Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Act Natural" by Margaret Glaspy: After 2016's one-two punch of gutsy, blues-rockin' adult alt radio hits "You and I" and "Emotions and Math," I never thought I'd hear from Margaret Glaspy again. Surprise! Seven years later, Margaret is back with a vengeance on the equally rockin' and equally gutsy "Act Natural." The song, like Margaret's previous two adult alt radio hits, explores the pitfalls of new relationships. Specifically, "Act Natural" centers around what it's like to be excited on the inside but calm on the outside when you have a new romantic relationship. I think we've all been there. "Francesca" by Hozier: If Hozier's adult alt radio smash from earlier this year, "Eat Your Young," could be aptly described as "creepy but catchy," then "Francesca" would probably best be described as a song that's powerful but sad. Probably the closest t...

 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...