Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are "Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds" by The Mountain Goats:  Today on "Really Really Impossibly Long and Oddly Specific Song Titles," we're featuring The Mountain Goats! One of the more rockin' numbers from The Mountain Goats, "Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds" is told from the perspective of Charlie himself via John Darnielle's vocals. Lyrically, it's almost like a Randy Newman song, both for its "narrator" aspect and for its satirical lyrics! In only the second line of the song, the satirical lyrics, "Who among my brethren is more beautiful than I?" appear. The song is literally a hypothetical conversation between Charlie Sheen and law enforcement agents. Towards the end of the song, we get, "Gentlemen! The camera doesn't lie! How many more innocent women must die?" How did we get here again?! This song is a unique one that delivers both angst and humor over steady electric guitar p...

 here they are: "Count the Ways" by The Last Dinner Party:  The latest song from The Last Dinner Party combines a slinky guitar riff with Abigail Morris' sultry yet venomous vocals. Right from the opening lyrics, we get lines like, "Let the snake bite/Let her crawl under your skin/Let it eat you from within/It's alright," and shortly after that, "You break into my house/I'll break into your house/I'll do it/Do it." Those are very vindictive lyrics if you ask me! But the song also has a yearning undercurrent to it, centering around how much Abigail misses her lover. I dunno 'bout you, but I think I'm gonna count the ways this song lends itself to lyrical ambiguity! "Site Unseen" by Courtney Barnett (featuring Waxahatchee):  When it comes to sardonic yet sweet women of 2020's indie-folk-rock, Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee are both giants, so it's interesting to hear them come together here! The song lacks the bite...

 As promised, here is part 2 of my latest music blog! My absence happened because I felt like I needed to take care of myself mentally and emotionally, but I feel like I've healed enough now to start doing music blogs again! So here are four more new songs for the week for you to enjoy!! "After the First Kiss" by Faye Webster:  There aren't a lot of lyrics in this one, but there doesn't need to be for a song with such simple sentiment! The title says it all! Faye Webster's breakthrough adult alt radio hit, "After the First Kiss," is a romantic song, as the title implies. What makes this a unique love song is two things. First of all, it has a sound that is equal parts folk-rock, lounge music, and string orchestra, so you won't be forgetting it anytime soon! Second of all, the song is both by a woman and to a woman! With so many love songs being either from a girl to a guy or from a guy to a girl, it's refreshing to see someone come out about ...

 here they are: "Classical" by Vampire Weekend:  The title to this song, of course, does not describe Vampire Weekend's music. That being said, though, "Classical" is  a song that illustrates the rich musical diversity that Vampire Weekend has to offer, perhaps more than any other song so far in their already vast catalog! The song manages to simultaneously sound like baroque pop, jazz, rock, synthpop, and soul, all stirred up into a tasty musical gumbo! The word "classical" in the title might just take on more than one meaning, also. There's the obvious element of classical music (even though that is not present in the song sound-wise), but "classical" here also refers to societal castes and how fragile they are. Lyrically, "Classical" seems to be about how, when different cultures clash with one another, they cause each other to collapse. A very heady topic for a very trying time in human history! "Daisy (Shine a Light)...

 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...

 here they are: "I'm Still" by Bahamas:  Bahamas live up to their island-y sounding name in this chill, beach-y track. A combo of Jimmy Buffett/Jack Johnson-esque "tropical" folk-rock guitar and a breezy wash of electric make this one of the ultimates in mellow rock for this year. Somehow, this song winds up being 5 and a half minutes, but it sure doesn't feel like it is. It's basically the musical equivalent of being in a spa and getting your back massaged. The lyrics tend to contradict the song's vibe, though, about feeling uncertain about life but trying to find reassurance nonetheless.  "Impressively Average" by Brigitte Calls Me Baby: Brigitte Calls Me Baby?! Are people running out of band names?! It's a cool name, but it's also one that says to me, "all the good names were taken"! Anyway, their debut single, "Impressively Average" is more impressive than it is average. It's hard to call a band with a Ki...