Pitchfork Media has already gotten around to compiling a 2008 list and its only July! Anyway, the list is for “Overlooked Records” and includes a personal favorite of mine…Earth’s “The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull” and others such as “Rook” by Shearwater.

They also included the newest release by The Mae Shi, who I think are terrible hipster crap, I think the record is meant to be overlooked. Different strokes for different folks I guess, check out it out for yourself..

Overlooked Records 2008.

OK, hipsters, get ready cause all the acts and the set times have been announced for Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival.

“Only individual day tickets for the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival remain, and they’re going fast! Snag yours while you still can via TicketWeb for the sweet price of $30 each.”

The end of the Day 1 bill has No Age, and then Animal Collective closing things out as headliners.

It appears that on Day 2, the last 3 bands are Dinosaur Jr, Cut Copy and Spoon. This is surprising to me as I thought Dinosaur Jr would play after Cut Copy, but this is probably a testament to just how popular Cut Copy is now.

Check out the full lineup, with set-times and more over at Pitchfork.

Earlier this week I reported on Barack Obama’s Portland, OR rally where The Decemberists opened the proceeding’s. The rally drew an astonishing record crowd of 75,000 people and was covered everywhere in the media.

Well now, Conservatives are claiming that it wasn’t actually Barack Obama that drew all those people, it was The Decemberists. They contend that the “liberally-biased media” didn’t mention the fact that The Decemberists opened the rally and thats who a lot of people were there to see. Pitchfork Media for once is pretty accurate and successfully refutes these claims.

“Also worth taking into account: the Obama rally announcement doesn’t even bill The Decemberists as such, instead mentioning “special guest” performers Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and John Moen.”

“The Campaign Spot post cites a Chicagoist review’s estimate that 10,000 people attended a free Decemberists concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park last year as evidence that the Decemberists can attract large numbers to free events. (The same post also cites Chris Funk’s suggestion that the band may have drawn as many as 20,000 that day– a lovely notion, but bogus: Jay Pritzker Pavilion’s capacity caps at 11,000.) It’s also worth noting that the Chicago Decemberists show in question also featured a symphony orchestra, and the people in that orchestra probably have fans and friends and family too.”

“But hey, let’s play this game anyway: supposing for a moment that the Decemberists really did draw 10,000 of those 75,000 people to Waterfront Park this past Sunday, that leaves 65,000 who came solely to see Obama speak– still a landmark for his campaign. And that, of course, assumes Decemberists fans and Obama supporters are mutually exclusive entities. Um, LOL.”

I for one don’t doubt Obama’s popularity and drawing power and I know that even at a free show its unlikely The Decemberists would draw over 10,000 people especially if not even billed as The Decemberists! Find some real issues people…

Source.