Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Carolina Rain" by Rhiannon Giddens:  One of the few musicians I know who can swing easily between soul and bluegrass, Carolina Chocolate Drops' lead singer, Rhiannon Giddens, hasn't had an adult alt radio hit since 2015's soul/blues-influenced "Black is the Color." After a little over a decade, she has returned with a song that owes more to the bluegrass-influenced stuff she started with in Carolina Chocolate Drops. Even the title of the song seems kind of quaint and country-ish. "Carolina Rain" is a wistful song dominated by banjo and fiddle with very light percussion buoying it in between. Rhiannon's sweet, soothing vocals weave a story about both nostalgia and travel. A lot of nature-like imagery in this song, too, especially during the chorus, which mentions whippoorwills, fireflies, and sorghum cane. Makes you feel like you're in the Deep South just listening to it, doesn't it?! "Good Times//End Times...

 here they are: "Chance to Bleed" by Kurt Vile:  Most of Kurt Vile's material could loosely be classified as folk-rock. His latest song, "Chance to Bleed," kind of is, but it has a more palpable rock "edge" to it. Seems slightly more evocative of the "slacker rock" sounds of Pavement, Guided by Voices, or Dinosaur Jr. Even the godfather of alt-rock himself, Lou Reed, seems like he influenced this song, since Kurt laconically "sing-speaks" during some of it. A clever rhyme of "old time, lo-fi, DIY, rock 'n' roll nights" caps off the chorus, and I feel like this more or less defines what the song is! It's a song meant to capture the spirit of what "indie" was originally meant to be, and it does so, both in sound and lyric! "Going Gone" by Josiah and The Bonnevilles:  Yet another song in G sharp major with a slight "slacker" vibe, this song doesn't have the fuzzy distortion of the...

 here they are: "Humbling" by Michael Marcagi:  While mildly successful on adult alt radio with The Heavy Hours, Michael Marcagi really made a name for himself with his 2024 solo hit, "Scared to Start," which was so successful that it crossed over from the adult alt charts to the regular alt charts! While his followup single, "The Other Side," was only mildly successful, "Scared to Start" seemed like it helped Marcagi to really expand his emotional range, combining vulnerability and grit into a tasty, interesting blend! His latest song, "Humbling," is an interesting one! While still rooted in folk-rock like his other two solo efforts were, "Humbling" almost feels like a throwback to songs like "Home" (both the Edward Sharpe song and the Phillip Phillips one), "Riptide," and "Ho Hey," with its rippling banjo accompanying the wistful acoustic guitar sound it has overall. It also playfully weaves hop...

 here they are: "My Love" by Hannah Jadagu:  One of a growing number of "bedroom pop" artists (think Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Billie Eilish, etc.), Hannah Jadagu makes her debut on this blog on a dreamy, synth-driven track called "My Love." Though the song itself is sweet and buoyant, the question of whether this is a love song or a track about someone who wants to fall in love but can't seem to do so is left to interpretation.  "Palm Readers" by Palmyra:  So far, Palmyra have been a mild success story on adult alt radio with their Americana-tinged "Arizona." "Palm Readers" has a bit more of an intimate vibe than the countrified "Arizona" did. Acoustic guitar once again dominates, but the drums are more subtle this time and there's more noticeable piano on here too. There's still a bit of a country-rock wanderlust in this song ("81 back to Richmond/I drive all over Virginia"), but for the most part,...

 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...

 Monday was a holiday this time, so here is your New Music Monday on Tuesday: "Eyez" by The Arcs: Until now, Dan Auerbach's side project, The Arcs, was a one-hit wonder for "Outta My Mind," a song from 2015 whose psychedelic garage rock sound was awfully similar to his main band, The Black Keys. "Eyez" marks a softer, more sophisticated, and more electronic side to The Arcs' music. The song is a tribute to original band member, Richard Swift, who died in his early 40's a few years ago from hepatitis. The song's subdued sound, which seems defined by its use of major 7th chords, was probably chosen to address such a heavy topic. The intentional misspelling of "eyes" in the title suggests a sense of humor, but given how the song's subject is no laughing matter, perhaps it was more to reflect Richard's sense of creativity. "Grapevine" by Weyes Blood: Don't be scared by the "Blood" part of Natalie Mering...