The entire tour carried a new, fresh energy for the rapper, usurping his alias in favor of his full name, Thebe Kgositsile.

There aren’t many artists whose presence in the city is palpable on the day they’re in town. Few can elicit such a powerful feeling of anticipation, and those who do barely even touch Boston on their tour routes. On the second day of April, upon entrance at Paradise Rock Club, anyone could infer their attendance would be for something much much more than a simple concert, but a masterclass in performance and timelessness.

Earl Sweatshirt at Paradise Rock Club. Photo by Chris Triunfo for WRBB.

Coming off one of 2018’s best received and critically reviewed releases, 

, Los Angeles rapper and producer Earl Sweatshirt brought his “FIRE IT UP!” tour through a lulled Tuesday night, capping the room and demanding the eyes and ears of a surprisingly age-diverse crowd. After the drawn out and artificially hyped set from Chattanooga-based MC BbyMutha, Earl quietly took the stage, greeted by a raise of house lights to reveal the overly enthusiastic room.

Basking in the warm welcome, Earl surveyed the expanse of the stage as colorful visuals played on the projector behind him. He spoke to his excitement, reckoning with the front row before diving into cuts from his debut, 

. The immediacy of his catalog’s personal connections with each listener was clear, as many walked through each line of the earlier releases with Earl. The rapper spent his time slowly pacing from side to side, allowing crisp and concise delivery of his trademark snarky lyricism. Each track went relatively unabated until Earl picked out a kid from the crowd who he mentioned as being particularly amusing, warping his involvement into an unexpected, yet warming motif of fan engagement.

As the Soul Superiors sample for “Ontheway!” hit, the set had reached full stride. 

 cuts like “Mint Green” and “Azucar” allowed Earl to showcase that the dynamic and innovative qualities of his studio production translate into texturally rich and intense live renditions. Just as with headphones, the listener is thrown full-force into Earl’s unique and authoritative sonic palette, sweeping you up with rhythmic chops and cuts as he delivers nonchalant wisdom.

The entire tour carried a new, fresh energy for the rapper, usurping his alias in favor of his full name, Thebe Kgositsile, to present the experience and live collaborators in a more controlled and representative way. More and more has ‘Earl Sweatshirt’ become project-based, where the creative’s identity behind has stretched and grown. With increasing authenticity in musical direction and an 

 base to reject from previous involvements, the course is set for Earl to take action.

Earl Sweatshirt gives Boston an unforgettable performance

Block Party, WRBB’s annual Fall Concert, is this Friday, September 7th! Take a minute to get introduced to Saba, and we’ll see you at the show.

Chicago’s rap scene is a stunning one, producing not only high quality rappers, but some of the country’s most thought-provoking and progressive young artists to date. Chief among those is the west side’s own Tahj Malik Chandler, better known by his performance pseudonym, Saba. While he first gained national recognition as a feature on contemporary Chance the Rapper’s groundbreaking 

 mixtape, Saba’s unique blend of witty and palpably emotional lyricism has helped carved out a spot as a premier talent in his own right. Even before featuring on major releases, Saba had been honing his skills as a writer and poet through the storied Young Chicago Authors, where other alums such as Noname and Jamila Woods also began their come ups. The collaborative identity further continued with 2016’s landmark 

, combining a kaleidoscope of immense talent, reflecting his wills to showcase the community Chicago had built out of music.

Saba’s tendency for providing lucid and striking narratives truly shown through on 2018’s 

, highlighting his knack for incredibly introspective and capturing speech. Songs like “SMILE” and “GREY” showcase his breezy, yet purposeful flow — words ever so carefully curated to remind listeners of their utmost importance. Though it still retained some of his past work’s jazz-tinged influence, the immediacy of production and stripped beats brings 

 into a special cabinet of artists seriously taking ahold of their sound and crafting the most genuine and fulfilling record that anyone will hear this year. As Pitchfork 

’s “instrumentation is bracing, almost as if played live for a crowd”, making the prospect of Friday night all the more exciting.

Saba is an artist on the rise, reshaping what it means to be an artist on the rise. WRBB is truly honored to support and present a platform to share his music.

Want to learn more about Saba? Check out his 

 and make sure to get to the gig this Friday, September 7th at 7:30pm in Afterhours. (NU Only)

Meet the Block Party Lineup: Saba

2018 proved to be a monumental year for Pitchfork, and WRBB couldn’t be happier.

As far as weekend caps go, there are few better than what the WRBB team had the pleasure of experiencing last night. With a gut-punching, call-home-to-your-friends inducing lineup for the last day of Pitchfork 2018, Sunday became relentless in the pursuit of a transcendent musical experience. Balancing old heads with new heads, Sunday once again proved that comprehensive and thoughtful booking still deserves a seat at the industry table.

Though gates were delayed in the morning due to the weather, Chicago’s Nnamdi Ogbonnaya stimulated the crowd with an intense array of noodling guitars, intricate melodies, and an insightful flow. His unique hold on combining rap and rock make for a dynamic set, regrettably cut short to 30 minutes as the festival began making up the lost time. Irreversible Entanglements struck next with fluttering free jazz turned slam poetry clinic, leaving the audience with the most visceral and raw performance of the day. Kweku Collins then took the stage to an immediately war reception, as the local rapper brought both an infectious charisma and solid dance moves to balance out the still greying skies.

