Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "After the Setting Sun" by The Head and The Heart:  "After the Setting Sun" finds The Head and The Heart drifting away from alt/indie-pop and going back to their folk-rock roots. A lot of sweet acoustic guitar instrumentation in this one, and about two minutes of the song have little or no percussion, and even after that, the percussion is light. The yearning sound of this song is also winsome to me and makes me like it more than their previous single, "Arrow" (though that one was good too). "After the Setting Sun"'s pensive sound is not without reason. The lyrics of the song ponder what happens after all is said and done. What if we really are "all we've got," as the song asks?! Then music will live on long after we do! "Backseat Banton" by Bartees Strange:  Bartees Strange's songs are often reflective and moody, which makes "Backseat Banton" stand out among them! The song is surprisingly...

 here they are: "Baby Blue Movie" by Cigarettes After Sex:  A song like this one really emphasizes the "sex" part of "Cigarettes After Sex"! What, you may ask, is a "baby blue movie," and what does it have to do with sex? A "blue movie" is slang for...well...one of those kinds of movies. So a "baby" version would simply be a softer version, but still one where the intent is to produce lewd, lascivious, lustful, lurid longings in lads and ladies. The sweet, buoyant music goes right along with that theme...ummm...kind of. What I'd actually expect is more "wah-wah" sax-laden funk music, but I suppose something of a sweeter nature can also go along with it. CAS also make us wonder, just what is this "always4tuesdays" that Greg Gonzalez refers to in the song? As it turns out, that has varying definitions! The version Greg probably meant is the one that refers to someone viewed as the most beautiful person in...

 here they are: "Evolve" by Phish:  The Grateful Dead's biggest piscine fans are back with a fun, upbeat, blissful song. "Evolve" is also one of the most poetic songs so far in the Phish catalog. It is a meditation about both nature and appreciating the little things in life. Phish have been around for over 30 years, and they still maintain an aura of wisdom about them. Perhaps there's some truth behind that whole "older and wiser" thing! "Flowers" by Real Estate:  "Flowers" continues where Real Estate's previous single, "Water Underground," left off. They're both songs in the key of A major capoed at the 2nd fret with a blissfully jangly sound. Not a whole lot of difference between the two songs, which is unusual for a Real Estate song, since most of their material is distinguishable from one another. Supposedly, this song is the band's attempt at doing a country-pop song in the manner of musicians like Sh...