Summer is very often a time of ambivalence: too much gorgeous weather to stay inside, but too hot to disabuse yourself of the air conditioner. Let Cul de sac suggest you take some of the guesswork out of this summer weekend and attend the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park (off the Ashland-Lake Green Line stop). Here are few highlights for your ears to chill to while your flesh melts:

Robyn (Friday, 6:25 PM) – She’s come a long way from “Show Me Love,” blasting away her old sweet-girl image with a “Konichiwa Bitches.” She is now working on a more fleshed out approach to albums with the multi-part Body Talk series, while still churning out dance floor fodder for your favorite gay bar.

Broken Social Scene (Friday, 7:20 PM) – They may still be your fags, but Broken Social Scene has gone through some changes since their sonic departures over the past few years with solo albums by members Feist, Kevin Drew, and Brendan Canning and separate band project releases for Metric with Emily Haines and Stars with Amy Millan. Their recent release Forgiveness Rock Record expands their atmospheric instrumentation and harmonies with more bombastic rock tones.

Panda Bear (Saturday, 7:25 PM) – Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox strikes off on his own as a lonely panda for this year’s tour. His new album, Tomboy, doesn’t hit the streets till September but enjoy the ambient beats in the shade this weekend.

Beach House (3:20 PM) – The perfect summer locale, the perfect concoction of dream pop, the perfect murder (if this were an R.L. Stine novel). While these may not all be perfect explanations of duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, there is a certain amount of sinister that has to go into how well-crafted are the singles on their 2010 release Teen Dream.

Major Lazer (6:15 PM) – No beach house is complete without a good party, and a good party isn’t complete without rockin’ DJs (oh, the connections!) Diplo and Switch combine their auditory wizardry to break the news that partying is here to stay in the USA, in much more convincing way than Madamoiselle Cyrus.

Sleigh Bells (Sunday, 7:40 PM) – In true Pitchfork fashion, one of the closing evening bands is the much-buzzed–with good reason–Sleigh Bells. Their dissonant noise pop still allows room for lots of danceable beats and singable lyrics, like “keep thinking about every straight face yes/wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces” from current hit “Rill Rill.” We hope your straight boyfriend likes your braces, too.

Located far from the reaches of major labels on the East and West coasts, Chicago relies on independent artists to thrive in providing live performance to its citizens. The yearly Pitchfork Music Festival, held this year from July 17 to July 19, exposes many low-profile Chicago artists to a wider audience by joining them with more recognizable artists. And of course, many of them have a queer pedigree. Cul de sac Magazine will be traveling to the stages between Ashland and Randolph for part of the festival, but make sure to check out some of the artists we’ll really be digging.

Yo La Tengo (Friday, 6:10 PM) – Yo La Tengo’s 24-year history has led to a compelling array of sonic greatness, and their contribution as composer to the soundtrack for the 2006 film Shortbus is indelible.

Final Fantasy (Saturday, 4:15 PM) – The solo work of openly gay arranger and composer Owen Pallett, who has worked with The Arcade Fire, Beirut (who will also be at Pitchfork on Saturday) and many more artists, is masterful. If his win for Canada’s inaugural Polaris Prize and honorary degree for composition that he received in 2002 for composing since the age of 13 are any indication, Pallet is definitely someone to check out.

Ponytail (Saturday, 4:30 PM) – Baltimore group Ponytail have got a lot of verve, much of it coming through queer frontwoman Molly Siegel. The powerful vocals and charged performances will definitely have you dancing.

The National (Saturday, 8:40 PM) – This New York band was part of the Dark Was the Night compilation released last year for HIV/AIDS fundraising organization Red Hot. Two of the band members were producers of that album, which also featured a duet between Feist and Ben Gibbard and original recordings by Antony of Antony and the Johnsons, Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens and Yo La Teng

Grizzly Bear (Sunday, 7:25 PM) – The beautiful folk rock of Grizzly Bear will help close out the festival (right before The Flaming Lips rock it out). Led by openly gay Ed Droste, the band’s unique lyricism and understated melodies are essential listening.