Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, and director John Hillcoat have a flawless track record collaborating on music for film so far, but for their latest project, Lawless, Cave and Co. may have outdone themselves. Where The Road and The Proposition leaned heavily on moody, Cave/Ellis-penned instrumentals, the music of Lawless is rife with guest performers and inspired cover song choices. With a story set during the United States’ prohibition era (1919 – 1933), the soundtrack’s core group of performers — Cave, Ellis, Martyn Casey, George Vjestica and David Sard — were dubbed a perfectly appropriate name: The Bootleggers. Joining them are Mark Lanegan, bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, the Duke Spirit’s Liela Moss, Emmylou Harris, and more. Hearing Stanley’s take on Velvet Underground’s “White Light/White Heat” alone would be worth the cost of admission, but other covers of note abound here: the Bootleggers, Moss, and Harris doing “So You’ll Aim Toward the Sky” by Grandaddy, Townes Van Zandt’s “The Snake Song,” and Lanegan joining in for Link Wray’s “Fire and Brimstone.” What’s more, Willie Nelson and Blake Mills each contributed a cut.
Upon further inspection of the tracklist and guest stars (via Cannes/Playlist), it seems a darker vision of T Bone Burnett’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? might be in the works. We’ll find out in August, but for now, check out the trailer here and full rundown of songs appearing in the film below:
Music of Lawless
01. Fire and Brimstone – The Bootleggers w/ Mark Lanegan | Song: Link Wray
02. He is All – David Sardy and Jordan Tappis
03. Midnight Run – John Wesley Ryles | Song: Marc Copely, James Bernard Dolan, Adam Stuart Levy
04. Detroit – Western Massachusetts Sacred Harp Convention | Song: Bradshaw and Philip Doddridge
05. Wave Storm – Blake Mills
06. Burnin’ Hell – The Bootleggers | Song: Bernard Besman and John Lee Hooker
07. White Light/White Heat – The Bootleggers w/ Mark Lanegan | Song: Lou Reed
08. Cosmonaut – The Bootleggers w/ Emmylou Harris | Song: Cave and Ellis
09. Fire In The Blood – The Bootleggers w/ Ralph Stanley | Song: Cave and Ellis
10. Night of Canakkale – David Sardy and Jordan Tappis w/ Wayne Bergeron
11. The Cuckoo Bird – Clarence Ashley | Traditional
12. Fire In The Blood – The Bootleggers w/ Emmylou Harris | Song: Cave and Ellis
13. Sweet Truth – David Sardy
14. So You’ll Aim Toward the Sky – The Bootleggers w/ Liela Moss and Emmylou Harris | Song: Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle
15. The Morning After – David Sardy w/ Wayne Bergeron
16. The Snake Song – The Bootleggers w/ Emmylou Harris | Song: Townes Van Zandt
17. The Telephone Girl – Frank Fairfield, Song: Orville Reed
18. Hymn – The Bootleggers w/ Liela Moss | Song: Cave and Ellis
19. White Light/White Heat – Ralph Stanley | Song: Lou Reed
20. Midnight Run – Willie Nelson | Song: Marc Copely, James Bernard Dolan, Adam Stuart Levy