H.B.log: Music

It's hard work staying as culturally hip and savvy as I am, so I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm not culturally hip or savvy. Instead, I have friends who are culturally hip and savvy, and I just hitch my skateboard to their bumpers (very similar to the "rather than owning a ski boat, it's better to know someone who owns a ski boat" philosophy of life). All that to say....2006 dealt a brutal blow to my street cred when my lead music scout, Todd Brogdon, moved to Rwanda. In Brogdon's absence, I quickly fell off the wagon and was even caught in one unguarded sermonic moment quoting the "contemporary poet" Britney Spears.

After that red-faced incident, I went looking for a Todd Brogdon Too, someone to rehabilitate my flabby pop-cultured muscle. In particular, I needed guidance into the best and brightest new music, and new friends like Kevin Cawley and Steve McCoy have quietly nursed me back to health via their blogs (although Cawley has an unhealthy non-sexual-man-crush on a fella named "Sufjan").

I knew I was getting better with my most recent purchase, The Crane Wife by The Decemberists, which brought smashing joy to my lyrical world (note to iTuners: the best song on the album, "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" is not available as an individual download, so get your money's worth by downloading the whole album). In fact, I even feel healthy enough that I can now help others. Do you have some iTunes bucks burning a hole in your hard drive? Here's a couple of "Best of 2006" lists worth checking out:

Steve McCoy's Top 21 Albums of 2006
NPR's Best CDs of 2006

"When we arrive, sons and daughters, we'll make our home on the waters. We'll build our walls aluminum. We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon....hear all the bombs fade away."