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There's indie rock. And then there's indie rock in horn-rimmed glasses. The Texans at KUT pick out the top 10 "smart rock" albums of 2008, headlined by the new efforts of a few brainy Austin acts.

Many Mexican musicians in the late '60s and early '70s introduced listeners to the "hard" side of funk. These bands played raucous covers of classic hits and composed their own strident songs. This list compiles some of the best and most obscure cuts of the era.

In an economy that's tanking, the office has become an increasingly barren wasteland. But you can still make the best of your work environment by turning off the fluorescent overheads, plugging in some headphones and checking out these segues into a world of jazz adventure.

It's been a remarkable year for jazz, and narrowing down a Top 10 list for 2008 takes a bit of work. Once again, there's room for enthusiasm and optimism about the state of jazz and its ability to inspire musicians and listeners alike. Here's a look (and a listen) back at some of the year's highlights.

Virtually every band plays a few cover songs. In the jazz world, the term "jazz standard" is code for a classic song that's been covered many times by many artists over the course of many years. Here are five artists that break away with more modern-day fare like Radiohead and Bjork.

Commentator Miles Hoffman offers a classical variation on a political theme: insults and endorsements among the great composers. Invectives hurled at their colleagues and competitors were effective means of shaping public opinion. Whether positive, negative or the all-too-common flip-flop, classical-music criticism, just like political commentary, is little more than biased opinion in time.

The songs on this list were made before iTunes was a glimmer in Steve Jobs' eye, so it stands to reason that they sound better bumping out of car speakers. Give these a spin and then track down the CDs, because they deserve to be heard the old-fashioned way. Turn your woofers up and roll down your windows — all of them.

As opposed to the hard-bop sound dominant on the East Coast during the '50s, the West Coast sound was a bit mellower and more lyrical, with blended harmonies and more interest in composition and arrangement than improvisation. In these five songs, you'll hear all the definitive aspects of the West Coast jazz sound.

Just as the 2008 presidential election exposed and ultimately crossed gender, racial and generational barriers, many of the year's notable recordings explored and wrestled with different kinds of boundaries — some musical, some cultural, and some almost unimaginable if not for the power of music.

It was an unusually strong year for great unknown artists. While bigger, more established bands continued to attract the most attention, smaller, lesser-known acts made the most memorable music of 2008. All of the great unknown artists featured here made music that was inspired, original and heartfelt.