1. "Fires on the Plain" (DVD)

More than any political or social reading, what this is really about is life in extremis _ life on the border of death. The story transcends any specific war or culture. The political justifications for war _ and even the individual justifications for the men enlisting _ have long since faded from memory. All that is left is survival and endurance in a world seemingly bereft of coherence or morality – and a masterpiece of a film. _ Mark Labowskie

2. "The Boy Who Cried Freebird: Rock and Roll Fables and Sonic Storytelling," by Mitch Myers (book)

Despite reading like a book set on random, Myers is a fantastic writer with a great ear for rhythm. He drifts between musical genres and literary styles, writing about musicians and listeners and their equally obsessive relationships with music. Myers is coming at culture with the distinct bent of someone who came of age during the era of anthem rock, but a deep love for Blue Oyster Cult is not essential for enjoying "Freebird." _ Jodie Janella Keith

3. "Essential Classics _ American Musicals" (DVD)

This is conformist America as it was defining itself in the mid-20th century. The characters are brash and loud and charismatic. Their can-do work ethic is mirrored in the technical precision of the actors. Whether concerning love, family, or community, all three musicals contained in this set are marked by relentless optimism indicative of their time period and an image of America as land of opportunity. – Michael Buening

4. "Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs: Best of the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show, Vols 1 and 2" / aka "Now You Bake Right" (DVD)

Throw together some top-shelf bluegrass, some cornball humor, and some cooking tips. Stir in praise of Martha White's lip-smacking plate of biscuits. Add the general store and log cabin backdrops. And for a bit of spice, include a dash of the fact that the Nashville address they display for recipe requests doesn't even include a zip code. Then let the music heat things up. It all makes for a delicious set of shows. As the announcer says, "Goodness gracious, it's good!" _ Andrew Gilstrap

5. Bloody Panda, "Pheromone" (CD)

This Brooklyn band might seem to exude artsy pretentiousness, right down to the funeral doom arrangements, which couldn't be any more trendy right now, but the way they combine visceral power with aching beauty and devastating emotion is a marvel. Metal fans, you're looking at one of the finest doom albums to come out in recent memory. Indie fans, if you dig this, welcome, you've officially crossed over to the dark side for good. – Adrien Begrand

6. CyberNations (Internet Game)

Everybody wants to rule the world, and what better place to start than as the ruler of your own nation? This nation simulation game boasts a world with some 35,000-odd user-ruled nations, featuring an array of building block economic, social, and military options, offering you the chance to craft a budding super-power or play as a rogue militaristic state. Deceptively simple, the limited amount of single-round play is oddly addictive. _ Patrick Schabe

7. "Mary Hartman Mary Hartman – Vol.1" (DVD)

Mary Hartman is back. And it's rather like watching your old man go in the backyard and throw a baseball again after all those years _ and the guy can still "pop" it in the glove. This is 12-plus hours of media parody and cultural cleverness, irony dealt out with a good deal of affection. This DVD set and a can of Schlitz, like Mary would pull from her `70s fridge, and I'm in heaven. – Will Layman

8. Passage Souterrain Guerrilla Gallery (Public Art, Avenue de New York, Paris)

French blogger Diane Pernet participated in an unusual public art exhibition of Ruben Santiago's work staged in Paris' Passage Souterrain. Curated by Mario Canal in an underground pedestrian passageway, the work consisted of nonsense messages typed on plain paper and a collection of stolen ID cards (retrieved after thieves discarded them), affixed to the tunnel walls. Passersby interacted with the art unknowingly, tearing down papers and taking or rearranging ID cards, not realizing that their participation was recorded by hidden camera. _ Lara Killian

9. Nadja, "Touched" (CD)

Despite dealing in a wide swath of emotion, sexuality _ one of the most animalistic facets of human behavior _ is glaringly absent from most contemporary headbanging fodder. Nadja eschews mythic conceits in favor of brief, imagistic poems that meditate on sensuality and the intertwining of bodies. "Touched" explores eros with a dignity and depth seldom heard in the pop world. _ Phillip Buchan

10. Land of Talk, "Applause Cheer Boo Hiss" (CD)

In the recent tradition of Montreal indie-pop, the hype is gathering, but the band is not merely buzz-by-association. Rather, it's the affirmation of another gem of from Quebec. Vocalist Elizabeth Powell has drawn comparisons to PJ Harvey, but possesses her own dynamism. And the music itself is force of nature, a rush of sound that feels like a car driving at top speed, moments away from careening out of control. _ Edward Xia

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