Ravyn Lenae continued the onslaught of Chicago talent-the singer electrified with groovy renditions from this year’s critically acclaimed Crush EP, produced by and featuring The Internet’s Steve Lacy. She even began her set by prompting the audience to leave their bodies and remember her lyrics. On the far side of the park, Japanese Breakfast continued what should be considered as a fully developed epidemic, as Michelle Zauner and company delivered spacious melodies and driving guitars on “Everybody Wants to Love You” and “Diving Woman”. Zero Fatigue’s Smino and the ubiquitous Noname gave the day a gigantic one-two, leading Union Park into a whirlwind of smooth production, witty lines, and chilled-out dancing. Chaka Khan kept the fire burning by playing the classics with a solid band, keeping the crowd moving and essentially priming the crowd for what was still to come. If anyone asks, her voice still has it, and it’s a sight to behold live.

Though it took a cool 20 minutes for the actual set to start (in which an unexpected DJ set met a surprisingly receptive audience), Ms. Lauryn Hill’s entrance was, hands down, the most invigorating and exciting moment of Pitchfork. Complete with a small metropolis of musicians, producers, and background singers, Miseducation blew away any preconceived notions and predictions. Renditions of “Doo Wop” and “To Zion” were events in their own right, creating an amazing atmosphere that couldn’t have wrapped this year’s festival up any better.

Follow along as the WRBB coverage team prepares for Post4k coverage tomorrow, as well as a stand-alone podcast featuring artists from this year’s lineup discussing mental health and its relation to the music industry. Thank you for hanging with us this weekend, and we hope to be back with content when the next rolls around.

WRBB at Pitchfork 2018: Sunday

Pitchfork’s mellow atmosphere served Saturday’s lineup well.

With the threat of rain still looming large over the weekend, Saturday seemed poised to be a “skip” day for many festival-goers. Arguably the weakest day in terms of lineup strength, the outcome was surprisingly more solid than anyone would have anticipated—staple and venerable acts formed a day just as enjoyable as the more dynamic book-endings.

The day started out appropriately chilled out and relaxed, as Chicago’s Paul Cherry provided Mild High Club-esque songs to a crowd ok with spending some time sitting in the grass. The sheen of Cherry’s 70s spectacle proved to be a welcomed chance of pace before berhana injected the audience with uptempo romps and smooth production grooves. Zola Jesus took the Green stage not far after, and after seeing her invigorating performance fall flat earlier this year at Boston Calling, it was nice to see Pitchfork more eagerly receptive of her art and performance. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s beautiful electronic soundscape was a pleasure to catch—those in attendance were greeted by the visceral nature of her giant patch pay and analog synthesizers.

Making her was from London, guitarist Nilüfer Yanya had the biggest midday draw, playing an inventive mix of jazz and rock (if it can even be pigeon-holed by these constraints) with a hearty full band. “Thanks 4 Nothing” and “Golden Cage” received many approving head bobs as the set progressed to a groovy abandon by its close. Quite similarly, the one and only Moses Sumney captured and stunned with incredibly magnetic arrangements, adding clarinet, flute, and violin to complement his unique vocal range. Raphael Saadiq infused some hesitant dancing from the dampened population, though his short rendition of Solange’s 

 got a few moving along. Blood Orange and The War on Drugs made out well, as those camping for Fleet Foxes seemed well-read enough to handle the shifts in style between the two artists. Both sounded more complete and realized live, bringing energy felt in two very much “studio” albums (

With rain falling once again, Fleet Foxes came out of the gate with the power and immediacy of “Grown Ocean”. The band crafted new connections in the transitions between older and newer songs, developing new takes on their catalog while brass accompaniment from the Westerlies only enhanced the performance. Looking around, it seemed as if most were genuinely enjoying themselves as the music became framed perfectly by the weather for a second night.

WRBB at Pitchfork 2018: Saturday

Friday’s esoteric lineup proves Pitchfork still has it.

With what seemed like a mish-mosh of different styles, genres, and audiences, there was no telling what Pitchfork’s first day of festivities would hold in store. Though most seemed to be focused on making it to the headliner, the day was scattered with unexpected gems all along the way. The WRBB coverage team took up Friday with open ears and good spirits.

The first notable set of the day belonged to rising guitarist Lucy Dacus and her reverberating slow-rock. It seemed like the crowd agreed that the greying skies were best experienced accompanied by the immediacy of Dacus’ lyrics aside faded guitars. Similarly, singer/songwriter Julie Byrne provided a vibey and intimate take on her introspective compositions, bringing out friends to join her on violin, synthesizer, and harp. Off in the distance, Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society created an infectious drone, lulling the audience to gently sway with the sounds of his 

The middle of the day hit with an onslaught of rap and hip hop. Open Mike Eagle warmly welcomed the crowd at the blue stage to his new support group, offering career and life advice while speaking on social anxiety using inventive vignettes. Chicago local Saba absolutely stunned the Red Stage, commanding complete attention as he played highlights from this year’s 

. On the other side of the musical sliding scale, Big Thief’s set awed and amazing with drawn out renditions of “Real Love” and “Shark Smile”

Buck Meek and singer Adrianne Lenker’s cohesive and striking guitar tones filling up the space between the trees. Courtney Barnett’s massive set only confirmed her rockstar status, as the entire festival seemed to belt out the lyrics to “Elevator Operator” in full.

