Pitchfork.com favorite Danny Brown is one of many modern indie darlings in Hopscotch’s lineup

Once again, summer festival season has come and gone. Where thousands of neon clad teens once danced during Bonnaroo is now once again a barren field in Tennessee, and Chicago can finally recover from the influx of tourists due to festivals such as Lollapalooza and Pitchfork.

But if you weren’t able to make it to any of the major festivals, or if hanging out in a hot and overcrowded park for three days isn’t for you, there’s still the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, N.C. From Sept. 6-8, local and international acts will be taking over the cities’ venues and museums to showcase some of the best and most unique artists and bands in all genres of music.

The festival was started by The Independent Weekly and also includes day parties and panel events, sort of like a southern CMJ Music Marathon. For a festival only in its third year, Hopscotch has been able to nail down some heavy hitting acts. In the past, Hopscotch has brought typical festival headliners such as Public Enemy and The Flaming Lips to Raleigh.

This year’s top acts induce major ‘90s nostalgia, and include The Roots, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill on the roster. But there are 175 acts in total to choose from, which can get overwhelming for only three shows that take place at night. So, in an attempt to make that selection easier, I chose two of my favorite sets from each night of Hopscotch.

Thursday

Thee Oh Sees/Holograms (Contemporary Art Museum) — Coming from two different sides of the world for one solid show are Sweden’s Holograms and San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees. Holograms’ brand of Scandinavian punk is quickly growing in popularity, so be sure to catch them before they get too big. They are also a perfect foil for psych-punk veterans Thee Oh Sees, whose massive outpouring of music in the last 10 years never fails to impress.

Julia Holter (Longview Center) — Julia Holter’s experimental and minimal pop is a thing of beauty. Her most recent effort, Ekstasis (the Greek word for ecstasy), is an incredible work filled with haunting vocals and melodic keyboards. Holter isn’t playing until midnight, but it would be worth staying up for her ethereal set.

Friday

The Jesus and Mary Chain/Built to Spill (Raleigh City Plaza) — The Scottish godfathers of shoegaze, The Jesus and Mary Chain, haven’t made much noise since the late ‘90s, so their return to touring might be the biggest attraction of the festival. Built to Spill has remained less elusive, but its performance will be just as exciting to see. Expect to see a lot of artists who were influenced by the two seminal bands and cool dads enjoying this set.

Dan Deacon (The Pour House Music Hall) — There is probably no better time to see Dan Deacon than at 12:30 a.m. when you’re already exhausted enough from the night’s activities. Deacon is currently on tour for his new record, America, but his shows aren’t just about playing the hits or only focusing on new music. Instead, Deacon likes to force his audience into danceoffs and make them participate in human tunnels. He’s also not the only Baltimore artist taking over Hopscotch that night — make sure to check out Roomrunner and Dope Body as well.

Saturday

NOBUNNY and Danny Brown (Contemporary Art Museum) — NOBUNNY and Danny Brown has to be the most random pairing of acts in all of Hopscotch. NOBUNNY, aka Justin Champlin, is best known for his lo-fi garage rock as well as his penchant for wearing masks onstage and performing in only his underwear. This makes him an unlikely opener for Detroit rapper and Pitchfork favorite Danny Brown.

Balam Acab (Kings Barcade) — The last day of a festival will always be a struggle, especially one that runs so late into the night like Hopscotch. That’s why Balam Acab aka Alec Koone is a perfect choice to finish off a festival that will probably consist of dashing between venues and attempting to fit every show in. Koone’s breed of electronic music ranges from the dark to the stunning and will be a nice cap on a crazy weekend.

Hopscotch Music Festival runs from Sept. 6-8. Three-day passes are $110.

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