Songs to Drink To

Okay, so we already did breakup songs. Check and double-check on that one. But now, since I've been (sort of) happily sober for five-plus days now, I think we need a list of drinkin' songs. Here's what I've got so far. What am I missing?

1. "Sober," by Tool (Dear Lord, I love this song.)

2. "Rehab," by Amy Winehouse

3. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer," by John Lee Hooker

4. "Spill the Wine," by War

5. "I Drink Alone," by George Thorogood and the Destroyers

6. "I'm Drunk Again," by Hank Williams Sr. (though I prefer the Hank Williams III version)

7. "Family Tradition," by Hank Williams Jr.

8. "Gin and Juice," by Snoop Doggy Dogg

Buy This Now

I'm serious: If you spend money on anything other than this today, it will be a waste. Food included.

Please buy Sara Bareilles's Little Voice album from iTunes or the music store or wherever the kids are getting their music fix these days. I adore her, and I think she's one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen live. You'll be thanking me later. So there's my review. Now go out and buy it, dammit.

Also: As always, Blogstein and I are doing our thang tonight at 9 p.m. EST on Blog Talk Radio. You know you want to listen.

Music Endorsement

Generally, I dislike it when people purport to tell me what kind of music to listen to. It's pompous, it's usually condescending, and, frankly, what if I simply don't care for the musical stylings of whatever new hipster band is gracing the iPods of Williamsburg's trust-fund finest?

Now that I have that out of the way, I'm going to turn the tables and contradict myself, all in one fell swoop: I think you should seriously consider purchasing Arcade Fire's newest album, Neon Bible. I've been listening to it for the past several weeks, and it's beautiful and catchy and moving and all of the things a good album should be. It reminds me of buying an influential album on cassette tape at age 14 and listening to it over and over on my Walkman. I dig the religious undertones, the good lyrics, and the nice mix of slow and fast.

Clearly, I am not a music critic, but this is the album I keep selecting on my iPod to listen to on my way to work. When I hear it, I sometimes feel like I'm sitting down over coffee at Steak 'n Shake with someone from my Midwestern hometown, talking about all the megachurches and their crazy billboard-like signs, and what it means to us now. To me, it's worth the $12 price tag to have that experience.

So. Geeked.

May 1 cannot come fast enough.