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Michael Chapman at Basilica Soundscape 2014
Photograph: Samantha MarbleMichael Chapman at Basilica Soundscape 2014

The best acts to see at Basilica SoundScape

Basilica SoundScape's fourth installment brings an expertly-curated lineup to the 19th-century Basilica Hudson factory

Written by
Ro Samarth
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To music fans, summer in New York undoubtedly means attending loads of large-scale festivals and concerts, such as Afropunk, SummerStage and Warm Up at MoMA PS1. But, for those looking to immerse themselves in a more intimate and thoughtful mix of music, visual art and literature, there's also “the anti-festival.” Head up to Hudson, New York to find the fourth installment of Basilica SoundScape landing at the mighty capacious 19th century Basilica Hudson factory. The fest runs from September 11–13 (grab tix here) with shadowy post-rock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor kicking things off on September 8 with a pre-festival show. If you need help parsing the lineup, we've sorted out our 10 favorite acts at this already expertly-curated event.

When is Basilica SoundScape?

This year, the festival will take place Friday, September 11–Sunday, September 13, 2015.

Where is Basilica SoundScape?

The festival takes place at the Basilica Hudson factory in Hudson, New York.

RECOMMENDED: Full summer music festival guide

Best acts to see at Basilica SoundScape

Weyes Blood (Fri 8pm)
Photograph: Laura Lynn Petrick

1. Weyes Blood (Fri 8pm)

Indie-folk artist Weyes Blood applies sonic distortion sparingly and pointedly in her atmospheric, hallucinogenic tunes. With so many noise-influenced artists prone to slather layer upon layer of static, it's a relief to see someone utilize abrasive textures while also demonstrating a penchant for restraint.

Photograph: Laura Lynn Petrick

Lydia Ainsworth (Fri 9:30pm)
Photograph: Jessica Upton

2. Lydia Ainsworth (Fri 9:30pm)

Released on Arbutus Records, the off-kilter synth-pop on Lydia Ainsworth's debut Right From Real continues the label's tradition of esotericism and idiosyncrasy. As Ainsworth boasts a background in film score composition, it's no wonder her production sounds so lush and cinematic.

Photograph: Jessica Upton

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Viet Cong (Fri 10:30pm)
Photograph: David Waldman

3. Viet Cong (Fri 10:30pm)

Alberta postpunk crew Viet Cong—a spin-off of Women, which broke up in 2010 at the height of its buzz—continues to accumulate rave reviews ever since releasing its debut self-titled album on the tastemaking Jagjaguwar imprint. Innovating with guitar indie-rock is no easy feat, but Viet Cong manages it by delving into inaccessibility and confrontational melodies.

Photograph: David Waldman

Actress (Fri 11:30pm)
Photograph: Will Bankhead

4. Actress (Fri 11:30pm)

Under the alias Actress, producer Darren J. Cunningham doesn't quite create dance music so much as deconstruct it. The elemental spectres of techno, house, and bass music haunt the spiraling synth stems and sparse drum samples which make up his tunes, but only occasionally does the music dip into a groove—and when it does, the results are spectacular.

Photograph: Will Bankhead

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HEALTH (Fri 12:30am)
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Nick Helderman

5. HEALTH (Fri 12:30am)

HEALTH puts on a completely insane—in a good way—live show. The hard-touring L.A. quartet swarms the stage, performing what feels like a postmodern tribal ritual, mashing up art pop, avant-metal and tons of frenzied positive vibes.

Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Nick Helderman

Circuit Des Yeux (Sat 6pm)
Photograph: Courtesy Circuit Des Yeux

6. Circuit Des Yeux (Sat 6pm)

The solo project of Chicago's Haley Fohr, Circuit Des Yeux, sits at a number of complex intersections, sounding like Nico-gone-Victorian-goth, making doomy folk music with noise-drone instrumentation. The newest LP In Plain Speech polishes her eccentric mix of stately strings, gritty synths, and rustic acoustic guitar into her most unsettling and heartfelt work to date.

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Sannhet (Sat 7pm)
Photograph: Courtesy Sannhet

7. Sannhet (Sat 7pm)

Local outfit Sannhet synthesizes elements of prog, post-hardcore and black metal, crafting ascendant instrumentals as tender as they are pummeling. The crew's starry melodic sensibilities parallel contemporary Deafheaven—which played last year's SoundScape—but with a more forceful heads-down no-nonsense spirit.

Jenny Hval (Sat 8pm)
Photograph: Mads Teglers

8. Jenny Hval (Sat 8pm)

Norwegian singer-songwriter Jenny Hval's zigzagging melodies sound as poetic as her lyrics. With the occasional hint of a bluesy vocal inflection or a vaguely hip-hop beat, her choral pop experimentalism meanders into all kinds of odd places that sound eerily familiar.

Photograph: Mads Teglers

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Perfume Genius (Sat 11pm)
Photograph: Luke Gilford

9. Perfume Genius (Sat 11pm)

Delicately melancholic singer-songwriter Perfume Genius (real name Mike Hadreas) plays fractured, fragile indie pop—or used to, at least. Forgoing his usual fare of piano plus minimal instrumentation, he adopted a glitzier synth-laden tonal palette and gutsier stage presence with last year's Too Bright.

Photograph: Luke Gilford

The Haxan Cloak (Sat 12am)
Photograph: Courtesy Motormouth Media

10. The Haxan Cloak (Sat 12am)

Spooky U.K. soundscapist Bobby Krlic turned heads with his stark, haunting 2013 release Excavation. Impressively, one those heads happened to be the art-pop queen herself, Björk, who brought him on as a producer on her latest album.

Photograph: Courtesy Motormouth Media

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