This is the last column I’ll ever write for the Pilot, so I’ve decided to dedicate it to ME! (My apologies to the practitioner and others to whom I promised a whole quarter of this column.) In the three years I’ve written for the Pilot, people have approached me wondering what music I really like. Since every column is about a new album, song, or topic in pop music, do I have favorite bands? Favorite albums? Favorite songs? I distinctly remember the horror on the face of a friend when I told him my honest opinion of his favorite band, the Decemberists, and their latest album, The Hazards of Love. “Their music seems to be getting a bit gimmicky,” I said. “Too predictable. Too heavy on the pretentious folk narratives. After all, a band has to earn my respect before it drifts into that whole rock opera territory. And I feel like the Decemberists have always come close to crossing that line.” My friend blinked at me, then finally declared, “You hate music!” Then he refused to sit with me at dinner.