sonic slang

Mike Patton to Collaborate with Watchmen Creator

There are very few things I would allow as acceptable reasons to disrupt the long-overdue Faith No More reunion tour - a collaboration with Watchmen's Alan Moore is one of them.  Bring on the naked blue demi-gods and exploding fish.

Chili Peppers to Leave Rubin for French Dance Duo on Next Album?

Recent Weezer albums not withstanding, Rick Rubin is practically a god among men in the rock producer scene, and no studio pairing seemed to gel more smoothly than his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  With his stripped down style lending the sloppy metal of the band's early work a touch of maturity, the Chili Peppers innate funkiness steered the sound clear of the bland crunch that mired some of Rubin's weaker efforts (Make Believe, Minutes to Midnight.)

Sure, Stadium Arcadium tried a little too hard to be all things to all people, and in 2008 the band's sound is treading ever closer to that dreaded classic rock label, but do these guys really need to pull a 180 and recruit a French dance act to man the boards on their next disc?  Anthony Kedis will be 46 in November - I think the club days are over boys.   Let's see how this one plays out.

Q-Tip - "Midnight '08"

Prefix Mag has Q-Tip's contribution to the Smirnoff Signature Mix Series, "Midnight '08," (head over here for our download of Common's entry - "The Light" 2008 remix) and we're all over it today.  The classic blueprint (each track pairs old-school heroes with the hottest new producers) reminds us how great hip hop once was, and still could be.  Dig it.

Check out a brief live clip of Q-Tip at the kick-off party after the jump.

Stephen King/John Mellencamp Play Eyes Spring '09 Release

Woo hoo!  That loooong gestating Stephen King/John Mellencamp collaboration, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, finally has a release date. 

Described as "a sultry Southern gothic mystery with a blues-tinged, guitar-driven score," the play will open at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre in April 2009, with the object of getting it ready for a Broadway run.

Mellencamp, who contributed all original music for the production, originally conceived the idea before passing it along to King for scripting.  The story centers on the mysterious 1957 death of two Mississippi brothers and one young girl, and the legend that grows from the tragedy.  Sounds like classic King stuff.  Let's hope Mellencamp has provided some appropriately dark music, but anyone who heard the ironically-titled Mr. Happy Go-Lucky should know he's up to the task.

Is a Jaz-Z/Nas Disc on the Way?

Rumor has it the Jigga Man is working on a collaborative disc with Nas called the Kings of Hip Hop.  Holy crap, talk about starting off your new label with a bang. 

Jay-Z has some experience with the tag-team LP, though not the type that's likely to raise pulses in the hard-core hip hop community.  In 2004 he traded rhymes with Linkin Park on the Collision Course EP. 

Nothing confirmed yet for this one, but if anything can dig rap out of its current commercial doldrums, this is freakin' it. 

The Cribs Recruit Johnny Marr for New Tracks

Looks like we might have one less reason to catch that REM '08 tour.  Smiths legend Johnny Marr, most recently of Modest Mouse, has apparently jumped ship to an act even more his junior - England's The Cribs.

No official word on how this affects Marr's gig with Modest Mouse, but Cribs bassist Gary Jarman does hope recent sessions with Marr will blossom into an EP or possible a full LP.

In other news, The Cribs recently co-hosted Radio 1 with Zane Lowe, talking about their latest plans and spinning some favorite tunes.  Check out the audio here.

Pete Doherty Reveals Amy Winehouse Collaborations

"You Hurt the Ones You Love" is the name of the Pete Doherty/Amy Winehouse collaboration we've been worried about.  Rumor has it that this unholy union has also spawned a cover of, *shudder*, "You're The One That I Want," originally made annoying by the movie Grease.

Well, at least they're working and not...oh forget it. 

Between recordings, Pete's also made time for cat abuse, assault, and hosting parties.   Dude keeps busy; we'll give him that.

Annie Lennox "Sings" for AIDS Awareness

To cap off the week on a positive note:

Annie Lennox (who BTW, looks great at nearly 53) teamed up with 23 of the world’s most acclaimed female superstar voices for the charity record "Sing," to raise money and awareness for the HIV/AIDS organisation, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). The track, already available to download through iTunes and other online outlets, will be physically released along with special remixes THIS SATURDAY DECEMBER 1st – WORLD AIDS DAY.

As charity singles go, the song ain't half-bad, and there's no denying the worthiness of the cause, so download it, along with those remixes at iTunes.  Watch the clip for "Sing" featuring Annie Lennox, Madonna and others, after the jump.

White and Dylan Working on Hank Williams Set?

In a move that recalls the Wilco/Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue discs (Woody Guthrie lyrics set to an alt-country tune), Bob Dylan and Jack White are reportedly working together on a set of "lost" Hank Williams tunes.  Though the collaboration has yet to yield a joint recording session between the two, a source close to the White Stripes frontman (and occasional White bassist) expects the kindred spirits to hit the studio together shortly: “I wouldn't put it past either of them. They seem to be cut from the same cloth, sort of misplaced Midwestern brothers."

The Reason ft. Sara Quin - "We're So Beyond This"

Normally we might not have given The Reason's inoffensive pop punk a second look, but Sara Quin's duet with lead singer Adam White in "We're So Beyond This" makes for one of our favorite videos in a while.  With a Hives-like juxtaposition of black and white and Quin's adorable emoting, a well-worn source of musical angst (chicks just don't get me man!) actually works.