Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Beautiful" by Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes):  In the early days of the new millennium, this song became famous from Christina Aguilera's rendition of it. This version of the song (which is technically the original version, even though it got released much later) is pretty much the same as Christina's version, but with Linda Perry's vocals. Some might know Linda as the "What's Up?" singer (or more accurately, the "HEEY-YEEHH-YEH-EEEY, I SAID HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" singer, since the phrase "What's Up?" is not said in the song itself), but after her brief glory days in 4 Non Blondes, she went quietly behind the scenes and started composing songs for major pop stars like Christina Aguilera, Pink, Gwen Stefani, and many others. Although I'm not too big on pop music, I still know what a major impact "Beautiful" had on post-millennial pop culture. The song's vulnerable tone and honest, soul-barin...

 here they are: "Mary Singletary" by Deer Tick:  If The Replacements did a song with satirical lyrics aimed at religious culture, it might sound a bit like Deer Tick's latest song, "Mary Singletary." The "Mary" in question is not a person, but a reference to the concept of "Hail Marys." Anyone who knows Deer Tick's music knows they're far from religious! Yet there are plenty of references to religion, perhaps specifically Catholicism, in "Mary Singletary." John McCauley sings of lust, drinking, and violence (albeit slapstick violence, even referencing Warner Brothers cartoons by name in the first verse) as he wrestles with his inner demons. I'm not sure if McCauley was raised Catholic, but if this song is anything to go by, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case! "Riptides" by Death Cab for Cutie:  Not to be confused with "Riptide" by Vance Joy, Death Cab's newest song in about four yea...

 here they are: "All I Did Was Dream of You" by beabadoobee:  beabadoobee has already had some pretty dreamy tracks in her career, but this might just be the dreamiest (fitting to its title). "All I Did Was Dream of You" has the 2020's indie-pop sensation singing one of the most icy yet hypnotic tracks she has ever released. Most of the lyrics fit the mood of the song, but there is one part where she sings "Nightmares always feel like this/They swallow me, but I let it go/Doesn't feel like I can breathe/But they follow me and I let it go." There's also a brief part in the song where its dream-pop-y vibe briefly gets a bit grungy, albeit not in an extreme way. This song is a bit like "6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps if Garbage decided to cover it. "Doctrine of Love" by Jalen Ngonda:  Hot on the heels of neo-soul sensations of the 2010's and 2020's like Curtis Harding, Leon Bridges, and Devon Gilfillian, Jalen Ngonda i...

 here they are: "God's Lonely Man" by Anna Calvi (featuring Iggy Pop):  As one might expect from a song that features the Godfather of Punk, there's a charging, swaggering vibe in this song! Even the opening drum riff sounds like "Howlin' for You" by The Black Keys (which itself apes the drum riff of "Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter). Iggy actually opens this song! Anna only joins in later. This is not the Iggy of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" or "Lust for Life," though. The song instead seems to take on more of a post-punk flavor (I could easily see this song being done by a group like Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Metric), but it still has this streetwise strut that's unmistakably Iggy! He's one old dog that CAN learn new tricks, and he really does so in this song! "Hold On (Hourglass)" by Devon Gilfillian:  Is "country-soul" a thing?! If so, Devon Gilfillian pulls it off pretty well here! His latest song, ...

 here they are: "Dancing on the Wall" by Muna:  This song smacks of '80s pop influence, but there's something urgent and somewhat dark about this song that wouldn't get in your run-of-the-mill Madonna or synth-pop song (this song seems to be influenced by both). On the subject of '80s pop, "Dancing in the Wall" is not like "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie. "Dancing on the Wall" is not a song where the singer playfully dances somewhere where a person wouldn't ordinarily be seen dancing. In fact, "dancing," in this case, is a metaphor. It's really a song where Katie Gavin is being rejected by a lover and left "dancing on the wall" as a result (fending for herself without a leg to stand on).  "Donnie Takes the Bus" by Fantastic Cat:  A throwback to late '60s/early '70s roots-rock, "Donnie Takes the Bus" by Fantastic Cat is probably going to become a fave among people wh...

here they are: “Different Kind of Love” by Young the Giant: Young the Giant have always been one of the more heartfelt groups of the 2010’s indie-pop movement, and their sincerity has continued into the 2020’s with their latest song, “Different Kind of Love.” Gentle synths combine with soaring yet friendly electric guitars in this song. This song is full of yearning, especially during the chorus. Sameer Gadhia seems to be saying that he wants love to survive even in difficult conditions (e.g. “Living in a house that’s not your home/Living on a prayer you used to know.”) He reassures himself towards the end of the song that he’ll “be okay,” but I sense more vulnerability in that comment than the phrase suggests there is. “Hummingbird” – Colony House: This song’s organ, gentle acoustic strum, and overall psychedelic-influenced sound remind me a little of The Beatles (One YouTube commenter also compared this song to The Flaming Lips, which I also think is accurate). Much like the titula...