After more than 12 hours on our feet, we capped Friday in awe of the brilliant lights and sounds of headliner Tame Impala—a slight drizzle coating both the audience and band as well. The dripping sonic display brought on heavy visuals as “Mind Mischief” and “Sundown Syndrome” smoothed over the crowd. Though a Tame performance is always a treat to see, it has been three years since a real change in the setlist with no new music to cover. Nevertheless, a perfect way to embrace the melancholy of the weather as we headed back for the night.

Catch the WRBB team take on Saturday’s lineup, with continued social media coverage on NU snapchat (@northeastern) and CAMD instagram (@northeasterncamd) for the best view into the weekend’s action.

WRBB at Pitchfork 2018: Friday

After a year away, WRBB makes a triumphant return to Chicago for an electric Pitchfork Music Festival.

After a year away, WRBB returns to Chicago for another year at Pitchfork Music Festival. Last year was a flurry of great music and wonderful food, so we would be totally irrational not to do it again, right? The WRBB coverage team has prepared a hearty takeover of NU snapchat (@northeastern) and CAMD instagram (@northeasterncamd) to bring all of you closer to the action happening at Union Park. The team will also be on the ground with artists, producing a podcast focused around mental health in the music industry as it relates to touring and the creative process. Stick with us as we break down the days:

Friday starts off strong with Chicago-based rockers Melkbelly, as well as sets by the rising guitarist Lucy Dacus and the introspective acoustic soundings of the venerable Julie Byrne. A slurry of innovative and forward-thinking rap subsumes the middle of the day—Open Mike Eagle, Saba, Syd, and newcomer Tierra Whack look to fill Union Park with an exciting variety of sounds and textures. The night then caps with indie stalwarts such as Big Thief, Courtney Barnett, and Tame Impala. Opening day will have a little bit of everything, easing the audience into the jam-packed weekend of inventive and thought-provoking performances.

Saturday will be the lighter of the three-day fest, as the roster includes a host of electronic and R&B artists no sane person would ever miss. The dynamic Zola Jesus lines up against Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and jazz-tinged Nilufer Yanya. Moses Sumney, Blood Orange (

) and the legendary Raphael Saadiq. Saturday also sees a reunion for groundbreaking British experimental rock band This Heat, as well as much anticipated sets from Kelela and Fleet Foxes. Expect Saturday to break barriers, destroy preconceptions, and just be a real good time.

Wrapping up, Sunday provides Pitchfork to showcase the bubbling talent pool of Chicago rap and hip hop artists, featuring Nnamdi Ogbonnaya off-kilter experimental rap, Ravyn Lenae and her insanely groovy Crush EP, Noname’s infectiously savvy wordplay, and Smino’s unique flow. Also gracing the stage is forever-fav Japanese Breakfast, Chaka Khan in the flesh, and an (expected) performance by the Ms. Lauryn Hill, performing Miseducation in full for the album’s 30 anniversary. The day is booming, and we have high hopes our weekend will see the appropriate send off as we hop back on the El.

Aside from the mounds of music we are about to experience, WRBB is set on highlighting Pitchfork’s many other amenities for concert-goers, including the Chirp 107.1FM Record Fair (featuring direct sales from labels like Sub Pop, Secretly Group, and more), Renegade Craft Fair, and a partnership with 

 (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to raise awareness for sexual violence and support survivors.

Look out for further coverage as we head downtown!

WRBB at Pitchfork 2018: Pre4k Coverage

WRBB caught up with Molly Rankin, frontwoman of Toronto stalwarts Alvvays, before their show at Paradise Rock Club to discuss hermitry, producing on the fly, and why you should be eating pizza while spinning their new record.

[three_fourth]Starting the Alvvays discography off with an album so critically acclaimed must have been exciting — and such a remarkable affirmation of the work and progress you made to get to the self-titled. I wanted to ask you about your mindset in approaching this new album. I know you all were workshopping songs and even had some in the live rotation very early on, but what was it like to sit down and start crafting them as “an album?”

Molly: Some of the songs were written while we were still touring the self-titled record, so we had some of it finished. I went away, sort of in solitude, to write the remainder of the record, and I really just wanted to keep doing what I had done before with Alec – just focus on making catchy melodies and pop songs that can bounce around in your brain. You know, use words that were exciting to roll off the tongue, and I think that’s still there in our current record now. I feel pretty good about it!

The album seems to maintain a wonderfully cohesive and dream-like state, where the wall of sound and song structure is emotionally palpable throughout. There are so many little hidden idiosyncrasies and layers that I wanted to ask what your thought process was in production. The bridges to a couple songs almost seem to have classical influence.

Alec is probably a bit more into that stuff, but yeah. I mean, we started in LA. We started tracking and doing bass and drums – more of the skeletal elements. When we got back home, we realized we didn’t have everything we needed, so Alec really learned how to record things and I was sort of helping. We were going through this growth where we were learning about reamping and how to EQ bass and drums ­– we did a lot of the mixing ourselves. It was fun to go through that, but at the same time, it’s not really something we knew how to do. At some points, we would hit a wall in our knowledge of how to accomplish what we wanted to hear, but I think eventually we got all the little bits to pop through and serve their purposes for the songs.

 than the last because you had to learn on the fly, as you were producing?

They’re kind of like children to me. I feel pretty connected to both of them – it’s been a long time since I’ve heard the debut record. I do feel, when I listen to the songs, I know where each part came from. I had a little bit more of an understanding of how things got to where they sounded like. That was sort of the case with the first record, too. We were sort of given the sessions and had to get them to where we wanted them to be ourselves in Toronto – just sort of something that inevitably happens to us.

