Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Evolve" by Phish:  The Grateful Dead's biggest piscine fans are back with a fun, upbeat, blissful song. "Evolve" is also one of the most poetic songs so far in the Phish catalog. It is a meditation about both nature and appreciating the little things in life. Phish have been around for over 30 years, and they still maintain an aura of wisdom about them. Perhaps there's some truth behind that whole "older and wiser" thing! "Flowers" by Real Estate:  "Flowers" continues where Real Estate's previous single, "Water Underground," left off. They're both songs in the key of A major capoed at the 2nd fret with a blissfully jangly sound. Not a whole lot of difference between the two songs, which is unusual for a Real Estate song, since most of their material is distinguishable from one another. Supposedly, this song is the band's attempt at doing a country-pop song in the manner of musicians like Sh

 here they are: "All the Ways" by The Secret Sisters (featuring Ray LaMontagne):  The Secret Sisters and Ray LaMontagne are both pretty popular among alt-country fans. Their first collaboration together does retain some of their country-rock roots, but mostly, it's a soulful, intimate ballad. It's a love song, pure and simple, but it's done in such a way that it draws you into its warm and tender ways! "April" by Local Natives:  As if by coincidence, our next song is the same as the month it was released in! "April," in this case, though, is not the month, but the name of a person. In this psychedelic electro-rock number, Local Natives sing of what appears to be their latest romance, though the lyrics tend to be a bit on the abstract side, as one might expect with a group like them. "Heartless" by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats:  Perhaps the only song on this week's list that is more heartbreaking than it is romantic, &qu

 here they are: "Bored" by Waxahatchee:  The song may be called "Bored," but it sure isn't boring! The song plays out like a slightly more countrified Tom Petty, echoing the progressions of classic Petty songs like "Listen to Her Heart." The title of "Bored" pretty much indicates what the lyrics are like. It's basically a song about Katie Crutchfeld being tired of the relationship she has.  "Dance in the Desert" by Daniel Donato:  The title of this song sounds kind of hippie-ish, doesn't it?! Fittingly, this song sort of sounds like a happier, more upbeat version of a Grateful Dead song with its Jerry Garcia-esque twang mixing with a peppy, almost ska-like drumbeat. The song is actually a 3-and-a-half minute version of a song that's actually a sprawling nearly 20-minute epic when he performs it live. Trippy, man! "Docket" by Blondshell (featuring Bully):  Bully have done some awesome songs by themselves, but pe

 here they are: "Creatures in Heaven" by Glass Animals:  Glass Animals have been around since 2015, but it was only about three years ago that they experienced their biggest success with the chill electro-reggae-rock vibes of "Heat Waves." "Creatures in Heaven" sounds a bit more like a typical electro-rock Glass Animals song without the reggae-ish rhythms that distinguished "Heat Waves" from their other songs, but Glass Animals still manage to captivate their audience with "Creatures in Heaven." "Heaven" in the context of the song seems to refer to a state of bliss for an undefined moment in time, and the "creatures" are probably the lead singer and either a lover or a close friend. The song's central message is likely about how you should appreciate the time you've got in life while you've still got it. "Eddie My Love" by Brigitte Calls Me Baby:  After the lively post-punk revival sound of BCMB

 here they are: "Girl From the Record Shop" by Frank Turner:  It's rare to get a song these days that's under 2 minutes, but that's exactly what Frank Turner's latest song, "Girl From the Record Shop," is! The song's high-energy punk-rock vibes fit with how short it is, as most Ramones songs could probably tell you. The song even sounds a bit like The Ramones' cover of The Rivieras' "California Sun," albeit with more organ. This song is packed with music references, ranging from Motown acts to Radiohead to Queen to The Descendents! Music nerds, rejoice!  "Run Your Mouth" by The Marias:  I first discovered The Marias, believe it or not, with a Christmas song they did called "We're the Lucky Ones." About a year after that came their big alt and adult alt radio hit, "Hush," which was a sort of dark, scathing song that was equal parts electronica and rock. Flash forward a few years to the present, a

 here they are: "Common Blue" by Warpaint:  It's been about 7 years since Warpaint last released a successful adult alt radio single, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear they were making a comeback! Where their previous single, "New Song," was mostly upbeat and synth-focused, "Common Blue" is a more melancholy song that focuses equally on synth and acoustic guitar. The title is not mentioned anywhere within the lyrics of the song, so I can only guess what it refers to, but perhaps it refers to the part where lead singer Emily Kokal asks, "Can you see the colors?" Lyrically, it is an interesting song that uses vivid imagery like colors and butterflies to refer to the brevity and scarcity of life.  "Highway Queen" by Mt. Joy:  It has been common for Mt. Joy to incorporate elements of folk-rock and psychedelic rock into their music, but so far, "Highway Queen" is the first time they've tried their hand at bluegrass! The