The B List: Pitchfork Festival Preview – Five Bands To Look Out For Next Weekend

2. Yo La Tengo [Friday 6:10PM @ the Aluminum Stage]

Another ideal choice for the “Write the Night” series, the Yo La Tengo fan-selected set will be sure to be full deep cuts and well-loved tunes from the band’s incredibly-diverse palate. Having been a casual fan of the greatest indie band to come from Hoboken, NJ; I’ve recently been diving further into the catalogue and would be particularly excited to hear cuts from Painful and I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass.

3. Blitzen Trapper [Sunday 2PM @ the Aluminum Stage]

Furr was one of my favorite records of 2008, and was my first exposure to the great band from Portland, OR – Blizten Trapper. Since seeing the sextet for the first time last year, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed diving into the back catalogue. This summer, I am pretty psyched to see them again, with an increased appreciation for the older material off of Wild Mountain Nation and Field Rexx. Blizten Trapper will release the Black Killer River EP next month so perhaps we’ll get some new material as well.

4. The National [Saturday 8:40PM @ the Aluminum Stage]

I’ve heard nothing but great things about this Brooklyn-based quintet, but I’m admittedly ignorant to their records. Their last disc, The Boxer, was near the top of nearly every critic’s best of list in 2007. They don’t play Chicago very often, so I’m excited to catch what may turn out to be their only set in the Windy City in 2009.

5. Plants and Animals [Saturday 1:45PM @ the Connector Stage]

Parc Avenue, the full-length debut from this Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, impressed me last year, but I haven’t heard much else from Plants and Animals. The trio recently won the 2009 Juno Award (the Canadian version of the Grammys) as Best New Band. This is another band I think I will enjoy, but am not sure quite what to expect. I’m definitely curious how the tunes I’m familiar with work in front of an audience. While Plants and Animals are playing a few shows in Canada as well as the Pitchfork Festival, they are spending most of their summer working on the follow-up to Parc Avenue.