Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Angoon" by Portugal. The Man:  I don't know who or what "Angoon" is, but this piece is the angriest one I've heard yet from the normally calmer PTM!! Even reading the lyrics, I could tell it was a tense song. It uses a Pixies-ish method of swinging between calm verses and angry choruses, but the ire in this song is present throughout. With such dark lyrics as "when you dance with the devil, all I see I defend, no surrender in the shadow of drones," "No ICE no borders enforcer, no owners, no new world order," and "I'll be burning in water while we're drowning in fire," this is PTM at their most apocalyptic! Hard to believe these were the same guys who did "Feel it Still." The song's piercing guitar solo and eerie synth drone in the middle make it clear that John Gourley and co are not going to give up without a fight!! And the ending lyrics where John repeats the phrase, "Feeling that I...

 Since Monday was Memorial Day, I'm making it for it by posting about four brand new songs today instead. Here they are! "All the Beauty" by Pete Yorn:  This song is a bittersweet song from Yorn where he mixes electronic synths, indie-garage fuzz, and jangly indie-folk warmth into one song. This is one of those songs that could be about anything! According to the description for the song's official video, two ideas arise. One is about the song itself and how we should appreciate the present when it happens ("and I miss all the beauty of this place"). The other, though, is about his love of dogs! I'm not sure whether the song is actually about his dog, Rosie, but she might very well have inspired this one, especially given how often she appears in the video for this one! As for me? I love kitties! But any furry creature dear to our hearts is one worth treasuring! "Heart Has to Work So Hard" by Blondshell:  Like many of Blondshell's songs, th...

 here they are: "Doors" by Noah Kahan:  After the surprisingly angst-y explosion of "The Great Divide" from earlier this year, Noah Kahan's fans might be looking for a more relaxing song characteristic of what he started out with. That song is "Doors," a song complete with a roots-y, acoustic guitar-centered sound and even a DADF#AD tuning! The title of the song is metaphorical, referring to ways his partner could leave his relationship. There's a very "push-pull" dynamic in this song where Noah seems torn between pushing his partner away and keeping her in his life, much like how doors themselves work. "In the Stars" by The Rolling Stones:  The Stones, as they say, just keep on rollin'! Even with Charlie Watts now absent from the group for a few years, Mick and Keith still keep the band alive with their unmistakable vocals and guitar playing! Their latest song, "In the Stars," still has plenty of guitar swagger as...

 here they are: "Back of a Truck" by Rostam:  A founding member of indie-pop/rock sensations, Vampire Weekend, Rostam has also had a few good tracks of his own! This is one of them. It has an interesting "electro-folk" sound. Acoustic guitars and synths mingle with one another in this song, and they sound mostly in tune with one another (although part of the intro to the second verse makes it sound like the synths are deliberately out of tune compared to the guitars). "Back of a Truck" sounds like the title of a country song, and part of this song does have that "lonesome twang" that country songs tend to have, but it also sounds like something that's more likely to play at a club than it is at a barn or rodeo. To top it all off, Rostam reveals his inner Dylan fan in this song, twice! "Like a Rolling Stone" is mentioned by name, and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" is alluded to towards the end.  "Freaking Ou...

 here they are: "Might See You There" by Weird Nightmare:  Weird Nightmare might just BE a weird nightmare for those who aren't used to groups like Pixies, who seem like a clear influence on this band. For those more accustomed to garage-grunge-surf-indie music, Weird Nightmare are a breath of fresh air, with their newest song, "Might See You There." The Pixies comparisons don't stop there! There's also the matter of male/female vocal interplay during the chorus, as well as the song's minimalist "word salad" lyrics and remarkably short length (2 minutes). However, the song is also in E major and features tiny keyboard flourishes underneath its fuzzy guitar sound, pointing it closer to power pop groups. "Track and Field" by JJerome87 (aka alt-J's Joe Newman):  alt-J were one of the weirdest yet catchiest indie-pop groups to break out of the 2010's indie scene! On his own, lead singer Joe Newman (or "JJerome87," as...

 here they are: "American Dream" by Alabama Shakes:  Releasing a song called "American Dream" at a time when that sort of dream seems divided was intentional on the part of Brittany Howard and co this time. This swirling soul-rock slow jam expresses how disillusioned Brittany has become with both politics and how they affect other areas of life ranging from gun reform to abortion to the environment. She repeatedly refers to this dream as "the impossible dream," but not "impossible" in the sense of "sounds farfetched, but we can get there." More in the sense of how it really has become impossible now! "I can't keep dreaming," she says towards the end, reluctantly wanting to reconcile her dashed hopes with the harsher realities of American life at present. This one hurts, but in such a powerful, relatable way! "Any Old Fool" by Thee Sacred Souls:  TSS do what they do best on this song, and that is how they sound li...