Public Enemy back in town for Pitchfork Festival

Organizers released details for the Pitchfork Music Festival 2008 this week. The fest returns for its third year at Union Park in Chicago's West Loop from July 18 to 20.

The weekend includes roughly 40 acts representing Internet indie giant Pitchfork Media's tastes in rock, hip-hop, dance, jazz and experimental music.

The festival starts with political hip-hop legends Public Enemy performing 1988's epochal "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" in its entirety, as part of Friday's "Don't Look Back" concert. This creation of London-based promoters All Tomorrow's Parties invites artists to play one of their seminal albums all the way through.

Diverse experimentalists Animal Collective top Saturday's bill, along with dance punks !!!, whose energy electrified last year's Lollapalooza and Afropop-influenced blogosphere darlings Vampire Weekend. Saturday also features British rapper Dizzee Rascal, Los Angeles noise punk outfit No Age, Deerhunter side project Atlas Sound and indie roots rockers Fleet Foxes.

On Sunday, fans can look forward to space rockers Spiritualized, fronted by Jason Pierce, once of psych rock legends Spacemen 3. Other acts confirmed for Saturday include rootsy indie favorite M. Ward, Japanese drone-doomsters Boris, Kenya/D.C. worldbeat rockers Extra Golden and Spanish one-man-pop-band El Guincho.

More bands will be announced as the festival draws near. Tickets go on sale at noon today, priced at $30 per day, $50 for Saturday and Sunday, $65 for a three-day pass. Visit pitchforkmusicfestival.com.