In “Hey,” you introduce this character, Molly Mayhem. I know that the narrative of 

 is based on true sentiments, as you mentioned its “vicarious” nature – do find that using an alter-ego or character has any effect on your headspace when you write songs?

Sort of in a method acting way? Sometimes ­– I mean, it’s fun to play those songs live and channel that energy. Certainly in my teens I probably was a little more reckless, but now being more of an old lady who stays inside a lot, it’s fun to live vicariously through the songs and exciting situations and journeys that I can travel through myself that otherwise wouldn’t be available to me in the real world.

Do you see that continuing through to the next release? Maybe explore an entirely different world?

I haven’t really thought about the next record. Good question. I think people are asking me about that before the record even came out, so I’m kind of ready for that. Records can be a bit disposable in that sense, but I think I’ll just continue to do what I’m doing. I don’t feel any reason to depart from that.

In lieu of recent events, I wanted to get your opinion on the treatment of female frontwoman in the music industry and how the community as a whole can work to mitigate further behavior during live shows and in the media.

I think I tend to write romantic narratives. I don’t think that should ever be construed as an invitation for unwanted advances – I don’t think that’s a fair cognitive leap to make. It’s a rare event things like that happen to us on stage, and now I have to talk about it. He doesn’t really have to talk about it. I don’t really want to make promotional hay out of the situation, I just think that a foundation of respect for people that you’re surrounded by and surrounded with is a necessary thing. If you don’t understand how to be a reasonable human, or behave reasonably, then maybe you shouldn’t go to shows.

How would you want people to approach listening to your album? Where would they be or what would they be doing? Do you have a food/drink to pair with it?

I’m usually outside when I listen to records. I’m generally walking through the city with headphones on – by myself, in my own world. It just seems to make my surrounding that much more vivid and exciting to me. If you want to listen to it around friends, that’s fine, too. That’s just how I experience a lot of my music is when I’m by myself. Now that it’s fall…food or drink…I’m a big fan of pizza, so I recommend pizza.

We don’t have enough of that unfortunately, but that would be nice to get some!

Well, maybe you can open up your own pizza shop…Take matters into your own hands.

Q&A with Alvvays

As we come down from our Pitchfork Festival high, we invite listeners and readers alike to experience this open process with us! Curious who we loved and coulda left? We discuss it all in our podcast and leave some of our more creative categories to be explored below. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for photos from all of the sets we caught as well as some fun, ~exclusive~ content for your eyes and ears only!

I’m such a dang sucker for everything about 

 that I’m giving it this award even though the Avalanches didn’t end up being able to perform at the festival. It’s impossible to listen to that album and not be awe at the use of sampling but also how universally palatable the group is able to make such complex music. Go listen to this one all the way through again and tell me it isn’t everything you want from the act and Pitchfork festival itself. -Kara

I have to throw Hamilton Leithauser some love here. 

 is my undisputed album of the year from 2016, and nothing else gets as close. Working with Rostam of Vampire Weekend, Leithauser was able to craft his own little world of 50s edge and Dylan-esque storytelling. Carefully and expertly curated, the raw energy of this work translated amazingly well to the stage, especially in a summer setting. With sunglasses and perpetual blazer, Leithauser and band solidified my thoughts and hopefully persuaded others. -Andrew

It was so amazing to bookend Sunday’s outfits with 

 & Co delivering their monochromatic orange look. The later is the master of the monochrome so I was in visual heaven at this pairing. Andrew and I are both suckers for workwear so 

’s backup singers took the cake with their neon yellow jumpsuits. I’m still trying to hunt down a pair so the two of us can channel this look. -Kara

I saw a couple different people wearing jumpsuits that weekend after the Madame Gandhi set, so to say it had an influence might be coincidence. Regardless, I think a lot of people took it as a cue to explore the style a bit more, and it honestly wouldn’t hurt. I also have to throw a bone to 

’s band for rocking the bolo ties when no one else had the courage to. Job well done. -Andrew

I’m sorry but when every element comes together the way they did during 

’s set you just have to ride the wave of WTF and let the artist take you on their journey. It’s a rare moment and definitely not one you find with one artist for so many people, especially in a crowd of such discerning tastes. But Solange brought that on the last night of Pitchfork in a way that was both incredibly casual and effortless but also cold, calculated, and an utter knockout. Catch me gushing about this set forever. -Kara

 all weekend, but since we had stayed for the duration of the set after the other photographers had left, we felt like it deserved a spot. Though a bit shorthanded in terms of their roster, the New Jersey natives came in full force to spark the smallest stage with the warmest of energy. Dynamic in lyricism and in presence, Pinegrove’s music is best served live and outdoors, making their set shine. -Andrew

Both WRBB and Weyes Blood enjoy Angel Olsen’s music

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WRBB Podcast: Post4k Recap

Although we’ll be providing a more thorough review post-festival, tune in at the end of every day for our P4k High Notes feature to get a rundown of what we’re loving at the festival!

