My review of the Dumptruck best-of Haul of Fame is up at PopMatters. Dumptruck made one of my favorite discs of the 1980s, if not all time, with for the country. I used to prowl used CD shops in search of copies of this long out-of-print disc so I always had one on hand to give to friends, but Rykodisc reissued it a couple of years ago, making it available to everyone. This collection is a good place to start for the uninitiated, but for the country really ought to be in every home, period.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Tribune offers its annual list of the 50 best magazines, as picked by staff members. It's always an eclectic list, full of cool finds and head-scratchers. It's topped this year by The Economist, a magazine that I, like many people I know, would read more (or at all) if only time was infinite. The rest of the top 5 is rounded out by Dwell, Wired, the New Yorker and ESPN the Magazine.