Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: “Chateau Blues” – Spoon One of the punchiest Spoon tracks to date, “Chateau Blues” wears its title with a smirk. Although it says “blues,” it’s more like the blues filtered through garage rock and post-punk swagger. On first listen, it almost feels like Britt Daniel is coaxing an agoraphobic friend out of their shell. Musically, it’s a sly cocktail: the chugging propulsion of The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man” and the chord progression of Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop” (shifted just a fret higher), all wrapped in the raw crunch of The White Stripes. It’s easy to forget Spoon hail from Texas when they carry themselves with such New York cool! “The Power” – Curtis Harding If Harding’s last single, “There She Goes,” felt a bit too slow or future-leaning, “The Power” lands firmly in the present. Funky, gritty, and strutting with a groove straight out of the early ’70s, it instantly calls to mind another soulful Curtis (Mayfield). Lyrically, Hardi...

 here they are: "Another Life" by Alabama Shakes:  Wait, has it really been one decade  since Alabama Shakes released a record together?! Yes, it has!! Lead singer Brittany Howard has released two solo albums in the time since then, but their Sound & Color  record (which spanned a whopping FIVE singles for adult alt radio) has now been around long enough to be considered a Triple A classic! Time flies! And time is also part of the theme of their latest song, "Another Life"! The band's smooth yet psychedelic soul flavor shines through in this song, which is essentially about the concept of, "What if you could (or couldn't) do what you did? How would you fix it (or add to it, etc.)?" It's like the song version of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once , and much like how that movie went through a series of unpredictable yet thrilling twists and turns, so does this song! It doesn't stay on a pattern of "fixed" chords. Instead, it ma...

 here they are: "Everybody Scream" by Florence and The Machine:  Your attention, please! For the first time ever on this music blog, the following review will be presented to you in...Scream-O-Vision! That means we prompt you when to scream! Ready? Let's try it! OK... Freakazoid references aside, this song IS a good one! If "Scream-O-Vision" actually worked for this song, it would probably happen every time Florence said the word "scream," or perhaps on any line here where she "sung-spoke," which she does during the chorus. Unusually dark for a FATM tune, "Everybody Scream" seems like it came out about a month too early, but for someone like Florence, I suppose it's not too early for Halloween! The song is a slow-building tune with a steady beat in B minor. The lyrics seem like they're celebrating Halloween while at the same time lamenting the loss of a former lover. Perhaps the most Halloween-y line, aside from the title, c...

 here they are: "Humbling" by Michael Marcagi:  While mildly successful on adult alt radio with The Heavy Hours, Michael Marcagi really made a name for himself with his 2024 solo hit, "Scared to Start," which was so successful that it crossed over from the adult alt charts to the regular alt charts! While his followup single, "The Other Side," was only mildly successful, "Scared to Start" seemed like it helped Marcagi to really expand his emotional range, combining vulnerability and grit into a tasty, interesting blend! His latest song, "Humbling," is an interesting one! While still rooted in folk-rock like his other two solo efforts were, "Humbling" almost feels like a throwback to songs like "Home" (both the Edward Sharpe song and the Phillip Phillips one), "Riptide," and "Ho Hey," with its rippling banjo accompanying the wistful acoustic guitar sound it has overall. It also playfully weaves hop...

 here they are: "Cut and Rewind" by Say She She:  Multiple cultural backgrounds, multiple genres, and entirely women, Say She She debut on this blog with a song that blends disco, new wave, post-punk, and indie into a single sound! That song, "Cut and Rewind," seems to be a song that celebrates the joy of making music with a tone that's somewhat biting and subversive yet still fun, funky, and fresh! So when you listen to this song, please...be kind...Rewind!! (And Cut) "One Thing" by Lola Young:  Lola's smash hit, "Messy," came out towards the end of 2024 and seemed to dominate the first half of 2025, and it's not hard to see why! Multi-genre success (adult alt, alt, and even mainstream pop eventually), and her effortless combination of vulnerable lyrics and catchy tune landed "Messy" as one of the biggest hits of the year! Can "One Thing" measure up? Judging by Lola's continued success on the alt, adult alt, a...

 here they are: "Blame" by Girl Tones:  Sisters Kenzie and Laila Crowe bring garage-y indie rock to a new audience with their debut single, "Blame"! The two have toured with big names in the indie rock business such as Silversun Pickups and Cage the Elephant, both of whom they bear similarity to. The song seems to be about a relationship on the brink, but Girl Tones handle this topic with ease and with a bit of cheeky humor, at least judging by their delivery! "Born Runnin' Outta Time" by Lukas Nelson:  Like his dad before him, Lukas is proving with every song he releases that "country" is a label that boxes him in more than it accurately describes what he does! His latest song, "Born Runnin' Outta Time," sounds a bit like a more countrified (but still rockin') version of Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream," with its opening guitar licks sounding like they could fit in a spy movie! One might wonder from the ...