pitchfork music festival, live update 4

From across the field you can hear Sam Beam ending Iron & Wine’s set with a plaintive cover of Radiohead’s “No Surprises.” it’s a weird transition for what’s about to start: Mastodon. They were just introduced as “an ancient experience,” which is about as great an intro as ypu can hope for. And then, with a grunt and a drum roll, they’re off. It’s all insane low end, the beginnings of an earthquake in breezy Chicago. The vocals seem just a hair too clean, and it’s hard to hear more than gutteral onslaught of low-end. But the grind and throttle is there, and the periodic interludes of doomy lead guitar are a welcome respite. It’s hard to make music this foreboding work on a sunny afternoon, but as another corkscrewing riff peels off into the air, Mastodon get a little bit closer to pulling it off.