Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 Happy New Year everyone!! Here goes!! "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" by Jeff Tweedy:  A striking contrast to the other two following entries on my list in a few ways. It starts with L, not W, the performer of the song is white, not Black, it tells a statement, not a question (the other two both ask "Who?"), and it goes more towards alt-rock and folk-rock than it does to vintage R & B vibes. This makes "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" a vibrant entry to start off 2026!! Even the title of the song says a lot!! The Patron Saint of Alt-Rock has long deserved his own song, and Jeff Tweedy finally gives him one! Does it sound like Lou Reed?! Yeah, it kinda does! It has a very laconic, dry rock sound that goes halfway between laid-back folk-rock and jagged, experimental alt-rock. The song contains rather obvious references to songs like "Rock and Roll," and other more oblique references to various Lou/Velvets songs, possibly evoking "Sister Ray...

 here they are: "Downstairs" by Matt Maeson:  Matt Maeson's work is usually guitar-oriented, but it often goes more towards folk-rock than it does electric guitar-based material. This is what makes his latest song, "Downstairs," stand out from his other material! The song starts out with just Matt's vocals and the electric guitar by themselves before it crescendoes to full-band instrumentation during the chorus. The title seems to be metaphorical, too, suggesting an escape from the world when everything goes wrong. Although clearly rooted in an indie-pop sound, there's something almost post-grunge-y about how "Downstairs" is set up with its soft-but-about-to-break verses and more explosive (but still relatively calm) chorus. "Enough" by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco):  In this midtempo folk/country-rock tune, Wilco's lead singer poses a tough question at the very start of this song: "Has it ever been enough? Has it ever been OK?" T...