Photo: Winter/WireImage

Death Cab for Cutie, “Love Song” [Cure Cover]
One sad face deserves another: Ben Gibbard provides further proof that everyone who grew up in the suburbs owned a copy of Disintegration. If only he and Death Cab could swoop in and save Robert Smith from himself.

The Gaslight Anthem, “The ‘59 Sound” [Live on Letterman]
We’ve had this longstanding rule that no live band sounds good on TV. And then we saw NJ’s Gaslight Anthem on Letterman and concluded that either a) our rule was wrong, b) they are, in fact, the band of our generation, or c) some combination thereof. Absolutely breathtaking.

The Police, “Roxanne” [Discotech Remix]
Heart-stopping and electrifying, Discotech paint the Police bright pink and take them for a night on the town.

Charlie Ash, “I Wanna Sex You Up” [Color Me Badd Cover]
The critical reappraisal of Color Me Badd begins right here, with this aggro cover of their most grammatically improbable hit.

Various Artists, “The Covers Mixtape” [Covers]
Fourteen artists tackling 14 songs that aren’t their own, all of them handling their source material with class and panache. Start with Steve Earle’s rollicking punk/country cover of “Breed” and work outwards from there.