For his new collaborative project Nursery Rhymes, Scottish pianist, guitarist and composer Bill Wells has called in such friends as The Wire cover star Annette Peacock, Satomi Matsuzaki and Yo La Tengo, among others, to reinterpret children’s songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (with Matsuzaki), “Hey Diddle Diddle” (with Peacock) and “Three Blind Mice” (with Yo La Tengo and Karen Mantler).

“If people thought it was a bit strange, then they didn’t say,” remarks Wells. “They should be quite disturbing, because ultimately part of the remit of a nursery rhyme was to give your child some of the harsh realities of life, while sugar-coating them with a catchy little melody. But I’m losing that coating and going straight to the nub of the thing.”

Other rhymes covered include “Polly Put The Kettle On” (featuring Isobel Campbell and Amy Allison), “Oranges And Lemons” (Syd Straw with The Karen Mantler Trio), and “Bobby Shaftoe” (Aby Vulliamy). On previous Friends projects, Wells has worked with Jad Fair, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Barbara Morgenstern and Aidan Moffat. In 2012 he composed and arranged The National Jazz Trio Of Scotland's Christmas Album.

Nursery Rhymes will be released by Karaoke Kalk on 20 November.

Annette Peacock was on the cover of The Wire 382.