun the first of many chilled out acts at Pitchfork on Sunday. I’m not entirely sold on her act: she’s 22, she’s super reminding me of Heather Graham from Boogie Nights, she’s certainly alluring, but her siren songs lacked a fundamental truth to them live. As a performer, she’s too static, and her sentiment seemed detached and aimless. Best Coast is young, and I’m anxious to follow Cosentino’s song-writing skills as she ages As the heads of the crowds traced tiny infinity symbols side to side, I eventually followed suit. The sun was out by the time she finished. In The End: Fuzzy, cute, tropical. No wonder this exists.

Girls
Aluminum Stage, 2:30 p.m.
“Now I’m a ghost man, in a ghost town.”

You know that scene in Back To The Future where Marty McFly plays “Johnnie B. Good”? Well, take the house band from The Enchantment Under The Sea dance, and replace Marty McFly with The Jesus And Mary Chain, and you’ll get an idea of what Girls’ set was like. The juxtaposition of “Ghost Mind” and “Hellhole Retrace” was a favorite moment for me. The former sounded so fragile and the latter was by far the loudest song I heard at the festival. However, I believe they are among many bands here that are attached to a ticking time-bomb: their brilliant flash in the pan will soon be a mere afterimage. In The End: Twee, treble, and tremolo are Girls’ specialty, and since Paul Revere & The Raiders or The Troggs aren’t really touring anymore, the band finds their niche and plays to it nicely.

Local Natives
Balance Stage, 3:35 p.m.
[lead singer during sound check, 8va] “I still owe money, to the money, to the money I owe.”

Grizzly Foxes Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor is one great listen, and in anticipation of seeing their recreation of it live, I might have overplayed it. Local Natives reproduced it note for note, tone for tone, and beat for beat. Which means a) they are one of the most well-rehearsed and professional bands performing at the festival and b) I wanted something more, something to make Gorilla Manor pop. They half succeeded, but nearing my 20^th band of the weekend, my palette has waned towards cynical, and only during “Sun Hands” did they add a couple measures of anticipation before the breakdown. That was cool. In The End: Harmonious, lively, and wildly talented, Local Natives have staying power. If they can dissect their sheen live, they will soon be on top.

St. Vincent
Connector Stage, 5:15 p.m.
“I’m an actor.”

Annie Clark’s success in her band St. Vincent is predicated on the fact that she’s a well-versed musician who plays on the full spectrum of music. Actor allows her free range to use her experience to create this ethereal contemporary classical rock sound that stands atop so many other acts this festival. When an audience can see a band experimenting with real instruments (listen up, Panda Bear) it’s tolerable, welcoming, and engaging. From the dynamic opener “Strangers” to the fuzzy free jazz of “Marrow”, St. Vincent can rock just as hard as anyone, yet on “Party” her voice soared across Union Park like an angel. There’s a feeling to her live show akin to hearing Kid A live for the first time: a glorious challenge. Also, her guitar dance is the cutest thing ever. In The End: Thorough, mature, and innovative, St. Vincent are stylistic chameleons and are the standard bearers for the best female rock show in the scene today.

Major Lazer
Aluminum Stage, 6:20 p.m.
“I came to party!” “Do that crazy ballerina shit!” “Most importantly, someone is going to have sex and get pregnant!” “After all that butt sex, I need to smoke some weed!” “Gonna need to go to church after this.”

You ever miss a crazy party, and the next day your friends all gush about what you missed?