Hear! Hear! (Our favorite sets of the day)

On Sunday, I was absolutely floored at the quality of each and every set. I knew that each artist would bring their A game, but something about this specific collection of artists made the third day of Pitchfork one of the most musically rewarding experiences in recent memory. If I had narrow it to one, I might be inclined to pick avant garde saxophonist 

. After doing session work for the top of the indie crop (LCD, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver), Stetson has made a good name as a solo performer for his hypnotic and almost meditative approach to drone sax. As a wonderful free-jazz and experimental hybrid, his masterful use of frequency left me speechless at the set’s end. -Andrew

It’s almost shocking when a headline artist delivers a thought provoking set teeming with musical prowess and performing ability but 

 delivered these all in spades. It was refreshing to see a headliner who has clearly thought out their set in the most minute detail. It was no small feat that every movement on stage was choreographed by the artist and her selections for a wide berth of instrumentalists and vocalists were decadent. She is truly earning her name as a performance artist, playing with freedom and control in a blend of the visual and sonic. Her message and music was well received by a crowd collectively and effectively choosing to embrace our cultural evolution which Solange embodies so wonderfully. The weekend featured several other performers Solange has collaborated with and her music was the perfect choice to cap off a festival littered with cross influence and utilization of techniques across genre. -Kara

Like I said, I wasn’t truly let down by any of the acts today, although I will say that I found Chicago-based 

’s set to be a bit flat. Their combination of post punk and shimmering guitar lines sounds immaculate recorded, but the real mistake here was having them on the Green Stage, the largest of the three. Their sound isn’t meant to fill a hall; combined with the outside atmosphere, Ne-Hi would have been better suited in a scaled down setting. -Andrew

This is an especially difficult category for a day absolutely packed to the brim with considerable talent coupled with expert execution. I will take a cop out and say that I was mildly heartbroken to hear that the 

 were unable to perform. If you know me at all you know that I have a healthy dose of respect for any sample heavy artists so the cancellation hit home. I was pleasantly surprised when 

 was bumped up to the Green Stage due to their absence and delivered a set absolutely deserving of the slot. The Avalanches’ tradition of evading Pitchfork continues but on completely valid terms, with yesterday’s cancellation being due to an illness in Spankrock’s family. Nothing but well wishes going out to them. -Kara

. 2016 produced a lot of album I hold dear and believe to be on par or better than 

, but her live show is a spectacle that I wasn’t prepared for. The music, although emotionally intense and highly groove-infused, was not the main focus. Couple with this was Solange’s carefully structured choreography, which was at times both graceful and furiously grand. I found myself given all sides of the stages, all angles, and all depths equal attention, just waiting to see what was planned at the next downbeat. -Andrew

I was already pretty familiar with the other artists performing on Sunday but wasn’t particularly sure what to expect from 

’s live set. I’m happy to report I was absolutely thrilled at what I did hear. I won’t bore you by echoing all of Andrew’s points so here’s my hot take – while I was incredibly sad to hear that 

 would not be joined by keyboardist/vocalist Nandi Rose Plunkett at Pitchfork as she is touring as her solo project, Half Waif, with Saturday’s performer Mitski, I was thrilled at how the boys performed despite her absence. A lot of Pinegrove’s live set banks on gorgeously full arrangements, with a decent amount of the more complex harmonies provided by Plunkett. Though the absence could be detected by seasoned ears, I was ecstatic to see them pull off their set with the same level of excellence they usually bring. A happy (belated) birthday to drummer Zack Levine! – Kara

Foodie Fights (the best of food/drink for Friday)

At this point in the weekend, Kara and I weren’t really focusing on eating as much as we were enduring the final shoots despite minimal sleep. When we did refuel though, the Chicago staple of Billy Goat’s burgers were enough to keep up on the right track. –Andrew

“Solange is basically Beyonce for people who know about music.”

P4K – Sunday’s High Notes

This might be the easy pick, but it’s also the undisputed best of the day. For Saturday’s headliner, we were able to experience the return of Jamaica, Queens legends 

–a set that left me utterly speechless and truly inspired. In their first real live performance without Phife Dawg, Q-Tip made touching use of a spare mic during every one of Phife’s verses, hyping the crowd to pay respect to the 5-foot assassin. Joined on stage by frequent collaborator Consequence and sometimes-member Jarobi White, Tip and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammed ripped through their extensive and dynamic discography to bring the jazz to Union Park. Coupled along with some light beatboxing and audience back and forth, this was a set for the ages. – Andrew

’s set lived up to everything I wanted for her and the audience. Sometimes I forget that while her career is taking off wildly, the singer-songwriter is still breaking through to a larger audience. There was a large chorus of her audience singing back every word but there was an even larger amount of Pitchfork attendees gaining exposure to the songstress and drinking in every word with the highlight of the set being the epic sing-a-long to ‘Your Best American Girl.’ Mitski maintains epic control of her live mix, which allows her to produce a slightly more bare but still incredibly full version of her recorded material. Mitski spoke sparingly during her set, reminding her audience that beer is not water but also taking a moment to thank the audience for letting her achieve her childhood dreams, getting slightly choked up in the process. -Kara

 is a bonafide legend and deserves to be at the top of musical royalty as history would see. The set that he puts on with the rest of Parliament Funkadelic is one filled with awe and pure musicality that only a veteran can really show, but for their time at Pitchfork, it felt a tad flat. There was a clear imbalance between the sound coming from the stage and the energy seen, as most instrumental passages sounded slightly muted and wrongfully stripped of their usual abandon. The audience, however, didn’t seem to mind one bit (and rightfully so!), as the house was still brought down in spite of this unfortunate handicap. -Andrew

I admit to not being as familiar with the typical live approach of most artists performing on Saturday and every set I caught was wonderfully executed. No complaints here! -Kara

When you come out on stage crawling and demonically screaming, that’s a pretty good indication of the set you want to produce. For LA-based 

