Trip Metal Fest 2 is free (if you want it), headlined by Kim Gordon, Pharmakon, Wolf Eyes

Good news for fans of adventurous sound! The internationally-lauded Trip Metal Festival will not only return to Detroit this year for two nights this Memorial Day weekend, at El Club on Friday May 26-Saturday, May 27. But the curating duo of Nate Young from Wolf Eyes and Forest Juziuk will also put on a one-night version of the festival over in Chicago on Thursday, May 25 at the Metro.

The Detroit festival has adopted the pay-what-you-want-to model for admission this year. Two-day passes are suggested for those who want to be sure they will get it; it was quite packed last year, as you might recall.

Self-described as a celebration of "twisted and beguiling avant-garde music and performance, running congruent with Movement," this year's lineup, just released (for the full lineup, see the the flyer below), is a super-smart mixture of local and international talent. Also, they aren't making a big deal about it, but there appears to be something close to gender parity (compare that to, oh, almost any other festival).

This year's lineup heads into the nether regions of several cutting-edge sides of electronic music at once. And yet, it really feels like a cohesive mess. It's a bonus that the fest isn't trying to do too much, too. There are no film screenings held offsite this year; they didn't change the name as they'd threatened to; and the fest has been pared down to two, full days which straddle the noise/party continuum.

Pharmakon, Body/Head, Container, Aaron Dilloway — wow, this is seriously so good. We've been waiting to see Body/Head for years, and Pharmakon is so crazily adored right now, and for great reason. The local bookings are just as crucial. After all, it's members of Princess Dragonmom who helped to start Noise Camp and thus to usher in the golden age of Michigan noise music some forty years ago, so kudos for including them.

Mark your calendars — Trip Metal is back. We'll be highlighting the music of many of these artists in the days leading up to the fest.