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Got schedule anxiety? Leave the decision-making up to us.

Thursday Jul 10, 2008.     By K. Tighe

Festivals Feed

Nothing's harder on indecisive music buffs than sorting out a festival schedule; disappointment looms behind every amp, and there's no avoiding it. In years past you've come to trust us to iron out your Lollapalooza schedules, and now we're extending our music-consultant services to include the Pitchfork Music Festival, whose bookings this year pit genre against genre, buzz bands against underground virtuosos—and all in the same time slot. Here are the weekend's top battles, and our bets on which crowds to fight through. Note: We're starting the battles on Saturday, as the kind bookers at Pitchfork/ATP have allowed ample time to see all three of Friday's bands; thank goodness, because if we had to decide between Mission of Burma and Flavor Flav, our brains would probably melt.

SATURDAY

A Hawk and a Hacksaw (B) vs. Jay Reatard (A) vs. Caribou (C) vs. Icy Demons 1:25-3 p.m.
Advantage: Jay Reatard
Right out of the gate on Saturday, there'll be some tough decisions to make: Do you take in the Balkan-tinged folk sounds of Albuquerque duo, A Hawk and a Hacksaw? Chase down the buzz on Memphis punk Jay Reatard? Check out the math-infused electro stylings of Caribou or see what local club kids the Icy Demons are up to? Since there'll be plenty of opportunities to see Chicago's Demons, let's scratch that one out right away. Ditto for Caribou, who consistently delivers a stellar live show that's more appropriate for a cavernous club than a sunny day in the park: Which brings us to the real question: twee folk or spastic, blogosphere-propelled punk? No doubt the New Mexican duo is worth checking out, but Jay Reatard is the only one of these acts guaranteed to get the adrenaline going for the rest of the day. Long live punk rock.

Fleet Foxes (A) vs. Fuck Buttons (B) 3-4 p.m.
Advantage: Fleet Foxes
The Seattle-based Fleet Foxes artfully balance baroque sensibilities with overtones of grunge in their weirdo brand of folk rock (that has nothing to do with San Francisco's freak-folk movement, thank-you-very-much). Meanwhile, Fuck Buttons, the UK's prog-rock poster kids, deliver apocalyptic noise with pop flair. Although Foxes and Buttons occupy opposite ends of the genre spectrum, both bands appeal to audiences eager for a mid-day dose of psychedelia. For our money, the harmony-laden, big folk sound of Fleet Foxes perfectly embodies the summertime-festival spirit.

Vampire Weekend (A) vs. Elf Power (B) 5-6 p.m.
Advantage: Vampire Weekend
Oh, Industry Hype, you're such a fickle mistress. Vampire Weekend, that oft-blogged about band formed by a handful of Columbia University students, has a lot of living up to do. Its debut garnered heaps of glowing reviews, earning the boys hoards of adoring fans and tons of MySpace plays. The expected critical and hipster backlash came shortly after, with many asking, "Is Vampire Weekend just 2008's flash-in-the-pan?" Sorry, Elf Power, but we're gonna have to see if these Brooklyn kids fall on their faces or prove themselves worthy of all the attention.

!!! (C) vs. Extra Golden (B) 6-7 p.m.
Advantage: !!!
This is a tough one: It's almost time for the big bands to get started, and you need to get some dancing in before it gets too crowded. Do you wiggle to the Benga strains of Kenya-based (Thrill Jockey-signed) Extra Golden or to the sweaty hipster grooves of Brooklyn's punctuation-rebels? While my inner music critic says, "Run run run to the Extra Golden stage, especially after !!!'s lackluster performance at Lollapalooza last year," I just can't: Extra Golden will put on a phenomenal show, but when !!! turns on its A-game (which is likely this year, given the small side-stage booking, where the band can interact with the crowd), you'll have more fun than you've had all year.

The Hold Steady (A) vs. Atlas Sound (B) vs. Jarvis Cocker (C) vs. No Age (B) 7-9 p.m.
Advantage: Hold Steady, Jarvis Cocker
As the evening draws to a close, the end game is to get to the Animal Collective set on the Aluminum stage by 9 p.m., but which route to take? In two hours, you could probably catch a bit of each of these bands, but if you're not crazy about spending most of the show elbowing through crowds, you'll have to choose. Although Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox's solo project, Atlas Sound, is usually a grand time, sticking with the Hold Steady, which always delivers top-notch fun with its distinctive take on geek rock, will set the tone for the rest of the night. Venture over to the Connector stage to catch Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker doling out the Brit-pop, then load up on enough 312s to get you through Animal Collective's headlining performance.

SUNDAY

High Places (B) vs. Dirty Projectors (A) 1:25-2 p.m.
Advantage: High Places
Brooklyn duo High Places is about to break big, and on Chicago's own Thrill Jockey label, no less. While fellow Brooklynites the Dirty Projectors have honed their orchestral pop skills down to a science, including the occasional deeply penetrating dance beat, the highly experimental tunes just don't seem suited to an afternoon outdoors. Plus, we just can't help but swoon over the glitched-out island-electro thing that High Places is rockin'.

Boris (C) vs. HEALTH (B) 2-3 p.m.
Advantage: Boris
Sometimes 'loud' just isn't enough; sometimes you need grating, invasive METAL as delivered by a trio of Japanese hotties. That would be Boris for you; the group wears its influences on its sleeves, from the hard-rocking Melvins to the delicate tunes of Nick Drake. Needless to say, there's no getting bored with Boris on stage. While we couldn't be more excited that Los Angeles noise-rockers HEALTH are coming out for the festivities, we plan to catch them at the Hideout aftershow on Friday.

M. Ward (C) vs. The Dodos (B) 6-7 p.m.
Advantage: M. Ward
We're not hippies or anything—in fact, we kinda hate hippies—but we feel that every outdoor fest needs a folk troubadour to step up and make us sway. Fortunately for us, Townes Van Zandt's heir apparent, M. Ward, isn't a hippie, either. Ward's been around forever, and we've always adored him. This year, he became a household name with new project, She & Him; the duo's other half, "It"-girl and surprisingly impressive musician Zooey Deschanel, is rumored to be popping in for a cameo.

Spiritualized (A) vs. Bon Iver (B) 7-8 p.m.
Advantage: Spiritualized
This is the tough one, folks. Justin Vernon, the year's most promising new singer-songwriter, or Jason Spaceman after a deathbed-defying hiatus? Um, we're gonna say lung failure trumps heartbreak. Songs in A & E, the new Spiritualized album, is chock-full of the kind of slow, melancholy gems we first fell in love with on 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, but we suspect that—since this is the largest Spiritualized show on U.S. soil in a very, very long time—the band will be playing well into its back catalogue.

Pitchfork offers much more than music. Study up with our guides to the fest's can't-miss food booths and other vendors. Plus, get all the tips you need to survive the weekend.