Luna covering Paula Abdul? Superchunk bowing down to Destiny's Child? Jim O'Rourke shaking out some Spice Girls? Yes, all that and a dozen more are due from Engine Room Recordings and their upcoming Guilt by Association project, asking stars to confess their guilty pleasures. Need more cringe-worthy conceptualizations? Get prepared to slip into Bonnie Prince Billy's Will Oldham crawling through Mariah Carey's "Can't Take That Away," or Petra Haden covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."
Stranger still, the classy Decca Records label is dipping into hipster territory in a new album from Paul Anka, entitled Classic Songs, My Way. Must-hear covers in Anka's sights include The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," Billy Joel's "I Go to Extremes," and Duran Duran's "Ordinary World."
Hydra Head Records is reissuing an upgraded and expanded CD of Led Zeppelin covers from 1999 by hardcore metal jammers Coalesce in There Is Nothing New Under the Sun. Other cover songs under their knife include "I'm Giving Up on This One" by The Get Up Kids, Black Sabbath's "Supernaut," and Boy Set Fire's "Vehicle" and "In the Wilderness."
Coming up later this fall, Immortal Records is releasing Yo! Indie Rock Raps with 18 earnest and emo up-and-comers putting their angst spin on tracks by 2Pac, Outkast, Kanye West, and Dr. Dre. With New Found Glory, Hellogoodbye, Cute Is What We Aim for, and The Hush Sound, highlights include Say Anything's Max Bemis covering Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money" and The Maine's take on Akon's "I Wanna Love You."
Also on deck is Goin' Home, a Fats Domino tribute on the Vanguard imprint, with contributions by Lenny Kravitz, the Rebirth Brass Band, Bonnie Raitt, Toots & the Maytals, Corinne Bailey Rae, Robert Plant, Elton John, and Randy Newman.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Stephen Stills tonight, Satellite Party on Thursday, and John Butler Trio on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Thursday, Buffalo Tom on Friday, The Bravery on Monday, and the Black Crowes' Chris & Rich Robinson on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Tegan & Sara on Tuesday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents The Cribs on Friday and Nellie McKay on Monday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, July 31:
1990s - Cookies (Rough Trade) domestic issue of this Scottish trio recorded by Suede's Bernard Butler, reminiscent of a nervous Jim Carroll fronting The Mooney Suzuki in the basement of CBGB's
Anti-Nowhere League - So What? Early Demos & Live Abuse (Castle/Sanctuary) two-CD set
Bat for Lashes - Fur & Gold (Caroline) this critically acclaimed debut is on the shortlist for this year's Mercury Prize
Luka Bloom - Tribe (Cooking Vinyl) in collaboration with Simon O'Reilly
The Budos Band - The Budos Band II (Daptone) delicious, horn-heavy, 11-piece instrumental soul
Charlie Bartlett - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) peppered with dialogue from the film, the music features Curtis Mayfield, The Subways, and a cover of Cat Stevens' "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" by Kat Dennings
Common - Finding Forever (Geffen) with guests D'Angelo, Lily Allen, and Kanye West
Graham Coxon & Paul Weller - "This Old Town" (Regal) new import-only seven-inch collaborative single from the Blur and Jam guitarists, backed with new solo B sides
Culver City Dub Collective - Dos (Everloving) with guests Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Winston Jarret, and Money Mark
Daddy's Hands - Welcome Kings (Kill Devil Hills) final album of noisy, bluesy gyrations, silenced by the death of singer Charter Cruise last year
Dave Davies - Fractured Mindz (Koch) all new from the Kinks co-founder
The Fabulous Flee Rekkers - Green Jeans: The Anthology (Castle) 32 tracks produced by the legendary Joe Meek
Michael Fakesch - Dos (K7!) second solo album of delirious, sweaty, nasty funk from half of the German electro duo Funkstörung, channeling Prince among itchy blips and bleats
Five Times August - The Independent (Five Times August) expanded reissue of Fry Street, with a bonus disc of 12 acoustic tracks
Robert Gordon & Chris Spedding - The King & I (Ryko) backed by Elvis Presley's Jordanaires, 15 of The King's lesser-known songs are reinterpreted by the rockabilly legend and the session guitar ace; also available on 180-gram audiophile LP
Heinz - Just Like Eddie: The Heinz Anthology (Castle) two-CD collection from The Tornados' blonde bassist, with covers of songs by Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Eddie Cochran, and Ritchie Valens
Hot Rod - original motion picture soundtrack (Legacy) with music by Cutting Crew, Giorgio Moroder, and Stacey Q
Charlie Hunter - Mistico (Fantasy) new seven-string-guitar adventures with Simon Lott and Erik Deutsch
Joe Jackson - Tonight & Forever: The Joe Jackson Collection (Universal) import-only two-CD set featuring four live tracks and an a cappella version of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
Peter Kater - Faces of the Sun (Silver Wave) with guests Tony Levin, Bill Miller, and Mary Youngblood
Korn - Untitled (Virgin) also available in a deluxe edition with postcards, poster, and bonus DVD
G. Love & Special Sauce - A Year & a Night with G. Love & Special Sauce (Brushfire) live CD and DVD set with guests Donovan Frankenreiter, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Los Lobos' Dave Hidalgo
Chase Pagen - Oh, Musica! (Militia Group) lost in the heady, precocious, coy wink of Queen, this piano-based indie pop from Arkansas features guest Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction
Pet Shop Boys - Cubism: In Concert/November 14th, 2006 (Rhino) 27-track DVD in two different slipcase covers
Polly Paulusma - Fingers & Thumbs (One Little Indian) highly anticipated second album, rocking out beyond her previous pensive softness
Placebo - Extended Play '07 (Virgin) CD EP featuring three live tracks, including a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill"
Raspberries - Live on the Sunset Strip (Rykodisc) single CD, and two-CD and bonus-DVD "deluxe version," recorded last year with the original lineup, easy-beat rockin' through all their hits and covers of The Who's "I Can't Explain" and the Sonny Bono-penned "Needles & Pins"
Recoil - Subhuman (Mute) also available in a special collector's edition with a bonus DVD featuring all their videos, a 5.1-channel mix, and an ambient reworking of the entire album
Marc Rizzo - The Ultimate Devotion (Shrapnel) new from the Soulfly and Il Nino guitarist
Shivaree - Tainted Love: Mating Calls & Fight Songs (Zoe/Rounder) all-covers collection bristling with breathy, buzzing spins through Chuck Berry's "I Wanna Be Your Driver," Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and Mötley Crue's "Looks That Kill"
Paul van Dyk - "White Lies" (Mute) new single with vocalist Jessica Sutta of Pussycat Dolls
Alan Vega - Station (Blast First/Mute) all new from the Suicide co-founder
Voltaire - Ooky Spooky (Projekt) featuring a duet with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls on "Stuck with You"
various artists - Americana (Putumayo) cross-country compilation featuring The Little Willies, Old Crow Medicine Show, Josh Ritter, and Robert Earl Keen