A harpist narratorIt’s never that interesting when a musician decides to make the jump into acting, only because more often than not, they bomb. Britney Spears, anyone? But the combination I’m writing about is exciting for many reasons. Firstly, the film: Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming flick Inherent Vice (an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel). Secondly, the musician/actor: Joanna Newsom. Yup, the fantastic singer-songwriter/harpist is set to narrate P.T. Anderson’s next movie, and I couldn’t be more excited. But that’s just me. Newsom is also playing Sortilège, an “earth-goddess-like” character aka a hippie. Still, this should be interesting. The film doesn’t hit theaters ’til December, so there’s still time to get all hyped.It’s a Prince party!This past week, Prince released two new records. One album (Art Official Age) is a solo endeavor, while the other (PlectrumElectrum) is a record he released with his band 3rdEyeGirl. Both LPs are streaming over at Spotify, so if you have an account, have at it. Otherwise, look for the albums at your nearest music store. Assuming you still buy physical copies of course.Weezer the juiceI know I’ve mentioned that Weezer’s upcoming record (Everything Will Be Alright in the End) is coming out on Oct. 7. So why does it bear repeating? Because the band has now released a visual accompaniment for album single “Back to the Shack,” which you can view below. Also, if you’re too anxious to wait ’til next week, the album is currently streaming over at iTunes Radio, so head there for a listen.Unearthing the undergroundThis is an exciting one. One of my all-time favorite bands The Velvet Underground is getting a master re-release. In honor of the 45th anniversary of their 1969 self-titled album, they’re releasing a deluxe box set that contains 65 tracks over 6 discs. That’s a lot of ear candy, y’all. But what makes this release extra special is that one of the discs is their unreleased fourth record (which was also recorded in 1969). Songs from that record that never saw the light of day either went on their fourth LP (Loaded) or were featured on Lou Reed’s solo works. That’ll drop on Nov. 24, but you can head over to Pitchfork to read more about it and view the tracklist and whatnot.Aretha/AdeleThe queen of soul herself, Aretha Franklin, is readying the release of her upcoming LP (Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics), which will be available on Oct. 21. On the album she covers songs by Etta James, Gladys Knight, Gloria Gaynor, The Supremes and more. To give fans a snippet of what that’ll sound like, she’s shared a cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” which you can hear below. Enjoy!Gray matterNot that I’ve been keeping tabs on Macy Gray, but who knew she was working on a new record? I’m sure fans caught wind of it at some point. Regardless, it’s still a surprise, considering the LP comes out next week (Oct. 7). And for those interested in hearing about it or reading Gray’s thoughts on working with Booker T. Jones on said album (The Way), head over to Billboard.Lorde still reignsI’m sure fans of Lorde and the Hunger Games trilogy were equally as excited when it was announced that not only would Lorde provide a tune for the upcoming film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Pt. 1, but that she would also be curating the entire soundtrack. Now, on the one year anniversary of the release of her awesome record Pure Heroine in the states, she’s finally released said track (“Yellow Flicker Beat”), which is available for listening below. Peacetime chicasAnother upcoming album to look forward to: Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance by Scottish band Belle and Sebastian. After the release of last year’s rarity collection (The Third Eye Centre), singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch has been focusing on his career as a filmmaker with God Help the Girl. So it’s nice to see the band still going strong. Hopefully this’ll lean more toward The Life Pursuit rather than Write About Love, but one can only hope. Look for the record on Jan. 15, 2015, and view a teaser over at Stereogum.It’s the “It Girl”Still riding high from the release of his last record, G I R L, Pharrell has released a video for the album’s closing track “It Girl.” The video was produced by famous Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami and directed by Mr. and Fantasista Utamaro. I’m sure fans of the album have already headed to the store in droves to purchase multiple copies, but maybe this video will inspire new fans and new purchases. Cause isn’t that the point?
Rooster Roundabout: This Week’s Music Highlights
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