Avast, maties! Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski and his star, Johnny Depp, have come together to executive-produce a new high-seas project aimed at us music-loving landlubbers. Built around the notion of contemporary interpretations of the classic seafaring song, the pair shanghaied Hal Willner as the captain of this ship, resulting in this week's release of Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, & Chanteys on the Anti Records imprint. Contributions on this two-CD set include Sting, Nick Cave, Byran Ferry, Lou Reed, Bono, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Joseph Arthur, Stan Ridgway, Jolie Holland, Jarvis Cocker, Bill Frisell, Baby Gramps, Lucinda Williams, and - dig this - actor John C. Reilly and gonzo artist Ralph Steadman.
Wannabe guitar heroes have one more week to upload their home video on You Tube for entry in the Barenaked Ladies' new video contest, looking for the best air-guitar performances to their new single "Wind It Up." The best of the best will be included in the internationally released video for the song, promoting the release of the new Barenaked Ladies Are Me, due next month on their own Desperation Records label. The band is really letting the fans behind the curtain on this new CD, with its Web site sharing new songs broken down into separate tracks, ready for reconstruction and remixing online. A charity-driven fan-remixed EP of the results is promised for the future.
Next week Anticon Records is releasing Mike Patton's recent Peeping Tom project on groovy LP vinyl. The pressing comes housed in a deluxe die-cut jacket peeking through an open peephole, with the first 5,000 copies on limited-edition picture-disc.
A new label is debuting with the goal of turning Junior's crib into a modern-rock or classic-rock playpen. Next week Baby Rock Records releases 16 CDs in its new Rockabye Baby series of lullaby renditions to dream by and shake a rattle to, each crafted from the sleepy instrumentation of chimes, mellotron, vibraphone, and glockenspiel. Artists offered up with a warm bottle of milk include Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Metallica, Pink Floyd, No Doubt, Tool, Radiohead, the Beatles, Coldplay, Nirvana, and Queens of the Stone Age.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Tom Petty tonight and Starsailor on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman welcomes The Roots on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Matisyahu this evening overnight, James Hunter on Thursday overnight, Wolfmother on Monday overnight, and Ray LaMontagne on Tuesday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly presents Jose Gonzalez this evening overnight and Mobb Deep on Friday overnight; and Jimmy Kimmel Live slips into The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on Friday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, August 29:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
The 69 Eyes - Framed in Blood: The Very Blessed of (Cleopatra) 18 tracks of Helsinki goth
The Black Crowes - The Lost Crowes (Rhino) two-CD set featuring sessions from two shelved albums from 1993 and 1997
The Black Crowes - Who Killed That Bird Out Your Window Sill ... The Movie (Rhino) behind-the-scenes DVD with bonus videos
BT - This Binary Universe (DTS) all-new CD featuring a bonus DVD with each song computer animated in 5.1-channel surround sound, getting brainy in tracks "1.618" and "The Anhtkythera Mechanism"
The Byrds - There Is a Season (Columbia Legacy) four-CD box set and bonus DVD collecting 10 rare television appearances
Harry Connick, Jr. - "All These People" (Columbia) special Hurricane Katrina benefit single with Gospel vocalist Kim Burrell, raising funds for the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village
DJ Starscream - The New Leader (N2O) new from #0 from Slipknot, a.k.a. Sid Wilson, with guests Rob Gee, Smorgas, and Shannon Mitchell
Bob Dylan - Modern Times (Columbia) all new and also available on LP vinyl and a deluxe CD/DVD edition with four bonus songs
Thea Gilmore - Harpo's Ghost (Sanctuary) after two previous albums in which covers stole the spotlight, this fantastic new album of originals is my pick of the week, highlighted by the political "Red White & Black," written after touring with Joan Baez, and two songs co-written with Mike Scott of The Waterboys
Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (Prosthetic) domestic release of this heavy French metalcore from last year
IsWhat? - The Life We Chose (Hyena) dynamite avant-jazz hip-hop from this Cincinnati trio that bridges the Last Poets, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and spittin' beatbox soul
Michael Lee Jackson - In a Heartbeat (Immergent) featuring guest Ian Gillan on a cover of The Sonics' "Have Love, Will Travel"
Kinky - Reina (Nettwerk)
Last Ditch Remedy - The Following (Cake) debut from Puyallup, Washington
McGill Manring Stevens - What We Do (Free Electric Sound) cookin' new fusion workouts of songs by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, and John Coltrane
NoMeansNo - All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt (AntAcidAudio) all new
Of the Opera - Study Natural Law (Lucid) electronic pop from the one-man-band of Robert Bock, formerly of Monday's Hero and The Firebird Band
Over It - Step Outside Yourself (Virgin) California pop-punk hot off this past spring's Virgin College Mega Tour with Yellowcard
The Prids - ... Until the World is Beautiful (Five03 Records) bristling post-punk buzzing in the light and shadows of Joy Division, Wire, and early Cure
Spike Priggen - There's No Sound in Flutes (Spike Priggen) third album of clever sugar-pop from the former Dumptruck bassist, featuring Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos on two songs and cover art by HATE's Peter Bagge
Radio 4 - Enemies Like This Remixed (Astralwerks) CD EP with remixes from Hot Chip, Culture Cheat, Small Sins, and others
Sherry Baby - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) score by Dana Fuchs
Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair (Epic) with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Scott Storch, and Lester Mendez
Stereolab - Serene Velocity: A Stereolab Anthology (Rhino) collecting two seven-inch singles and 14 other tracks
Subnoize Souljaz - Droppin Bombs (Suburban Noize) 20-track incestuous get-down from the label's stable, featuring the Kottonmouth Kings, Jared of (hed) pe, Big B, Saint Dog, and more
The Summer Obsession - This Is Where You Belong (Virgin) featuring drummer Chris Wilson, formerly of Good Charlotte
Ty Tabor - Rock Garden (Inside Out) new solo album from the King's X guitarist, with guest Wally Farkas of Galactic Cowboys
Tiga - Sexor (Turbo Recordings) percolating synth pop from the Montreal DJ, featuring guest Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters on "You Gonna Want Me" and a nifty cover of the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House"
Two Dollar Guitar - The Wear & Tear of Fear: A Lover's Discourse (Smells Like) dusky living-room solo sessions from Hoboken's Tim Foljahn, mixed with Television's Fred Smith
The Tyde - Three's Co. (Rough Trade) reminiscent of Lloyd Cole fronting Prefab Sprout, this is sunny indie rock from Darren Rademaker, featuring his brother Brent of Beachwood Sparks on bass and drummer Ric Menck of Velvet Crush
Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler (Columbia)
Young Knives - Voices of Animals & Men (Transgressive) import-only and produced by Andy Gill of Gang of Four
