At Oregon’s Pickathon Festival, Neko Case broke out a cover (as featured on her album, Middle Cyclone) of Harry Nilsson’s unforgettable love song, Don’t Forget Me.  Check her performance below, followed by Nilsson’s inimitable original (that “Get happy” bit may be the derivation for that Elvis Costello album title).  The song’s affecting lyrics follow.  Oh how we miss ye, Harry.

Don’t Forget Me:

“In the wintertime
keep your feet warm
and keep your clothes on
and don’t forget me
keep your memories
but keep your powder dry, too

In the summer
by the poolside
while the fireflies are all around you
I’ll miss you when I’m lonely
I’ll miss the alimony, too

Don’t forget me
don’t forget me
make it easier on me
just for a little while

You know, I think about you
let me know you think about me, too

And when we’re older
and full of cancer
it doesn’t matter now
come on, get happy

Cause nothing lasts forever
but I will always love you

Don’t forget me
please don’t forget me
make it easier on me
just for a little while

You know, I think about you
let me know you think about me, too.”

It’s summertime still (heat-check, anyone?) and the music festivals have overtaken this fine land.  They continue to blaze by–Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Hard Summer, Outside Lands, Doe Bay, etc., etc., etc.   Amongst those that we’ve yet again failed to attend is Oregon’s Pickathon Festival, held each year (this year’s was the 14th annual) at the Pendarvis Farm near Happy Valley, Oregon.  Fortunately for us, KEXP and others have been in attendance to film fine performances that we would have otherwise completely missed.  Check out a few of our favored vignettes below.

First up is Southeast Engine, the Ohio band that has been evolving and revving up for a decade and now seems to be hitting on all cylinders.  Their 2011 album, Canary, is an under-appreciated gem that showcases songwriter Adam Remnant’s lyrical acumen.  Check out below the band performing a song from that album, the sweet, harmony-laden Rosie.

Then check out the harp-laden (more harp!) Barr Brothers performing their moving song, Held My Head.

Next up is the ubiquitous War On Drugs covering the great Waterboys’ chestnut, A Pagan Place.

Following is the fantastic Phosphorescent (in solo mode) covering Randy Newman’s Days of Heaven.

Next, check out the Mynabirds rendering a captivating vocal treatment of their song Disarm.

Finally, we have Oregon’s gigantic Typhoon with their new song Morton’s Fork as performed in the Pendarvis House for KEXP.

We remember fondly watching Brooklyn band Yeasayer open and completely blow off the stage the headliners (Man Man….hmm, how you say–Suck Suck?) at Soho a few years back.   After Yeasayer’s phenomenal opening set, we accosted founder Chris Keating at the band’s merch table and loudly proclaimed that they should promptly smite the place-holder-headliners and take their rightful place as valiant and deserved headliners.   Keating smiled, looked around to see who had heard this man-iacal blasphemy, and deftly high-fived us.

Our love for the band has blossomed ever since.  Yeasayer has a fab new album (Fragrant World) out and (courtesy of The Bowery Presents) you can see their recent performances in NYC in support of Fragrant World.  Make no mistake, Yeasayer is the slaysayer live.  Check ’em out performing three songs off the new album below, followed by the older, riveting Ambling Alp.  Please go support the band and buy their new album HERE.  You won’t be disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Tzrrh_OLc&feature=em-uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1htldyyUfA&feature=channel&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFULHG0sLzI&feature=channel&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38G6sl3LIY&feature=channel&list=UL

We’ll be out in a vain attempt to escape the garrulous grid for a few days.  While we’re away, we recommend you check out some of our favorite albums of 2012 at the links below.

Our Favorite Rock Album So Far This Year: Like Pioneers’ “Oh, Magic”

Reviewed: Drink Up Allo Darlin’s “Europe”

The Weakerthans’ John K. Samson to Release Solo Album “Provincial”

Lambchop Releases Video for “2B2″ Off of Their Magnificent “Mr. M” Album

The Best Albums of 2012

After absorbing the visionary Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Toots and the Maytals, et. al, in the early 70s, and becoming enslaved by all-things Jamaican, we quickly became enamored with Jamaican dub music and one of its early progenitors, Lee “Scratch” Perry.  Whether you’re in the camp that considers him a genius or that which thinks he’s a genuine whack-o, no one can deny his place as one of the pioneering producers (Marley, Junior Marvin, Augustus Pablo, etc., etc.) and songwriters (Perry co-wrote Police and Thieves, amongst a thousand examples)  of reggae music.  The 76-year old Perry has had major ups and hellish downs over the years, but is now back in the mix with The Orb, modern electronic music out of Europe.

