You've heard "Blue Christmas" countless times, so how about spicing it up with Martina McBride this time? Christmas Duets uses advanced audio technology to sync up contemporary artists (such as Carrie Underwood, Anne Murray, and Gretchen Wilson) with The King as if they were in the same room.

Filed in: Secular Christmas

Yes, whether you like it or not, NKOTB are back. They're currently on a worldwide tour, and the classic Merry, Merry Christmas album from 1989 was just rereleased. Whether you see at it as a perfect stocking stuffer or trash stuffer, it'll bring a smile to your face either way.

Filed in: Secular Christmas

Hot off their single "Duffle Bag Boy" featuring Lil Wayne, Disturbing tha Peace members the Playaz Circle return with another hit, "Look What I Got," off their 2008 album, Flight 360.

Filed in: Dirty South

It's not often you see Soulja Boy and !!! in the same sentence--usually that means someone has a gummy keyboard. But the mash of skunky hip-hop and funky synth-rock is intentional in the Telepathe project. Choppy beats prove surprisingly compatible with tart vocal texturing.

Filed in: Electronica

Hanging out with Broken Social Scene and listening to Mogwai has honed the hushed gloom offered by this Canadian indie-dream-pop group. But a lot of the deft moves here are clearly self-invented, most notably the mixing of Tahiti 80-like bouncy kit beats with spacious post-rock soundscapes.

Filed in: Indie Rock