Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Barbaric" by Blur: Damon Albarn and co really outdid themselves with "The Narcissist," possibly their biggest alt-rock chart hit since "Song 2" in 1997! The bittersweet majesty of that song was something no one saw coming, but it still became one of the biggest alt and adult alt radio hits of the summer! With fall approaching, we get the more upbeat and summery-sounding "Barbaric." Its skittering sound falls halfway between synth-pop and power pop. Don't be fooled by its fun sound, though. The song is actually about a breakup that occurred in Christmas, of all things! The title of the song refers to the breakup itself and how Damon feels about it. "Break Free" by Dave Matthews Band: If this sounds like an older Dave Matthews Band song, that's 'cause it is one...kinda. "Break Free" was written 17 years ago, but never released on record until now. The lyrics to the song are more interesting than the ...

 here they are: "An Arrow in the Wall" by Death Cab for Cutie: You never expected a mostly somber, folk-y group like Death Cab to get funky, did you? Well, that's what they do on their latest song, "An Arrow in the Wall." In the 20 plus years that Ben Gibbard and co have been around, they've never attempted a song like this one, which is probably to Death Cab what "Emotional Rescue" is to The Rolling Stones (who, coincidentally, will be mentioned in the very next song for this week): a slow-burning, disco-y number that never quite reaches a climax but is still a slinky, seductive song. However, there is nothing whatsoever that could be considered seductive about the lyrics to "An Arrow in the Wall." It is, instead, a warning to Ben's fans about how our already dangerous world in the 21st century could get even worse if we don't do anything about it. Hopefully, DCFC's fans will take heed to Gibbard's message, even though th...