Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 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...

 here they are: "Barbed Wire" by Cardinals:  With their previous single, "Masquerade," having a somewhat Radiohead-esque sound, "Barbed Wire" has an even more interesting tune to it! It has a mid '00s indie rock swagger akin to Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, or Arctic Monkeys, but beset by an accordion sound. Somehow, they turn the accordion into a rock and roll instrument on "Barbed Wire," a song that takes dark subject matter like imprisonment and drugs and makes it into a daring tale of adventure! "Paradise Road" by Clover County:  If you thought this said "Clover Country" instead of "Clover County," you wouldn't be that far from the truth! Clover County, whose previous works were closer to indie-folk, leans more towards a country sound for their latest tune, "Paradise Road." No place called "Paradise Road," real or fictional, is mentioned in the tune, but it could be inferred from the...

Yesterday was Juneteenth, so I decided to do my blog today instead of yesterday. Here are this week's songs: "Body" by Briston Maroney: Indie-folk-rocker Briston Maroney has added a bit more of a techno-pop influence to his music and blended it with acoustic guitar music in order to make his latest song, "Body," appeal to a wider audience than his previous material. The song, essentially, is a rumination on how life doesn't last forever, so we should make the most of it while we still can. Amidst slightly psychedelic flourishes midway through, "Body" is a breezy song overall that can really make you think about life! "Devotion" by Arlo Parks: Arlo Parks' take on neo-soul has been an interesting one. "Softly" involved a trip-hop influence, and her latest song, "Devotion," does as well, but "Softly" wasn't a very guitar-heavy song. "Devotion" actually is one, believe it or not. The guitars sta...