Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Home Depot" by Medium Build:  After hearing Medium Build's funky song, "Last Time," from late last year, I'm surprised to know that what is poised to be their second adult alt radio hit, "Home Depot," sounds more like a sad, laid-back country-folk song! Why the change in sound?! Perhaps part of it is because of the heavy emotion this song carries! The song is also somewhat a character study for "the Steves" - a group of men, all named Steve, who Nick Carpenter made up for this song. The Steve narrating opens up his heart to ask another Steve about the painful, emotional turmoil he's been facing in his life lately. Though the song itself wouldn't sound out of place as a Garth Brooks ballad, the lyrics tell a more poignant story that pegs the song as more "alternative" for both its raw emotional quality and its quirkiness in character naming. "The Hallelujah Trail" by Charley Crockett:  Country m...

 here they are: "Give it Time" by Goose:  Post-millennial jam band, Goose, had a surprise hit on adult alt radio two years ago with "Hungersite"! It's a miracle when a song that's nearly 7 minutes long gets that much attention, and it's about to happen again with Goose's latest, "Give it Time." The song has a similar aesthetic to "Hungersite," although it's not as fast as that one was. The song seems to mostly have a contemporary soft rock sound with its true guitar playing chops hidden underneath. The guitar playing starts to shine through at around the 3-minute mark. Coincidentally, this is also when the song starts to speed up! Goose are truly something else! They're sort of like if a group like The Fray somehow became prog-rock! Unlike "Hungersite," which became a bit of a meandering jam band song after the 5-minute mark, "Give it Time" remains both vocally and instrumentally appealing throughout it...

 here they are: "Foam" by Royel Otis:  A smooth, slinky mashup of indie-pop and funk, "Foam" is one of many songs contributing to the indie-pop landscape of the 2020's. The beat of the song recalls songs like "Lost in Yesterday" by Tame Impala, while the lyrics describe someone who has been wronged by the rumors another person has spread about them. The title most likely stems from the notion of washing one's mouth out with soap if they say "dirty" words. "Long Dark Night" by Judah and The Lion:  When Mumford and Sons decided to abandon their banjo-based gimmick, another band was coming out of the woodworks to pick up where they left off, and that band was Judah and The Lion. JATL's latest, "Long Dark Night," is no exception to the rule! The song, like most of JATL's material, places a catchy banjo sound against an Imagine Dragons-esque backdrop. Though the song is bright and catchy, the lyrics of "Long Da...

 Love is in the air...and so are 8 new songs!! Here they are: "Ghosts Again" by Depeche Mode: Depeche Mode are not known for writing love songs as much as they for writing songs that decry politics, religion, and pretty much anything central to human affairs that has the potential to both divide and unite us, but "Ghosts Again," just in time for Valentine's Day, is a love song. Well...sort of. It's an elegy of sorts to their recently departed keyboard player, Andy Fletcher, who passed away last year. It is both surprisingly upbeat and surprisingly pristine for a DM song while still maintaining the dark vibes that the now legendary pioneers of goth-rock have become known for. The song is almost U2-ish with the exception of its constant use of keyboard, but even the keyboard has a more soothing sound than the more synth-y stuff that DM usually go for. It is as mournful as it is celebratory, and this is exactly how the surviving members of the group intended fo...