Good news keeps rolling in on the Pygmalion Music Festival front. More additions coming your way following the initial lineup and last week’s addition of Dirty Projectors — and it turns out that there was more where the previous rounds came from. Here are some other additions that will be joining an already stellar lineup consisting of Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Dinosaur Jr., Cloud Nothings, amongst others.
Sleigh Bells :: You think you know what a lot of speakers looks like? Try looking at the picture above and any other live photo you can get of this band and it’ll help you understand what a wall of speakers is like. Now listen to Treats on full volume and try to understand what that would sound like coming out of a wall of speakers and you’ll get a better picture. Sleigh Bells is out supporting their new record Reign of Terror and have even toured with black metal howlers Liturgy and all around genius Diplo earlier this year … on the same tour. Think of any synonym for “abrasive” and you’ll get the picture of how to describe this band. These words can only do so much. Listen: “Crown on the Ground”
Best Coast :: On the heels of their newest effort The Only Place, Best Coast brings their fuzzy rock ‘n roll to Pygmalion this year. The image of the band has slightly changed over the course of its existence; lead singer Bethany Cosentino’s project used to be extremely lo-fi and another one of those bands that decides they want to sing about summer, surfing, babes on the beach, and how lazy they can get at times. Now things have changed a bit, where the band’s debut Crazy For You, hits with some noisy garage rock tunes, the new record adds a bit more singer-songwriter swoon to the mix. Cosentino seems to have taken some notes from the great Neko Case on the new record and we’re not complaining. Listen: “The Only Place”
Lætitia Sadier :: Sometimes when things go south, it can birth something that is great. Perhaps that is what has happened in this situaiton. This is one of those total out-of-left-field additions that we definitely did not see coming, and we’re thankful for it. Stereolab may be on hiatus, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see the successes of that group in the form of Sadier’s work. Stereolab was a band that maintained its retro sound while still feeling like they were doing something meant for the future, and Sadier’s rich melodies and swift songwriting are something we’ll look for in the near future at the festival. Listen: “One Million Year Trip”
Night Beds :: Nashville’s Night Beds are on their way up, regardless of whether or not they are signed at the moment. Playing shows with The Head and The Heart and Trampled By Turtles isn’t a bad place to get some exposure, and surely playing on this hefty bill can’t hurt either. Even after listening to the band’s most recent EP every fire; every joy just once, you can get caught in a daze. New record Country Sleep is on the way later this year. Some really blissful indie pop tunes from frontman Winston Yellen & co. Listen: “Ramona”
Eternal Summers :: This shimmering trio has been busy with finishing up their new record Correct Behavior, out July 24 on Kanine Records, but in addition to that they shot a music video for “Millions” off of that new record. Chicks shooting guns, tossing TVs from cars then hitting them with golf clubs, and other things that generally don’t have anything to do with the song itself make up the video (aside from maybe things being smashed into millions of pieces). Regardless of the video, the music is solid, as is most of their previous material. Listen: “Millions”
So Many Dynamos :: Last appearing in the 2009 installment of the festival, So Many Dynamos just put out their new self-titled EP and appear to be working on something else this summer instead of touring. They’ll play one more show later this month to properly release it, and then recording begins. September comes after summer, so this looks to be when whatever they are recording could be available for our ears to hear. Listen: “Search Party”
Hundred Waters :: In support of the wonderful Julia Holter on tour over the summer and fall months, this glitched out crew join the bill alongside her and all the others. They are riding the wave of their self-titled release from earlier this year and will take that all the way to C-U come September (not that we all won’t be riding high come Pygmalion). Recommended if you’re a fan of anything Twin Sister has done, and sparkly pop tunes in general. Listen: “Me and Anodyne”
Locals (well, almost all locals):
Hank :: The always busy local dudes Hank released The Venture EP earlier this year and have seemingly played with everyone in town. They’ll get a chance to play with some people they know and others they won’t come festival time.
DJ Belly :: We had a few nice things to say about DJ Belly for our annual BEST list a few weeks back, and he has become an annual performer at the festival.
DJ Mertz :: Another solid DJ who has also shared the same accolade from our camp in 2011 that DJ Belly had this year.
Sun Stereo :: These guys are probably still in festival mode, as they just appeared at Summercamp a few weekends ago. They released their new record Rogue Satellite around that time as well.
Cody Sokolski :: Delta Kings’ frontman branches away from his typical outfit to perform at this year’s festival. That group has been fairly quiet as of late, but Sokolski will make some noise on his own.
DJ Randall Ellison :: Having been involved in the C-U Music scene for quite some time, Ellison has DJing residencies at Chester Street and Boltini in Champaign. We spoke with him not too long ago about those things, as well as his style as a DJ.
Year of the Bobcat :: Denton Hird’s project has morphed into Year of the Bobcat and over the last few years has played in its fair share of shows in the area. A mixture of members from Danville’s The Fall of Icarus and C-U’s JigGsaw make up some of the members of the outfit.
Broken Light :: Hailing from West Lafayette, Indiana, they played with Elsinore a few months back on one of their touring dates and haven’t really released anything outside of a couple of tracks. Check them out at their Bandcamp page.
Pygmalion Music Festival features several other bands that aren’t listed within this article, so be sure to check out the whole lineup over at the festival’s website. You’ll be hearing more from us down the road with any other additions, as well as full festival coverage come September.
