1. The Ballad of El Goodo- Evan Dando

• "Years ago my heart was set to live, oh, but I've been trying hard against unbelievable odds, it gets so hard at times like now to hold on, guns they wait to be stuck by, and at my side is God." This cover of Big Star's "The Ballad of El Goodo" comes to us courtesy of the Empire Records movie soundtrack. Mr. Dando does a fine version which is pretty consistent with the original. "The Ballad of El Goodo" is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs. Learning it on guitar made me appreciate it even more. The "...there ain't no one gonna to turn me 'round" lyric is priceless. If you think Big Star is just an obscure 70s band with no impact on today's music you may want to think again. After Big Star co-front man Alex Chilton died last month, Katy Perry's manager asked her to change the spelling of her song "California Girls" to California Gurls" as an homage to the band, and their song "September Gurls". "California Gurls" is currently sitting at the #1 singles spot on iTunes. It's nice to know that someone making disposable music is managed by someone who enjoys the classics.

2. Life- Sly & The Family Stone

• "Life, life, clouds and clowns, you don't have to come down, life (who hoo), life (whoo hoo), tell it like it is, you don't have to die before you live." Around the same time The Band told us that "Life is a Carnival", Sly & The Family Stone recorded a song called "Life" that sounds like a carnival. The only way I could feel more like I'm at a carnival while listening to "Life" would be to eat some funnel cake and have someone guess my weight "carnie" style during the song. I'm in the 185-190 range if you're keeping tabs at home. I do enjoy the lyric about not having to die before you live. This is good news since dying is easy while the resurrection part proves more tricky. As always, "Life" finds Sly & The Family Stone as funky as ever. All they wanna do is take us higher.

3. Cath...- Death Cab For Cutie

• "Cath, she stands with a well-intentioned man, but she can't relax with his hand on the small of her back, and as the flashbulbs burst, she holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child." Death Cab's music may be getting more up-tempo and accessible, but it doesn't mean Ben Gibbard's lyrics are any less depressing...if you pay attention to them. "Cath..." is a great example of the dichotomy between upbeat music (the main guitar riff is sublime) and gloomy lyrics. In the song we find that the protagonist (Cath I presume) settles in her marriage, which "closed the door on so many men who would have loved you more". To make matters worse the move makes sense since her "heart was dying fast". Bravo Death Cab. Of course in the 1996 "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons which parodies the alternative music scene of the day, Bart tells us that "making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel." Hard to argue.