, that meant one of high power, groove, and a load of stage antics via their front-woman Clementine Creevy–coming across as one of the more enjoyable and engaging young musicians to play the fest. Cherry Glazerr play a nice mix of CA surf rock and hard punk, so it was interesting to hear them tow the line live and truly nail their set. -Andrew

I’m going to double down on Andrew’s choice of

 here – Clementine Creevy’s stage presence brought a new energy to the festival, with no holds barred aggression topped with the cherry (ha!) of a giant, explosive, “Fuck you!”, as the first words spoken on stage. As much as Creevy is performing, there is an apparent catharsis behind the act of playing these songs live. – Kara

If you followed WRBB on Northeastern snapchat, you’ll remember that we got kicked out of the photo pit for the Parliament Funkadelic set–which is understandable since we now get to say we’ve felt the rock star, fuck-em-all attitude of 

. Other than that, it was incredibly hot, which demanded a lot of hydration and towels in between running from set to set. The most demanding and exhausting day so far. -Andrew

’s set due to festival wear and tear but hearing what I did was wonderful. -Kara

After shooting for Saturday, Kara and I headed to the Lincoln Park institution Allende for some amazing and cheap Mexican food. There is nothing more magical than a al pastor torta stuffed to the brim, but it somehow exceeded with no up-charge for avocado. With top-notch salsa roja to boot, there’s no wonder why Allende holds a steady stream of patrons until the early hours of the morning. –Andrew

Wow Bao pork buns are a magical lil treat, perfectly suited for a festival setting. Me and my hot asian buns ??? – Kara

Jeff Rosenstock announcing his festival rate and proactively apologizing for whichever Pitchfork employees loses their jobs for bringing him out.

P4K – Saturday’s High Notes

In possibly the biggest draw Union Park has seen in awhile, James Murphy and the rest of the 

 family graced the stage just as the sun set across the way. Playing out the night with the hits (for lack of a better word, sorry James), the crowd was filled with a palpable excitement that didn’t subside until they were collectively sure there was no encore. The wave of emotion and groove catalyzed by moments such as the drop in “Dance Yrself Clean” and wonderfully drawn out “Get Innocuous” moved spectators of all ages. The giant disco ball and light show just added to the frantic rave going down during “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”. – Andrew

 was going to get everyone into the festival state of mind but I wasn’t quite prepared for the gusto with which he would do so. Yesterday’s Pitchfork crowd was especially subdued, even during Vince Staples’ set on the same stage a couple of hours before, but Brown was able to coax more energy out of them than was seen until headliners LCD hit the stage. Tongue out and devil horns flashing, it was impossible not to get caught up in Brown’s live performance which was as much a visual spectacle as an audible one. I’m not sure anyone else will be able to bring that energy again. – Kara

When you have the track record that Dave Longstreth does on his work with 

, there is a certain expectation that holds for live shows. Knowing the music Longstreth and co. make is so dynamic and explosive, I was a bit miffed with the live renditions off their S/T release. The album itself is dense and uniquely layered, so hearing stems play live with little texture added didn’t go over too well. That being said, I appreciated the bright horn arrangements and minimalist approach to the material from 

It’s always kind of sad when you hear the live version of a recorded track you love and it just drops the ball. I was left with that feeling hearing 

’ ‘If I Had a Dog.’ Perhaps it was the location’s acoustics or a strange live mix but one of my favorite tracks off of 

 lost its warmth and felt far too sparse even for a Frankie Cosmos track. The rest of the set had the same quality, which I was not expecting from Kline and her band. – Kara

 is amazing–no one needs to remind me of that. Even then, I was pleasantly surprised with the sheer energy and happiness that could possibly come from one man up on a stage. With his trademark cackle and The Wall shirt, Brown engaged his crowd on a highly personal level as every head moving with the glitched out tracks being laid down. Though the set was thorough, it also moved way too fast–a sure indication I was having way more fun than I realized. -Andrew

 on the Dirty Projectors track ‘Cool Your Heart’ (cowritten by Sunday’s headliner Solange) before yesterday. While she was fabulous on the featured song on the recording and in person during David Longstreth & Co’s set, she absolutely killed her own performance on the Blue Stage. While the Blue Stage is more secluded and much smaller than the other two, Dawn brought high production value and even higher energy. She and her backup dancers were incredibly fun to shoot and the music was complex but danceable. I’ll definitely be adding a few of her tracks to a FemmeFreak playlist. -Kara

 – his lyricism, flow, the challenge he asserts to everyone to take him at face value or dare to delve in deeper – but sadly his live singing voice is not included in that list. While the rest of his set was absolutely seamless, the mix for ‘Lemme Know’ featured Staples rap-singing the harmony of the chorus above the track of Jhene Aiko who brings the breathy melody. It was jarring and took me out of the moment, leaving me wishing he had chosen another track during his all too short set. A smaller issue to some, it was one that stuck with me throughout the rest of the day, perhaps because of the perfection I expect of him. – Kara

Since the West Loop neighborhood is basically synonymous with exceptional food, I had my eyes on getting over to Green Street Smoked Meats, just East of the park grounds. Now, even by the name, any meat lover would be sold on this place, but the resulting meal was something I was not prepared for. In an almost cafeteria-style setting, Kara and I devoured about 2 lbs of food late after we finished our first day of coverage. There is really no better way to cap than with BBQ. – Andrew

While we didn’t grab anything to eat during the festival itself, Andrew took me to Do-Rite Donuts before we started the day and I’m still thinking about the spicy chicken sandwich I got there. The combination of sandwich and chocolate donut was the perfect mix of savory and sweet to get me through a long day of shooting. -Kara

“Hey, yeah I’m from French…I’m France!”