In what will probably go down as the wildest party of the festival, Major Lazer was jaw-droppingly good. Diplo manned the decks, and listen, there’s a reason people pay hundreds of dollars to see a Diplo DJ set. His skills are unsurpassed, and when the first beat dropped, the powder keg blew. Diplo is the spine of Major Lazer, grinding out non-stop dub mixes with reggae, house, and that signature lazer effect. But his team-work with Skerrit Bwoy is a match made in heaven. SB and his duo of daggerettes took the stage and hyped the crowd with “do or die” sentiments that left us with no other viable option but to dance our asses off. Two traditional Chinese dragon puppets bookended the stage and danced with the daggerettes, bottles of Henny and Champagne were imbibed and sprayed, Ace Of Base and Sleigh Bells were sampled, ballerinas pirouetted (and were eventually daggered), crowd members were dragged on stage (and were eventually daggered as well), Skerrit Bwoy dove from a ladder into the crowd, Skerrit Bwoy dove from a ladder to dagger one of his ladies. The list of ridiculous events goes on. “Pon De Floor” wasn’t just the highlight of the show, the entire show was the highlight of the festival. In The End: The theatre of Major Lazer may be cheap thrills, but Diplo and Skerrit Bwoy owned the stage and the crowd. With two acts left, it was anyone’s for the taking.

Big Boi
Connector Stage, 7:25 p.m.
“Oh yeh yer.”

Talk about a tough act to follow. Big Boi came on stage to a warm cheer from the gathered crowd and launched right into Outkast classic “ATLiens” which won over pretty much everyone. Following that, Big Boi performed one half of plenty of other Outkast songs. Only in hip-hop is this practice encouraged and I’m going to make a stand right now and say “stop it.” If you’re a solo artist, be confident in your solo material. It was pathetic and naive for Big Boi to think he had to go through his other band’s greatest hits to win over a crowd who no doubt were just as, if not more, excited to hear songs off of Sir Lucious Leftfoot.

 Sure, throw in a ‘Kast tune here and there, ya’ll are dungeon family first generation. But don’t open your set with half a retrospective of your singles. That being said, his new songs were outstanding. Big Boi amps up his flow live but still keeps it light and tight. His focus as a performer is like watching Ali in the ring, bobbing and weaving landing his punches and blows with skill. After a most unfortunate performance by Vonnegut on “Follow Us”, (I didn’t know that was Vonnegut at first. I just thought some white guy won a contest or something.) “Shutterbug” proved the most entertaining song of the evening. There was a certain lull that happened after “Shutterbug”, and not until Raekwon’s breakdancing kids came bounding back did the energy get relit. In The End: Big Boi’s crossover rap is funky fresh, he (mostly) avoided live hip-hop clichés, but his setlist was mismanaged and unbalanced. An unfortunate misstep for one of the most talented performers in hip-hop.

Pavement
Aluminum Stage, 8:30 p.m.
“This song’s called ‘Range Life’.”

We’ve come to the end, you and I. If we haven’t parted ways yet, dear reader, I will bid you a fond farewell and offer you my sincerest thanks for reading. I mean that. I hope you enjoyed my observations. I also hope you don’t troll this wonderful website who’s graciously let me post the following review. The onus of what’s to come lies solely on the author.

There’s little point in me reviewing this show. I could fake it. I could fake it really well. I’m staring at a setlist online right now, I wrote notes on every song, I could piece it together and make it something really okay. But who wants to read a review from someone who doesn’t understand Pavement? It’s disingenuous. I did my research like a caring and responsible individual. I listened to Slanted and Enchanted and Crooked Rain Crooked Rain a whole heaping ton before the performance. But, in the end it’d be a waste of my time and yours. So, in lieu of a review, here’s a brief letter:

To the youth of Pitchfork Music Festival who felt Slighted and Disenchanted,

Pavement sang songs, but I didn’t know most of them. People danced, but I didn’t really know why. The guitars were sloppy, but they sounded fine. Malkmus sounded above average; at times even good. But the whole premise for Pavement headlining is that they were really popular 20 years ago. I was five years-old 20 years ago.

The best way I can describe the show for me is this: seeing Pavement is like watching Godfather Pt. 2 without ever seeing The Godfather. I know this is supposed to be a masterpiece, a legend before my very eyes, a band known by everyone in the music industry. Unfortunately, I have no context. So what I see before me is a mediocre band playing mediocre lo-fi music. To me, this is what Pavement is out of context.

For the first time in a long while, I felt excluded. I went back to these old feelings of animosity toward Pitchfork which had long sense been buried. “Stop making me feel stupid for not getting this, stop acting like you’re better than me.” Young or old, you know what I’m talking about. The whole show left me supremely melancholic. I wanted desperately to connect to what was happening on stage, but I kept failing.  Where’s my generation’s Pavement? How come I don’t get to celebrate this? I left feeling guilt-ridden as a music writer, a music fan, a person. It was rough.

