Reviews and Obligatory List Making

September, Side A:

1. Rubber Soul - The Beatles

2. Aretha's Gold Hits - Aretha Franklin

3. Consolers of the Lonely - The Raconteurs

4. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears - Mamas and the Papas

5. Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits - Patsy Cline

This is about all that's touched the turntable this month.

• Cee-lo Green put out a new single that is one of the highest quality break-up songs ever; "Fuck You" is a bouncy, brash and crass tune that harks back to the spectacle of 50s big band pop. A trio of sexy black lady harmony, over the top vocals that break it down half way through, tambourines (?), some funky bass track, and a handful of scathing lyrics (I see you driving down town with the girl I love/And I'm like, "Fuck you!"; I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough/ And I'm like, "Fuck you, and a-fuck her too!"). Every once in awhile Top 40 hits the nail on the head (radio did censor it to "Forget You" which dilutes its punch, most unfortunately).

• Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs' new album, "God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" is a lap steel's wet dream. The album meanders and rambles without making much of a point, but Ray's voice is oh-so-sexy all the time. In "Like Rock and Roll Radio," he hits this waterfall note that streams into the next line seamlessly and keeps moving. Two tracks stand out to me, one of which being the expected "Devil's in the Jukebox" (it can be compared to Gossip in the Grain's "Hey Me, Hey Mama") and "Beg Steal or Borrow." "You've been howling at the moon/ Like a slack jaw fool/And breaking every rule that they throw at you/But one of these days it's gonna be right soon/You'll find your legs and go and stay gone" is a particularly fantastic verse in "Beg Steal or Borrow." The melody has a 6/8 feel to it, but it's catchy and makes you feel deeper than you are. Heidi and I agreed, back up on the steel guitar a bit. It lends a down-home feel to the album, but it borders on overkill. All in all, it deserved its number four place on the Top 100 list.

September Favorites:

1. Cantaloupe
2. Horizon Chocolate Milk
3. Granola of any kind
4. Working Out
5. Pall Mall Blues
6. Having flowers in the house
7. Reading (Virgin Suicides, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, Cold Mountain, Philosophy essays)