The latest album from The Orb, The Observer in the star house, features eleven new tracks, including lead tracks, Hold Me Upsetter and Golden Clouds, and is due for release this August 28th on The End Records.

Recorded in Berlin, the album features Dr. Alex Paterson and long-time Orb member Thomas Fehlmann, who have crafted entrancing, spare backdrops for Perry’s idiosyncratic ramblings and divinations.

According to Paterson:  “The album’s inception can be traced back to 2004 when Dr Paterson played a DJ and toaster set with Lee in Mexico. I had an amazing time being that close to the great man.  I played a dub set, Earl 16 was Greg Dread’s toaster, Mad Professor had his ladies, then there was the legendary Lee Scratch Perry; he’s a genius who expresses the future within the present times of anguish, hope and unity.”

Fehlman, who has been at the forefront of Germany’s electronic music scene, recalls, “I met Lee for the first time during this session and it was pretty touching to see how an unexpected connection and inspirational exchange could so awaken our creative juices. Alex and I had never made so much new music on the spot before. It was soon pretty clear that we wouldn’t get far with the four backing tracks we pre-produced for the session. Lee was so overwhelmingly creative that it took an afternoon for those to be finished. From then on we were forced to come up with new beats on the spot, to keep him in the flow.  He was constantly active, referring to the tunes we were working on and hitting on bits of wood or stone to create percussion patterns, so we ended up using field recordings of him banging on bits and pieces.”

To get a feel for the innovative and seductive collaboration, check out the colorful (it’s Scratch–what would you expect?) official videos for the lead tracks below. Long live Scratch Perry and pass The Orb.

You can pre-order the album in various formats at http://www.theorb.com

British band Dry The River have been turning ears recently with their harmonies and lives shows.  Check out the band playing their song Shaker Hymns (from their latest album, Shallow Bed) unplugged on a boat in the canals of Amsterdam, all courtesy of Face Culture.  If you like what you see and hear, check out the whole show at bottom after.

Back at the beginning of the Middle Ages (1992, turns out), The Afghan Whigs released a series of brutally-honest and brutally-beautiful albums of the ’90s, capped off in 1993 with Gentleman.  The Afghans were always at their best live (“incendiary” comes to mind), and we’ll never forget their 1993 show at Slim’s,and the afterglow ride home across the Bay Bridge with their song What Jail is Like blaring on repeat.  After Gentleman, the band released more strong albums, but ultimately broke up under the strain of life in 2001.  The great news is that the band is currently reunited and receiving raves across this great land.  To get a flavor, check them out at Lollapalooza last weekend slaying (despite the Afghans-antithetical daylight setting) on Gentleman and their resonant cover of See and Don’t See.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-KnPeP49gk&feature=channel&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DiKiKjPo50&feature=em-uploademail

Almost a year later, we are still huge fans of Feist’s fine 2011 album, Metals.  Today Feist is back in the news with a Nowness- exclusive release of the video for her song, Anti-Pioneer.  Danish director Martin De Thurah shot the video in an old Mexico City building. “We had a window of opportunity to shoot something else, which never happens,” explained De Thurah to Nowness. “I had thought about making something very simple, complex and emotional with Leslie alone. I found the song very intimate, and wanted the video to reflect that.” We’ll take any excuse to watch and listen to Leslie Feist.  She’s one of the best extant.  The lyrics to Anti-Pioneer follow.

“Start with colors
they always get away with attitude
but they’ll try to convince you of your mood
and what you want they’ll give it to you
but it’s only therapy, that’s all they do

and for a year she was anti-pioneer
singing sappy songs
about what went wrong
two years before, but even now
when the false is true
when i call me you

When the flag changes colors
the language knows
when the month changes numbers
it’s time to go
when the flag changes colors
the language knows
when the month changes numbers
it’s time to go

anti-pioneer then
anti-pioneer then
anti-pioneer then
anti-pioneer then

And for a year she was anti-pioneer
they passed her off too late
to change her future’s fate
but even now when the false gets true
and living colors seem possible to you

When the flag changes colors
the language knows
when the month changes numbers
it’s time to go

When the flag changes colors
the language knows
when the month changes numbers
it’s time to go home”

As promised yesterday, The Bowery Presents has overcome technical difficulties and you can now watch the entire Bloc Party show at Terminal 5 in NYC.  The stream will only be up until tomorrow morning at 6am Pacific time so enjoy before then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhpL-lKMLmE&feature=em-uploademail

In addition to the Bowery Presents videos below, KCRW has just released this performance by Bloc Party of their song, Octopus off of their new album, Four.  Check it out.