But there was a moment during Pavement’s set that saved me from throwing my computer in front of a train and never writing about music again. Between songs, I noticed a guy who was jumping up and down, clapping, having the absolute time of his life. I, of course, didn’t know what song just played, so I went up to him and asked him what song that just was. He didn’t know. I asked him if he’s liking the show, and he said “Yeah, this is amazing, you?” I lied to him and said I was loving it. We talked about the festival a bit and he asked me what my favorite act was today and I told him it was Major Lazer. He jumped in, “Oh my god, they were the worst thing. I’ve been to all six Pitchfork Festivals and that was the worst thing they’ve ever put up on stage. Horrible.”

I was saved. I found my Pavement. It was, for this moment at least, Major Lazer. I had my circle of understanding, my opinions that someone else didn’t understand, I felt so good knowing that this guy didn’t “get it”. I’m included once again. My sanctimonious soul was revived, and now I am confident, intelligent, and unique. I have agency in this man’s stupidity at not realizing the genius of Major Lazer. And now I’m even more depressed than I was before.

Please don’t fall victim to what I felt. Pitchfork Music Festival was an amazing celebration of music and community, filled with so much love from the staff and artists. And it’s the bullshit that I felt about Pavement’s exclusivity that I know a lot of people felt about a lot of bands. Just because you don’t “get” something doesn’t make it a personal slight on you. Just because Pitchfork hypes a band that you don’t like doesn’t mean they understand something you don’t. There’s no such thing as elitism in music, from Panda Bear to Free Energy.

If this whole treatise seems all too obvious and jejune and preachy, I apologize. These are my thoughts at the close of a wonderful weekend. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from a festival, even Pavement. In The End: Pavement was pretty good, after all.

All photography provided by Meghan Brosnan.
——

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King of Hearts was originally scheduled for release in 2008, but left incomplete in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. The release has since been completed, pieced together from the demos and home recordings he left behind. And the end result, according to longtime friend and collaborator El-P, is a record that is “amazing, weird, raw, and original.”

“In many ways King of Hearts is a record of what could have been, a snapshot of an artist mid-evolution.  In some ways it’s a diary discovered in the belongings of a friend who passed away. Or maybe it’s a scrap book of a master inventor with only half of the schematics of some incredible new invention detailed inside. You don’t need to see the invention fully realized in order to recognize the magnitude of the creative force behind the sketches,” explains El-P.

In an issued press releases adds: “The record marks a departure from his former works, most notably as it finds Camu favoring a distinctively playful, semi-soul croon as well as the off-kilter and wild rapping that earned him a reputation among peers and fans as an innovative genius. Musically King of Hearts delves into realms of gritty, electropunk pop, alternately veering between the dark carnival-esque and the sublimely summery. Pleasantly disorienting electronic tones cascade and pulse as dense, propulsive beats build a solid foundation upon which Tao constructs immensely hooky and infectious choruses.”

King of Hearts will be available on August 17th. In conjunction with its release, Definitive Jux will also be issuing the long unreleased 2004 debut from Central Services, a production crew and side project between Tao and El-P. The effort, titled Forever Frozen in Television Time, will be available as a free download.

As an early preview, we’ve included a stream of King of Hearts track “Perfect Plan” below.

Check Out:
“Perfect Plan”

Sometime over the next 24 hours, the Pitchfork Music Festival will announce the next round of artists scheduled to partake in its 2010 festivities. According to the festival’s Facebook, among those included will be “some old friends, some newcomers, some locals, and at least animal-themed band.”

According to Time Out Chicago, Animal Collective’s Panda Bear, aka the most obvious choice ever, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are two of the biggest acts now set to hit Chicago’s Union Park between July 16-18. At some point, P4k approved up-and-comers Real Estate and The Smith Westerns should be announced as well.

We’ll update this post once an official announcement is made. Until then, have sweet dreams of Pavement.