A look at the companies which announced layoffs in December and January demonstrates that almost no industry is immune from job losses due to this contracting economy. Tech companies like Microsoft (MSFT) fired people.  So did many retail operations like Macy’s (M).Consolidation efforts led by Pf...

It used to be that you had to lurk on fan sites and wait for someone to post a concert bootleg to hear unreleased material from your favorite bands, but that process has since been boiled down to a single YouTube search. Case in point: "I Want for Nothing," an unreleased track by Baltimore's Wye Oak...

And the song at No. 12 shows that two people, when they put their mind to it, are able to emit enough light and heat for everyone to stay warm. The Baltimore duo Wye Oak--formerly known as Monarch--was one of my favorite new bands this year, with a two-person lineup that made the layers upon layers ...