– Making friends waiting for the LCD set to start

P4K – Friday’s High Notes

Andrew and Kara are back with your last round of Pre4k coverage – this time in podcast format! We started our festival experience off last night at the Charles Bradley show at the Chicago House of Vans, courtesy of Grandstand HQ, and decided to give you all some audio treats before we head off to the official start of Pitchfork Festival! Listen below to hear us discuss artists we’re excited about, Pitchfork itself, and Team Zissou.

Today’s gonna be a high energy one, so be on the look out for a wrap up post later today of everything we were able to catch!

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WRBB Podcast: Pre4k Edition

 Catch LCD Soundsystem at 8:10pm on Friday, performing on the Green Stage

 Dance Yrself Clean, North American Scum, All My Friends

This is a no brainer for most music enthusiasts. The crafted cynicism of one James Murphy, front-old man of the beloved NYC outfit, is finally back with a promise of new material. Withconcerts sold out in the blink of an eye and every 20-something on the edge of their seat to see Murphy and co retract their long goodbye, LCD Soundsystem’s performance should be a wonderfully eclectic and profoundly danceable experience that even your dad wouldn’t miss.

For some of us, the call to inspiration comes in the little things: making your parents proud or receiving the satisfaction that your are doing something to better the world. For Murphy, it was the elaborate power of David Bowie. After 2010’s 

and the subsequent disbanding of LCD, the music industry was left without a voice of reason and wry truth telling– one that called out the rapid gentrification his hometown in “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”, or the maligned dialogue on record label influence and artistic integrity in “You Wanted A Hit”. After working in minimal capacity on 

, Murphy revealed that, at the advice of Bowie, he was able to face the uncomfort of getting the band back together and pick up the pieces cast aside in 2011.

Now, after the release of the first secular LCD Soundsystem music in over 7 years, Murphy and co. are gracing the stage in Chicago this Friday with just a taste of what is in store come September. 

 looks to be a more collaborative effort among the LCD family, exploring further introspection and embodying the words of David Bowie in every twist of Murphy’s now trademark analysis on it all. This is not just a reunion gig– LCD Soundsystem is regaining its edge, and we get to watch.

Listen to “call the police” and “american dream” here:

Pre4k: LCD Soundsystem

WRBB is happy to announce that we will be attending this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL!

Started in 2006, the Union Park grounds have been the meeting place of eclectic taste for over 10 years now, as Pitchfork finds a way to combine the showcase-like nature of Austin’s SXSW with the atmosphere of a neighborhood street festival. Bringing a uniquely crafted and curated group of artists to town year after year, Chicago boasts a rich, yet undersold music scene–maintaining a bevy of historic theaters and large roster of record stores that would make any savant drool. When combined with the perennial tastemakers at Pitchfork, the setting is perfectly apt for a beautifully placed weekend filled with good music.

This year’s fest brings an incredible narrative with every artist performing. Vince Staples has just come from releasing his newest record to warm critical acclaim. Dirty Projectors returned with a lighter line-up and a late break-up record in R&B fashion, while James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem have announced their first studio effort in over 7 years. On Saturday, a great wave of female frontwomen take the stage, headed up by Angel Olsen and the veteran PJ Harvey. Queens legends A Tribe Called Quest will grace the festival as well as a return to form for Melbourne’s electronic darlings The Avalanches. With a set by 2016’s strongest, Solange will cap the weekend on a high note. 

With a demeanor always reminiscent of high caffeination, Chicago native Andrew Goldberg will be heading up the pilgrimage to the haven of indie music. As Events Director, he is always looking for and pushing the limits of “fresh” music, so naturally he lets Pitchfork choose for him. At Northeastern, Andrew is a Junior studying Music Industry. He’s incredibly excited to explain the nature of mustard on hot dogs and enjoying the throws of the festival.

Kara Kokinos, Marketing & Communications Director

Our resident Senior Citizen Kara Kokinos will be making the trek out to Chicago from the comfort of her hometown of Boston. Kara is a Music industry & Communications major seeking employment in the fall, so…Pitchfork? She and Andrew are incredibly co-dependent and excited to continue torturing each other while he shows her the ropes of Chicago.

Follow Kara on Instagram @sunburnt_ghost and on Twitter @kara_kokinos

We will be posting lots of content throughout this week and next as we tackle the sights & sounds of Chicago including:

 Get amped with us for sets from some of our fave artists – many of whom we’ve had the chance to connect with previously, so keep an eye out for some #~*

Andrew will be showing off his favorite places to nosh. Expect lots of bagels.

 Before the festival, during the festival, and after the festival! Listen to us rant in long form and on a trendy media platform – you know you love it.

Who are we gonna interview? Not telling. Do we know yet? Not telling. But it’s gonna happen and there will be games.

