Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Back of a Truck" by Rostam:  A founding member of indie-pop/rock sensations, Vampire Weekend, Rostam has also had a few good tracks of his own! This is one of them. It has an interesting "electro-folk" sound. Acoustic guitars and synths mingle with one another in this song, and they sound mostly in tune with one another (although part of the intro to the second verse makes it sound like the synths are deliberately out of tune compared to the guitars). "Back of a Truck" sounds like the title of a country song, and part of this song does have that "lonesome twang" that country songs tend to have, but it also sounds like something that's more likely to play at a club than it is at a barn or rodeo. To top it all off, Rostam reveals his inner Dylan fan in this song, twice! "Like a Rolling Stone" is mentioned by name, and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" is alluded to towards the end.  "Freaking Ou...

 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...

here they are: "Another Second Chance" by Rocket:  Anyone nostalgic for rock and alt from the '90s (like I am) will probably love these guys! Garbage and Smashing Pumpkins are especially clear influences for the group, but one YouTube commenter also compared them to '90s rock giants like Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Weezer, all of whom are fitting comparisons here. Lead singer Alithea Tuttle has such breathy yet detached vocals that it would probably be easy to mistake them for a '90s rock group both in terms of vocals and instrumentation. As was common for rock and alt songs of the '90s, there is a sense of vulnerability beneath the tough yet wounded sound of the song. The title refers to how Alithea wants another chance at a romance that seemed to elude her. Detachment, irony, disillusionment...if anyone is wondering where these emotions have gone in today's music, they're all right here!  "Fascination in the Dark" by Vance Joy:  I...