by Nicole Rallis

After Mark Ronson’s all-star set at the Défilé Etam Lingerie fashion show in Paris knocked our socks off last week—in which the likes of The Kills, Gossip’s Beth Ditto, Karen Elson, and others rocked the runway—it got us thinking about other innovative designers who are enlisting equally fabulous musicians to showcase the catwalk. Check out four stellar videos, as well as the aforementioned clip as a bonus, that we’ve culled from the Web of Cat Power, Sonic Youth, La Roux, and Björk as they aurally enchant onlookers by soundtracking the creations of Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and Viktor & Rolf.

Sonic Youth took to their official Facebook and SoundCloud pages yesterday to share a few recordings from the archives in light of sad recent news of Don Van Vliet’s passing and in celebration of the more joyous upcoming Christmas holiday. The latter tribute, a cover of “Santa Doesn’t Cop Out on Dope” by actor/musician Martin Mull (who, BTW, stars in one of the best Tom Waits TV clips ever), originally appeared on the 1996 covers compilation Just Say Noël alongside tunes from Beck (“The Little Drum Machine Boy”), the Roots (“Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa”), and others. In honor of Captain Beefheart, Sonic Youth shared their cover of his 1967 song “Electricity,” which they first released as a bonus track on the ‘07 Daydream Nation reissue’s deluxe edition.

It’s pretty cool to see that SY’s vast archives contain at least a tune or two for every current event, happy or otherwise. Enjoy this week’s archival jams at the links above or below:

Less than a week after breaking the news about Thurston Moore’s Beck-produced solo LP, now we have details for Sonic Youth’s next release: the soundtrack to French thriller Simon Werner a Disparu, which — as reported in the spring — premiered at Cannes earlier this year. The digital OST will drop on January 25, followed by a physical release in February on a yet-unspecified date, via Midheaven and SY’s own Sonic Youth Recordings label.

An additional 5-track bonus EP comes bundled with director Fabrice Gobert’s film’s DVD release on February 1. Preview the album art above and tracklist (with all French song titles) alongside two intriguing trailers scored by snippets of the band’s foray into murder mystery film scores below:

Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore has unveiled a few tasty details on his forthcoming album, Benediction, a new solo LP previously mentioned alongside a slew of upcoming SY project updates. Speaking to Philadelphia Weekly, Moore said of the Matador release:

It’s called Benediction, recorded in Southern California at Beck’s home studio with him producing. Beck sings and plays a little bit on it. Samara and Mary both play on it quite extensively and very, very beautifully. Beck really put them through the paces.

A host of notable live shows, an interactive online film soundtrack, Thurston covering John Lennon with Sean Lennon, and that Yoko Ono book/kite aside, it had been all quiet on the official Sonic Youth news front ever since Lee Ranaldo boasted about LP17 and a live DVD being in the works a year ago. Well, when it rains, it pours…

Per SY’s Facebook page (via Slicing Up Eyeballs), the band are set to reissue 2 early albums — 1985’s Bad Moon Rising and 1987’s Sister — while also putting finishing touches on the soundtrack to French thriller Simon Werner a Disparu for an upcoming release. What’s more, a subsequent FB update posted today reads: “re-mixing a killer sonic youth live set from 1985 for release in 2011.”

And yet, Thurston Moore has still found time amid all that to prepare another solo release. In addition to the previously announced book/album In Silver Rain with a Paper Key, Moore is prepping another album, titled Benediction, for 2011. According to Moore’s blog, Samara Lubelski and harpist Mary Lattimore, who will perform an improvised piece in Philadelphia with Moore and Bill Nace in a few weeks, have contributed to the recording.

Steve Albini might think that Sonic Youth “should be embarrassed” about their career choices, but something tells me Thurston Moore could care less. Soldiering on with his excellent Ecstatic Peace Library record/book label, the SY guitarist/singer/noise professor has a brand new solo release on the way: In Silver Rain with a Paper Key, “a hardcover monograph containing two seven-inch vinyl records, as well as art, photographs, lyrics, poetry and other texts from Moore’s personal notebooks and visual archives.”

Last summer, we posted details and a trailer to a new documentary about legendary Beat writer William S. Burroughs, which features interviews with Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, Laurie Anderson, the great Genesis P-Orridge, directors John Waters, Gus Van Sant, and David Cronenberg (of course), Jello Biafra, Patti Smith, and Stooge Iggy Pop. While a theatrical release date for William S. Burroughs: A Man Within was still in question at the time as festival screenings were still on the horizon, indieWIRE reports today that the doc will hit theaters, DVD, and television within the year.

Distributed by Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch’s film company, Oscilloscope, the documentary will also be offered at digital retail outlets this fall. What’s more, PBS will air the film within their “Independent Lens” series.

I, for one, can’t wait to see this film. Did I mention that Sonic Youth and Patti Smith provide the soundtrack while the guy who played RoboCop (Peter Weller) narrates? ‘Tis true. Check out the trailer (complete with a wonderful Iggy Pop freakout) below:

Polish writer/director/designer Dawid Marcinkowski’s homage to Jean-Luc Godard 1965 classic Alphaville, cult film The Saragossa Manuscript (also from ‘65), and French novelist/musician Vernon Sullivan (aka Boris Vian) is quite a treat for fans of experimental film and music alike. Titled Sufferrosa, the über-cryptic online film has 3 alternate endings, was filmed in 20 different locations, consists of 110 scenes, and features a soundtrack by Sonic Youth, Memory Tapes, Lee Ranaldo’s Text of Light, Tarwater, Stereo Total, Exploding Star Orchestra, Glass Candy, and many more.

Pretty intense, right? Get this: Sufferrosa is also non-linear and some aspects of the plot “depend entirely on the viewer’s choice.” What’s more, said interactive plot involves the imprisonment of a private detective on a tropical island by Professor Carlos von Braun, “a scientist who is engaged in the process rejuwenalisation - a rejuvenation for women.”

When he isn’t composing French film soundtracks, covering Burt Bacharach with Jim O’Rourke, or performing noise music with children, Thurston Moore has been known to dust off the ol’ acoustic 12-string for a few decidedly non-art-rock love songs. Dig For Fire and Other Music hosted a so-called Lawn Party at Austin’s SXSW this year in which Moore performed “a song [he] wrote for a girlfriend” called “Friend,” “You Lost Your Lover,” and other songs from a forthcoming solo album tentatively set for release this fall.

Fortunately for those unable to attend this year’s festivities, Babelgum is streaming beautifully recorded, professionally shot footage from the event, which includes a brief chat with Moore, as well as his performance of the aforementioned new tunes. Each of the two videos below include a separate segment in which Califone and Anni Rossi perform, as well.

Check out Thurston’s solo songs below and head over here for a host of videos from the event, including performances by the XX, Dum Dum Girls, Memory Tapes, Holly Miranda, Toro Y Moi, Sharon Van Etten, and many more: