Pat Duffy, formerly of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted (RIP), checks in for us! When the 2010 Pitchfork Fest lineup was announced we were a bit surprised to see two solo artists kicking off the festivities back-to-back. Perhaps the Pitchfork staff was trying to offset all the band members Broken Social Scene were bringing to the festival. Whatever the reason actually was it gave two fantastic musicians a chance to perform at a festival and show off their talents for a huge crowd. Like Sharon Van Etten, Kristian Matsson (aka, The Tallest Man on Earth) was more than capable of taking over the massive festival stage all by himself. Showing off his quirky voice, lofty wordplay, and genuine guitar skills, Kristian was positively magnetic in the late afternoon sun. As good as the music was, the truly amazing thing was his ability to not get lost on such a big stage. Lesser musicians would have stood at the mic, sang their songs, and left, but Matsson manages to captivate all by his lonesome. As strange as it may have been to see two solo artists back-to-back at a festival it totally worked for today. Rather than being immediately blasted by deafening music, fans were eased into the fest making for as gentle a start to a festival as we’ve ever seen. With acts like El-P, Liars & Robyn following those gentle moments wouldn’t last but they were certainly enjoyed while they lasted. SPTR: 8.2.

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MP3: The Tallest Man On Earth – Burden Of Tomorrow