Okay so like JJ said yesterday we’re heading to Chicago this weekend to cover the 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival. We’re previewing our most anticipated acts in the days leading up to the festival. Yesterday we covered the acts we were looking forward to seeing the most on Friday. Today we’re posting our picks for Saturday. Also, I just want to address the joke JJ cracked about me not wanting to listen to Lil B’s 885 song mixtape in the car for our drive up to Chicago on Thursday. I don’t want anyone to get the impression I don’t like Lil B. I love Lil B, probably way more than JJ ever will. I just don’t want to listen to him for 12 straight hours. If you still doubt me, tune in tomorrow to see who does a write up about how much they’re anticipating seeing Lil B on Sunday (HINT: It’s definitely not JJ, that’s for damn sure.) Anyway, check out our picks after the jump – Nathan Kerce

DAY 2

Belle and Sebastian
College radio DJ Stuart Murdoch was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the late 80’s, leaving him jobless for years. This is when he took up songwriting. In 1996, while living in a church hall he started recording and laying the foundations for a band that would become Belle and Sebastian. Eight LPs and nearly twenty years later Belle and Sebastian has become an indie pop institution. Their sophomore LP If You’re Feeling Sinister is essential twee pop and general indie rock listening and it’s only a little better than debut LP Tigermilk, Sinister’s follow-up The Boy with the Arab Strap and 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress. Their other albums and EPs are pretty damn good too. They’ve just announced a companion to 2005’s Jeepster EP/Singles compilation, Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, called Third Eye Centre which will collect the B-sides and rarities released since. They also have plans to hit the studio again at the end of 2013. It would be an understatement to say I am highly anticipating this show, Belle and Sebastian ranks amongst my favorite bands. – JJ Posway

Solange
Given the intensely positive critical reaction to last year’s True EP along with her high billing on the lineup for this festival it would appear that Solange has finally broken free from the shackles of being labeled as nothing more than Beyonce’s little sister. Every song off of True is an excellent example of top-tier pop music but with a new EP and album supposedly on the way for release this year; I’m expecting plenty of new song for the crowd to shake their asses to. – Nathan Kerce

The Breeders (play Last Splash)
All eyes are on Kim Deal now that she’s left Pixies. Earlier this year 4AD reissued her band The Breeders masterstroke, Last Splash and in celebration of the albums 20th anniversary reissue the original lineup is reunited and touring. I love full-album shows and Last Splash is one of the best indie rock albums of the 90s, so I’ll be there. Oh I’ll be there alright…camping out for Belle and Sebastian. – JJ Posway

Ryan Hemsworth
Ryan Hemsworth is a Canadian producer who is most well-known for his incredible series of remixes and his work with cloud-rap artists like Shady Blaze & Deniro Farrar (his work on their collab record from last year is one of the best examples of cloud rap production, period). He also put out an excellent solo EP entitled Stay Awake just a few weeks ago. His DJ sets are heavy on ethereal sounds and Drake samples but the energy is always high and the soundscape he creates is uniquely his own. – Nathan Kerce

METZ
Canadian hardcore band METZ self-titled debut on Sub-Pop was one of the best rock records of last year and was recently placed on the shortlist of nominees for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. They also received a lot of praise for their pumped up live performances at this year’s SXSW.  So yeah, they’re still on a bit of a winning streak right now.  I’ve never seen them live but I’ve listened to their album enough times that I feel like they more than deserve the right to scream forcefully and passionately at my face. – Nathan Kerce

Savages
London post-punk quartet Savages haven’t been around for too long but their debut LP Silence Yourself sounds like the work of a matured band. It’s succinct, focused and cohesive, not to mention it’s some of the most interesting post-punk I’ve heard in a while. I remember listening to Savages for the first time in the WUOG music office with Nathan. It struck me immediately as one of 2013’s finest releases and from what I’ve seen from videos, their live show surely won’t disappoint. – JJ Posway

Merchandise
Merchandise earned their following playing the punk circuit in Tampa and up until recently remained willfully obscure. Totale Nite, their latest LP on Night People sounds like a band inching their way out of that self-imposed solitude with hesitation. It’s full of meandering post-punk inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan and Miles Davis and it takes a few listens to really sink in. Though I’ve seen the band before, I’m curious to see what form their live show takes in front of a larger audience. – JJ Posway

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Now this is an interesting choice for this lineup. Trail of Dead’s Source Tags & Codes was one of the earlier and most notable instances of Pitchfork.com handing out a 10/10 review score. It’s primarily notable because their follow up album Worlds Apart received an undeserved 4/10 from Pitchfork and began an era of overly harsh critical backlash against the band that only has started to dissipate in the last two years or so (their last album, for the record, received an 8/10 from Pitchfork). Perhaps this is Pitchfork Media’s way of apologizing? Anyway, that’s only really interesting for people who pay attention to that sort of thing on a daily basis. Trail of Dead have a large back catalog of bombastic and absolutely astonishing prog-rock songs that are perfect for a large crowd. These guys have been on my bucket list of bands to see since high school and I’m hoping their set will be a dream come true. – Nathan Kerce

Julia Holter
2012’s Ekstasis was an exceptional experimental pop LP and a fantastic follow-up to Holter’s 2011 debut Tragedy. This year, Holter plans to release Loud City Song, her first album with Domino Records. Consisting of material predating Tragedy, the upcoming album will focus on her relationship with her hometown of Los Angeles and will surely stun if it’s anything like her last two releases. I’ve seen Holter once before at Moogfest 2012 but I only caught a little bit of her breathtaking set so I’m very excited to see her in the early afternoon at Pitchfork. – JJ Posway

Pissed Jeans
Pennsylvania punk act Pissed Jeans are masters of the kind of noisy, angry rock that doesn’t always perfectly lend itself to an outdoor festival stage. Their newest album Honey incites more of a dark and dingy dive bar kind of vibe rather than laying out on the grass drinking lemonade while tweeting about what celebrity you just saw walk by. However, as long as the crowd is ready to throw down and isn’t afraid of a few good punches or bloody noses then the material should be able to successfully translate. – Nathan Kerce

Stay tuned for Day 3 pre-coverage tomorrow!