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, ...

 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...