Stubbs The Zombie: The Soundtrack

There are good gimmicks and bad gimmicks, and this definitely falls into the category of good gimmicks. Stubbs is a video game soundtrack that gathers a bunch of cool, if generally under-heralded, bands and lets them loose on the pop hits of the '50s. Some of these covers are odd and inspired: The Flaming Lips revel in all the druggy foolishness swirling beneath the surface of “If I Only Had a Brain”; NYC hipsters the Walkmen sound like they’re playing the Drifters’ “There Goes My Baby,” from a literal distance, fighting to be heard as they literally watch their baby get farther and farther away; Rogue Wave’s blissed-out take on Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” hops up the original on a warm dose of mellow psychedelics. But even some of the less imaginative takes, like Death Cab For Cutie’s “Earth Angel” and Ben Kweller’s “Lollipop,” are effective if for no other reason than they avoid irony and smarminess to simply revel in how damn good these songs really are.