It’s been nearly six months since I started Floodwatchmusic, and since I jumped the gun on my Halloween post, I thought I would give a few shout-outs to the blogs I check on a daily basis. Bigups:

Unkut.com: A Tribute to Ignorance (Remix): If Robbie updated his site more often, it would have my vote for the best on the web, but he’s always emphasized quality over quantity, and he always delivers for those of us who remember a time when hip hop was fresh and exciting. Obscure mixtape freestyles, revealing interviews, “forgotten beefs,” and an ongoing series on the criminally underrated Ultramagnetic MCs are just a few of the treasures you’ll find here, and his knowledge of the music is seemingly endless and nothing short of astonishing.

Angry Citizen: Generally, I tend to avoid blogs that seem like a smattering of random YouTube vids, political commentary, links, and familiar mp3s, but Angry Citizen has one of the better ones out there, and the guy frequents more venues than anyone I know. Thoughtful political posts, worthwhile links, and great live reviews can all found here.

Byron Crawford: His posts range from childishly obnoxious to curiously insightful, and most of his readership (who relish every incendiary word) has the intelligence and maturity of your average third grader. He peppers his posts with asinine homophobic slurs and racist epithets. Yet I keep coming back, hoping for more of Bol’s venomous tongue-lashing upon Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco. A guilty pleasure, one could say.

Copyranter: The world of advertising makes me absolutely nauseous, and Copyranter rips into it with passion, disgust, and most importantly, humor.

Destination: Out: This was a recent discovery, and I’m all the more grateful for it. Destination: Out presents cuts from the free jazz and avant-garde fringes without the pretension and snobbery that usually accompanies such offerings. Intelligent writing, choice selection of artists, and a great-looking site to boot.

Ear Fuzz: A friendly crew of knowledgeable guys with record collections to die for, Ear Fuzz has always been a reliable source for obscure ’70s funk, jazz, and soul. Reading each post is like an informal coversation with a fellow record geek over beers, complete with cross-referencing of liner notes and debates over chronology and catalog numbers. The site design is agreeable and welcoming, and I occasionally find myself getting lost in that banner of theirs.

Moistworks: I have occasional gripes about Moistworks (such as the apparent haphazard posting of tracks with the faintest trace of relevance) but the writing and personal insight contained each post is so good that it’s impossible to complain.

Oh Word: A refreshing and hilarious take on the hip hop blog, marred only by a weak site design that requires way too much scrolling than necessary. Sacha and Rafi write with a sharp, biting wit that has me frequently laughing out loud (“Seriously, if you’re currently jocking this album, please realize that you sound exactly like a Dilated Peoples fan in 2000″), and also have fantastic ideas for “themed” posts. With often multiple posts over the course of a day, my visits have become almost hourly.

Poplicks: As long as the posts aren’t tired “Question of the Week”s and “look at this funny video!” timewasters, Poplicks is an entertaining and discussion-provoking read.

Silence Is a Rhythm Too: Another recent find. Michael has a simple, no-frills approach to posting that I find refreshing and such a genuine interest in the music that comes across as nothing but infectious, with as wide a spectrum of music than I can remember seeing in an audioblog.

Soul Sides: What more can be said about Soul Sides? Just when I think Oliver has exhausted his collection of rare soul platters, he manages to post something that is so shockingly good it’s a wonder that more listeners didn’t know about it.

The Passion of the Weiss: I was initially familiar with Jeff Weiss’ writing over at Stylus, but his audioblog is way more entertaining (and colorful - is anyone else turned off by the grim sobriety of Stylus’ layout?). Despite his Pitchfork-like ratings system, his record reviews are incredibly good and frequently hilarious.