Festival Preview: Musicfest NW

musicfest-nw

The major anatomy of the summer festival circuit is well know—Coachella, Bonnaroo, Pitchfork Music Festival, Lollapalooza, et al. But over the past few years Portland’s own Musicfest NW has picked up steam as one of the season’s more recognized festivals. Now in its 17^th year, with over a dozen different participating venues, MFNW is considered the third largest indoor music festival in the nation. Acts range from popular national touring artists to lesser-known local favorites. You can usually count on MFNW to introduce you to a bevy of music you may not have run into before. So if you happen to be in Portland September 5-9, make sure and check out…

DIIV: This year, after the release of their well received debut Oshin, DIIV have managed to please critics and crowds alike with their stargazing take on 80s era post-punk. And that’s not always an easy task.

The Tallest Man on Earth: I’ve found the biggest proponents of Kristian Matsson’s brand of off-kilter folk were the first ones to write him off. Luckily for Matsson—and those who stick around long enough to appreciate his talent—his unique vocal delivery proves to be the perfect foil to his bespoke acoustic tunes.

Onuinu: The tags describing Onuinu on Dorian Duvall’s Bandcamp page are as follws: “cerebral disco-hop electronic funk Portland.” I’d say that pretty much nails it. As one Portland’s most talked about up-and–comers, Duvall has earned his spot among other top tier performers this year.

Mirroring: Although my appreciation for Liz Harris’ solo efforts as Grouper is well known, I can’t help but be impressed by Mirroring, the musical collaboration of Harris and Tiny Vipers’ Jesy Fortino. Their first album as a duo, Foreign Body, is an excellent union of Harris’ ambient vocals and cassette loops, with Forentino’s melancholy folk guitar.

Danny Brown: At a time when rappers want to be R&B singers and R&B singers want to be rappers, it’s refreshing to have Danny Brown around. Known as one of the most off-the-wall performers and talented lyricists today, Brown is nothing but himself, a man replete with sex, drugs and hip-hop. And that’s why we love him.

and many more—

LP
Passion Pit
Superhumanoids
Copy
Trampled By Turtles
Ceremony
Sun Angle
Mean Jeans
Guantanamo Bay Watch
Flying Lotus
Purity Ring
APACHE
King Khan and the Shrines
Nosaj Thing
Tanlines
Gardens & Villa
Hosannas
AAN
Lake
Radiation City
Danny Brown
Moon Duo
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Mirroring
Sons of Huns
Mimicking Birds
The Hood Internet
Blouse
AU
Starfucker
And And And
The We Shared Milk
Pure Bathing Culture
Typhoon
Swans
The Builders and the Butchers
Nite Jewel
Wild Nothing
Atlas Genius
School of Seven Bells