Country

Free SXSW 2008 playlist

Whether you're going to Austin, Texas, next week or not, it's always good to update your music collection with bands appearing at the annual South by Southwest music conference and festival. There are a few big names like R.E.M., Paramore and Talib Kweli playing this year, but this isn't Lollapalooza (or Austin City Limits for that matter). SXSW is all about discovering new music, and with more than 1,600 bands booked this year, you may need a bigger iPod.

To see a list of bands that we're excited about this year, check out … Read more

Dwight Yoakam, "Just Passin' Time": Free MP3 of the Day

Mixing uptempo quasi-rockabilly songs with introspective ballads that are heartfelt but never saccharine, Yoakam's got a rare ability to move both Nashville stalwarts and alt-country scenesters alike. This song's from his his stellar 2005 album "Blame the Vain."

Download free MP3 now!

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins: Free MP3 of the Day

During a break from her duties as frontwoman for Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis indulges in a mix of vintage country and soul on her '06 solo offering. With the crystal-clear vocals of the Watson Twins backing her, Lewis shines as a bewitching, modern-day chanteuse.

Download free MP3 now!

Crossfade TV: Best of 2007

Later this week we'll post a brand-new Crossfade TV episode, featuring three artists who are already making a big splash in 2008. In the meantime, and before '07 fades entirely into memory, have a look at our end-of-the-season video special highlighting faves from last year's crop, including Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Kanye West, and Richard Hawley.

iTunes vs physical media, and the urge to purge

I own 3,000 CDs and 4,000 LPs. They take up a lot of space in my apartment, and that's OK with me. They're lined up in metal racks, wood shelving, and stacked up in piles on the floor. But a lot of my friends with just a few hundred CDs are in a big hurry to dump them into their computers and get rid of the discs. I just had lunch yesterday with an audiophile friend who is in the midst of transferring all of his CDs as WAV files to his new HD. As always … Read more

Christmas songs, both low and high

Are you ready for the holidays? We realize that for some people that's a heavy-duty question. Of course, many find Christmastime to be the jolly, feel-good season of sharing and caring so many of us read about in storybooks and maybe even experienced during childhood. (And to those who do, we raise a toast.) For others, however, the mere mention of words like "Santa," "sleigh," "snow," and "drummer boy" just might cause a stroke.… Read more

Axiom Audiobyte: The Bentley of PC speakers?

Most PC speakers are afterthoughts--the computer equivalent of those awful earbud headphones that come bundled "for free" with portable media players. But Canada's Axiom Audio is offering a high-end alternative with its new Audiobyte PC speakers. At 6.5 inches high by 5.5 inches wide by 4 inches deep, the stereo speakers aren't too much larger than standard computer audio offerings, but they're effectively miniaturized versions of high-quality bookshelf speakers, sporting two-way designs with a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter and 3-inch aluminum cone woofer.

The Audiobyte is now available in a variety of finishes … Read more

CD review: the soundtrack to Todd Haynes' new Bob Dylan biopic, "I'm Not There"

Todd Haynes' new Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" stars Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw playing different aspects of Dylan's life. The film comes out later this month, but the soundtrack is here now. The 34 track, two-CD set mixes interpretations by what I call "Baby Bobs," artists, many born before the music was originally recorded, and "Boomer Bobs," Dylan's contemporaries. And curiously enough, the Baby Bobs mostly dish out for note-for-note recreations of the originals, while the oldsters veer off in different directions.

Jeff … Read more

Hank Thompson R.I.P.

Just a short time after the death of Porter Wagoner, country music has suffered the loss of another pioneer and legend, the great country songwriter, western-swing bandleader, and Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Thompson. He died of lung cancer November 6 at his home in Forth Worth, Texas, at age 82. … Read more

Screenwriters strike playlist

While some 12,000 TV and film screenwriters go on strike this week, people are filling the void by turning to other forms of media, such as DVDs and the Internet. Ironically, these outlets are exactly what the members of the Writers Guild want more of the profit of (and don't want people to support). They're hoping to come to an agreement soon, although the last walk out like this (in 1988) lasted for five months. Ouch.

We'll miss The Office, Desperate Housewives and Conan O'brien, but it's not the end of the world, right? … Read more