The return of 'Guilt by Association'

INXS (left) vs. Cassettes Won't Listen (right): '80s hotness vs. '00s hipness

Indie artists covering chart-topping pop ditties: It’s been a staple of encores for years. But is it necessarily a good idea? The folks at Engine Room Recordings say yes: For the second time in less than three years, they’ve released a compilation called “Guilt by Association” featuring artists with indie cred to burn (some are so indie, you’ve probably never heard of them) serving up straight-faced renditions of songs by the likes of Billy Joel, INXS and Phil Collins. We took nine songs from latest “Guilt” comp and asked ourselves: Who sings it better? The results may surprise you.—Matt Rodbard, Metromix

“Guilt by Association Vol. 2” is available now from Engine Room Recordings.