Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Bang Bang Bang" by Sports Team:  There's a good reason this song sounds like a spaghetti western in the beginning! Fitting with its title, which consists entirely of gun-related onomatopoeia, "Bang Bang Bang" is not a song that celebrates fun (even though it's a very upbeat song), but rather one that condemns gun violence! The song is presented in such a way that it seems like a great one to play at parties, but much like "Pumped Up Kicks" before it, it's actually a song about shooting disguised as a fun pop/rock song. "Bang Bang Bang" came out of a real experience Sports Team had being robbed at gunpoint. Wowzer! I guess one way to get over your fears is to write a song about a fearful experience you had! Whatever works! "Nothing I Need" by Lord Huron:  After the surprisingly neo-psychedelic and hard rocking sound of their last single, "Who Laughs Last?" it's refreshing to see Lord Huron turn ...

 Spoiler alert, none of them are Irish!! But here they are... "Bonnet of Pins" by Matt Berninger:  This song marks Matt's first musical effort apart from The National, but the instrumentation of this song sounds awfully close to what he did with them! A crisp acoustic guitar, orchestral strings in the background, and a jolt of electric guitar to punctuate the chorus set "Bonnet of Pins," Matt's debut solo effort, into motion, and a horn section creeps in later to add more depth! With quiet, sweet female vocals to create a marked balance point to Matt's more somber baritone male vocals, "Bonnet of Pins" is a moody yet sweet piece of music like most of Matt's efforts with The National have been as well. An electric guitar solo gives the remainder of the song a crackling, potent feel! "Gethsemane" by Car Seat Headrest:  At a staggering 10 minutes and 52 seconds, "Gethsemane" by Car Seat Headrest might just be the longest so...

 here they are: "Call it a Draw" by Uwade:  Indie and soul might seem like strange bedfellows to some, but Nigerian-born performer Uwade (pronounced oo-WAH-day) makes it work in her breakthrough song, "Call it a Draw"! Known previously for collaborating with indie-folk stars, Fleet Foxes, Uwade strikes out on her own here. She doesn't really sound a thing like Fleet Foxes, despite her being associated with them. Not clear whether this song is about a breakup, wanting an old partner to come back, or perhaps both.  "Ginkgo" by Panchiko:  Giant chickens and bands that sound like Radiohead don't seem like they'd have much to do with each other, do they?! Well, now they do! In a bizarre music video about giant chickens (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYHiewpA_1w), Panchiko, who sound an awful lot like Radiohead, present us with their breakthrough song, "Ginkgo." A strangely calming psychedelic indie song, "Ginkgo" comes as quick...

 here they are: "After the Setting Sun" by The Head and The Heart:  "After the Setting Sun" finds The Head and The Heart drifting away from alt/indie-pop and going back to their folk-rock roots. A lot of sweet acoustic guitar instrumentation in this one, and about two minutes of the song have little or no percussion, and even after that, the percussion is light. The yearning sound of this song is also winsome to me and makes me like it more than their previous single, "Arrow" (though that one was good too). "After the Setting Sun"'s pensive sound is not without reason. The lyrics of the song ponder what happens after all is said and done. What if we really are "all we've got," as the song asks?! Then music will live on long after we do! "Backseat Banton" by Bartees Strange:  Bartees Strange's songs are often reflective and moody, which makes "Backseat Banton" stand out among them! The song is surprisingly...