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1. Mary Gauthier (Artist of the Week)

Mary Gauthier will break your heart and save your soul. She writes edgy tunes that can cut like a knife one minute, and heal the wound the next. The grit in her throat and ache in her voice resonate with the experience of one who has been there and done that, and knows better, now. Gauthier endows her characters with depth and dignity as they struggle to improve their situations. She knows that they all have their stories and their reasons, even when they act badly. She doesn't judge them. She just makes them real. _ Steve Horowitz

2. "Michael Clayton" (dir. Tony Gilroy) (film)

At its simplest level, "Michael Clayton" is a tour de force of crosscutting between Karen and Michael doing their research and following their hunches and dealing with unsavory characters and revealing their frailties. As a thriller, Tony Gilroy's film is mostly crisp and efficient, intersecting flash-forwards and regrets. But its more compelling strength lies in its poetic inclinations, its meditation on the ways that money, politics, and fear shape moral choices. _ Cynthia Fuchs

3. Otis Redding: "Dreams to Remember" (DVD)

This new DVD is as much a heartfelt tribute as it is a documentary. Rather than pushing technical and conceptual boundaries like Hendrix, the boundaries Redding pushed were ones of feeling, the way he attacked simple love songs with furious, soulful sincerity. It's interesting to think, had Redding lived, how he would have deepened and widened the intangible elements of popular music, its spirit and its soul. _ Matthew A. Stern

4. "Friday Night Lights" (TV)

The underlying sadness of a dead-end town at the end of yet another summer nags at the characters' heels. The contemplation of such complex questions makes "Friday Night Lights" a consistently grown-up show, willing to confront fading dreams and rash decisions without quite losing faith in the unpredictable transcendence of everyday life. _ Lesley Smith

5. "Strange Culture" (dir. Lynn Hershman Leeson) (film)

Leeson's sharp, innovative film about post-9/11 anxieties and oppressions concerns Hope Kurtz and her husband Steve, an artist. It presents Kurtz's bizarre legal and political predicament within layers of context, having to do with fears of terrorism and art, the Patriot Act and U.S. prosecutorial zealousness. _ Cynthia Fuchs

6. Jens Lekman: "Night Falls Over Kortedala" (CD)

Schmaltz, sympathy, and humor dominate Lekman's newest album, his best one yet. His second official full-length boasts a confidence that his previous releases seem to only hint at in comparison. He's only in his mid-20s, but Lekman is quickly emerging as one of the best pop songwriters of his generation, and his new album sees him on the cusp of something much bigger than a bunch of swooning Swedes and adoring indie scenesters. _ Adrien Begrand

7. "Bioshock" (video game)

"Bioshock" may have suffered from over-hype, but it is still quite stunning. The experience is extremely engaging from beginning to end. The game mechanics, art design, and sound elements all come together to form a believably complex world. Long after finishing it, the experience still occupies my mind. _ Arun Subramanian

8. Sunset Rubdown: "Random Spirit Lover" (CD)

Whether it is Spencer Krug's portrayal of religious fanaticism or his jab at domestication, there is rarely a dull moment to be heard on "Random Spirit Lover." With Sunset Rubdown's sprawling third album, Spencer Krug has once again validated his status as one of today's best indie-rock songwriters. Whether he is writing songs with a supergroup or on his own, it seems that, like King Midas, whatever Krug touches turns into gold. _ Mike Mineo

9. "Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People who Led Extraordinary Lives" by Jim Sheeler (book)

He may as well have thrown in a slice of apple pie and a John Deere tractor _ Sheeler's book is about as American as baseball. His characters exude a down-home goodness, eschewing corporate jobs and urban lifestyles in favor of small towns and agriculture. To the modern, career-driven American, these "ordinary" people may not seem to have much to offer, though Sheeler somehow manages to convince even the most die-hard city-dweller that there is something of great worth in these pages. _ Rachel Smucker

10. Mick Jagger: "The Very Best of Mick Jagger" (CD)

Mick's solo career is far from essential, but he never once pretended that he was making "important" music with his solo records. He just wanted to have fun, and that carefree vibe can be heard in every rollicking note. The year 2007 could learn a lot from the Mick, because when it comes to having a good time, few discs are as perfect, flawless, or just plain fun as "The Very Best of Mick Jagger." _ Evan Sawdey

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