Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Better Man" by Slow Pulp:  There's almost a neo-shoegaze-ish vibe to this one! The wall of synths, the swirling, trembly yet jangly guitars, trilling harmonics, and the overall icy vibe of the song. Right from the start, Emily Massey makes it clear that she wants out of the relationship she's in with the lyrics, "Did I f**k it up again?/Maybe leave it to a better man/Who can tell himself this is how it's supposed to be/'Cause I can hurt myself again/As I fade away from everything/And hear a voice telling me to leave/Leave it to me." I just realized I covered the entire first verse and chorus here, and there's only two verses total! But I couldn't leave one line without the other since it tells the whole story of what's going on in the song. Clearly Emily has been hurt, but what's remarkable is how clear she makes it with both the music and the lyrics! This song is like hearing the angry yet still vulnerable granddaugh...

 here they are: "Another Life" by Alabama Shakes:  Wait, has it really been one decade  since Alabama Shakes released a record together?! Yes, it has!! Lead singer Brittany Howard has released two solo albums in the time since then, but their Sound & Color  record (which spanned a whopping FIVE singles for adult alt radio) has now been around long enough to be considered a Triple A classic! Time flies! And time is also part of the theme of their latest song, "Another Life"! The band's smooth yet psychedelic soul flavor shines through in this song, which is essentially about the concept of, "What if you could (or couldn't) do what you did? How would you fix it (or add to it, etc.)?" It's like the song version of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once , and much like how that movie went through a series of unpredictable yet thrilling twists and turns, so does this song! It doesn't stay on a pattern of "fixed" chords. Instead, it ma...

 here they are: "Call it a Draw" by Uwade:  Indie and soul might seem like strange bedfellows to some, but Nigerian-born performer Uwade (pronounced oo-WAH-day) makes it work in her breakthrough song, "Call it a Draw"! Known previously for collaborating with indie-folk stars, Fleet Foxes, Uwade strikes out on her own here. She doesn't really sound a thing like Fleet Foxes, despite her being associated with them. Not clear whether this song is about a breakup, wanting an old partner to come back, or perhaps both.  "Ginkgo" by Panchiko:  Giant chickens and bands that sound like Radiohead don't seem like they'd have much to do with each other, do they?! Well, now they do! In a bizarre music video about giant chickens (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYHiewpA_1w), Panchiko, who sound an awful lot like Radiohead, present us with their breakthrough song, "Ginkgo." A strangely calming psychedelic indie song, "Ginkgo" comes as quick...