Someone Please Kill the Cover Band

Everything's gone covers-crazy next month with a caravan of weird and wonderful salutes, sure to prick up ears with a healthy "huh?" Luna covering Paula Abdul? Superchunk bowing down to Destiny's Child? Or Jim O'Rourke shaking out some Spice Girls? Yes, all that and a dozen more are due from Engine Room Recordings' upcoming Guilt By Association project, asking humble 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" and Petra Haden covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Stranger still, the classy Decca Records label is dipping into hipster territory with 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, 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 newcomers putting their angst spin on tracks by 2Pac, Outkast, Kayne 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 and the Rebirth Brass Band, Bonnie Raitt, Toots and the Maytals, Corinne Bailey Rae, Robert Plant, Elton John and Randy Newman.

Television Alert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Stephen Stills Wednesday, Satellite Party Thursday and John Butler Trio Tuesday. The Late Show with David Letterman hosts the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Thursday, Buffalo Tom Friday, The Bravery Monday and The Black Crowes' Chris & Rich Robinson on Tuesday. Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Tegan & Sara Tuesday. And The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents The Cribs Friday and Nellie McKay Monday.

New Releases Coming Tuesday
1990s ­ Cookies (Rough Trade) hips-pumpin' 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 and Gold (Caroline) aka Natasha Khan, 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; 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; Culver City Dub Collective ­ Dos (Everloving) with guests Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Winston Jarret and Money Mark; Dave Davies ­ Fractured Mindz (Koch) all new from the Kinks cofounder and first since his stroke in 2004; Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding ­ It's Now or Never 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 vinyl LP; 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; 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, a poster and bonus DVD; G. Love and Special Sauce ­ A Year and a Night with G. Love and Special Sauce (Brushfire) live CD and DVD set with guests Donovan Frankenreiter, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and Los Lobos' Dave Hidalgo; 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) 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 and Pins"; Marc Rizzo - The Ultimate Devotion (Shrapnel) new from the Soulfly and Il Nino guitarist; Shivaree - Tainted Love: Mating Calls and 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 Crüe's "Looks That Kill"; Alan Vega ­ Station (Blast First/Mute) all new from the Suicide cofounder; Various Artists ­ Americana (Putumayo) cross-country compilation featuring The Little Willies, Old Crow Medicine Show, Josh Ritter and Robert Earl Keen.