More New Bands At Pitchfork 2013 – Foxygen, Waxahatchee And Toro Y Moi

Foxygen lead singer Sam France prowled the stage like the drunken bastard child of Jim Morrison, climbing up the stage rafters after just the first song while smashing his head with a microphone at any opportune moment. He desperately wanted our attention, and needless to say it was hard not to give it to him. The west coast garage rockers charged their way through a carousel of 60’s California psychedelic pop, as the brown stain shirted France shrieked his way through songs off this year’s breakout album “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic”. Guitarist/keyboardist Jonathan Rado’s blonde Dylan mop top bobbed up and down during raw renditions of “On Blue Mountain” and “No Destruction”, and France howled like a wolf during the closing album title track, which sounded like it could’ve been included on The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. Perhaps France’s antics distracted from the music itself, but the energy was well received by the crowd whom maybe had been too accustomed with the routine stage behavior of bands performing over the past two days.

After the energy and advocacy of the prior shows, Waxahatchee calmed things down a lot with a breezy set of feel good nod to 90’s alternative pop-rock. They appeared a little nervous, seldom acknowledging the crowd and often looking at each other, timidly giggling. They rolled out songs like “Coast to Coast” and “American Weekend” that alluded to an influence from early Liz Phair, but while Waxahatchee’s brain child Katie Crutchfield’s songs served as intimate confessionals, the overall show fell flat, mainly due to the three piece’s persistence of appearing somewhat bored during their three minute/three chord songs. But what was refreshing was the shade and cool breeze that if anything strengthened their set, cooling the crowd down as the music chilled everyone out. (Photo By Samantha Marble) 

Chaz Bundwick quickly found his groove and kicked things off with the glossy synthesizer funk of “Rose Quartz” from his latest album, “Anything in Return”. Chaz brought a full band along for his normally one man project Toro y Moi, and the result was an hour of spaced out explorations in chillwave disco dance numbers that justified his presence on the biggest stage of the festival. Tracks like “Grown Up Calls” and “So Many Details” recalled indie-pop versions of Quincy Jones productions, and his band’s walking bass lines and wah-wah pedal solos fashionably collided with Chaz’s polished synthesizer ensembles. He closed his set with the irresistible “Say That”, a perfect send off as the windy Chicago dusk began to set in.  

Photos By Evan Clark except as noted.