Danny Brown, Vince Staples, LCD Soundsystem

What appeared to be a striking rise to prominence for some was only a validation of hard work, exemplary output, and well earned praise for fans of NJ alt-emo deities Pinegrove. 2016’s sophomore effort, 

, saw Evan Stephens-Hall and company hone their tear-jerking lyricism while simultaneously strengthening the already solid and groove-infused arranging. With a shining star at every outpost, Pinegrove have evolved and matured with their members, creating great music to foster a community of support and surprising alacrity for the occasional mosh. With a couple well seasoned tour legs in their back pockets, expect nothing but a bright and thoroughly amazing set from one of the most promising acts in recent years.[/one_half]

Mitski’s smile is pretty well known at this point. It sneaks out in every interview, along with the excitement bubbling underneath the more composed exterior. It’s this endearing energy that makes Mistki’s personality so infectious. The little smirk thrown into her writing and persona betrays so much without compromising the mystery. It does not appear often on stage but don’t assume that she’s not connecting emotionally with her audience. Mitski’s live stage presence lends itself more towards raw, emotive expressions of turmoil dealt with, if not conquered by, acceptance of what cannot be changed. Every time you see Mitski is a challenge in understanding her experience with the music as well as your own. It’s an open process with the entire crowd and I personally cannot wait for another session.[/one_half_last]

Follow WRBB on social media for our full coverage schedule, updates on the festival, and surprise content for next weekend!

WRBB hits Chicago for Pitchfork 2017

WRBB caught up with Greta Kline and co. of 

to talk about the success of their latest release, touring goals, and t-shirt ideas. 

First of all, you guys did an interview with WRBB a couple months ago…I came to the show and talked to you about it—so thanks for that!

: Yeah I thought I knew you from somewhere! I honestly– I have a really hard time with faces, so I often feel like I’m making it up when I feel that, so I don’t say anything. I wasn’t sure…but I do remember you!

So since then, a lot has happened with Frankie Cosmos as a whole, and as a band. You guys are making a lot of year end lists—a lot of good placement on those, so how are you taking those into account? Are you reading them?

: I don’t even know which ones we were on…

Well Pitchfork had you guys, and a lot of different publications were singing your praises! How do you feel about [

] as a whole and the effort you’ve been putting in?

: Proud, pretty great. It’s been cool to see it on the lists with some of my favorite artists. I think we were on a bunch of lists with Kendrick Lamar, who’s my dream girl, and that was cool. It’s like, “Wow, same ballpark. Exact same ballpark”.

: After the album is done being made, I don’t listen to it. Otherwise, I’d just scrutinize what I could have done differently, so I try not to read too much stuff about it. But my mom has a “google alert” so she tells me if anything good comes up. So yeah, I’ve heard that we were on some year end lists.

: We’ve been working on new stuff since right after the album came out, so I think we’ve also been looking to the future for a long time. Not to say that we’re not happy that the album did really well.

: I mean, we’ve been working on stuff since before Next Thing came out…when we did the Next Thing Tour we were playing “Being Alive”.

Yeah, I know Bayonet has you on a tight schedule. How do you feel about being restricted to release stuff not on Bandcamp? Do you have stuff on your computer waiting to release? How’s that itch?

: Um, it’s alright, I mean, there’s nothing really stressing me out about release stuff – I know that whatever our vision is we can make it happen. But I feel like definitely not releasing stuff constantly and not releasing demos has been a personal decision to just be like, “Ok, I wanna make stuff sound good in the studio and make a record and put that out”. It feels good to wait, because then by the time it comes out you have to really be choosing if you still care about those songs and that you still want to put them out.

: That’s true, that is. We’re gonna record in a few weeks, and those songs might not come out for, it might be six months, it might be eight months, it might be a year… (I hope it’s not a year) and we have to be ok with that. It’s a little frustrating, but we want people to still be excited about us and if waiting a little longer is making it so that people are actually foaming at the mouth–beating down the doors to get the FC album–then we want to wait until it gets dire.

: Yeah, I also feel like putting out a bunch of music and waiting for myself– it’s an interesting test. It just feels weird, like I know the process has changed the way that I release music, like when I was first putting out music, so it feels really different. It’s a weird test for myself because it is hard, but I also think that all the stuff that’s involved, if it allows it to reach more people, like making music videos and putting out a single and all that kind of stuff– the fact that it could reach more people, and if it could reach some kid who wouldn’t have heard it otherwise then that, to me…not scale in who it’s reaching but if one kid is getting to hear it who wouldn’t hear it before, and it affects him, that makes it worth it I feel like. To do all the stuff, that feels like a test of my will.

Speaking of new material, you guys released the 

 tape recently! If you could have somebody cover one of your songs, which artist would you like? No limits.

: I don’t…know if that’s a common question for us.

: We’ve only had it once before. We had it at Wesleyan and I was so excited. I think Kero Kero Bonito. That would be awesome, I was gonna say that’s doable. I think when they asked us at Wesleyan I said Joanna Newsom because that’s a musician that I find that her instrumentation is beyond all other musicians.

: Maybe, I don’t know, Dirty Projectors would be cool. They would make it so much better!

: Last time I saw Dirty Projectors like it made me want to quit music, so if they covered the band that I’m in, that would make me jump a bit.

: I remember being on tour and telling a person to turn off Dirty Projectors because it was making me want to leave the tour and go home and call it quits…because they’re so good! I was like, “this is one thing I can’t hear before I go on stage. Please turn this off!”

 has passed its year anniversary, which is super cool. Do you think you’d ever get back to that style in between albums? How do you feel about that kind of approach?

: Yeah, I’m down to mess around with that kind of thing. We’ve talked about maybe doing something like that again. We play those songs live sometimes, which is fun. Yeah, I don’t know, depends if I felt I had a song that I wanted to do that with. We were recently arranging and Luke was like, “yeah, I don’t think live drums would be better for the song”.