Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Aerial Troubles" by Stereolab:   Stereolab have been active for over 35 years, but this marks the first time I've really gotten to hear one of their songs! Though I don't know their material too well, I did get the impression from hearing about them that they mixed the bittersweet side of 1960's pop music with more avant-garde aspects of music, and "Aerial Troubles" seems to be confirming that this is indeed what Stereolab sounds like! The Anglo-French indie outfit whisper and sing playfully over swirling synths and sprawling harpsichords that sound like they came straight out of an obscure French avant-garde romance film! If any song screams "French hipster," this is it! Not that anyone asked, of course. "Chemistry" by Gigi Perez:  Last summer, we were introduced to Gigi Perez, whose indie-folk sound seemed to contrast with her fast-spreading TikTok fame. Where her "Sailor Song" was more or less straight up...

 It's a day after Monday, but since Monday was a holiday, I'm doing the new music today. Here it is: "Let the Sun Come In" by The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde is now one year past being a septuagenarian, and she's STILL rockin' it! The Pretenders' latest song, "Let the Sun Come In," is not a crunchy hard rocker in the vein of something like "Middle of the Road" or "Tattooed Love Boys," but it does hearken back to some of the first mid-tempo half-rocker/half-ballad songs they had such as "Kid" and "Talk of the Town." Close your eyes and you probably won't notice too much a difference between this song and what they did a little over 40 years ago. The song's theme of liberation is also something that stands the test of time. The Pretenders aren't really singing here about issues relevant to the 21st century in this song, but they don't have to. Their output is timeless, and it really shows here!...

 Here they are: "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard?" by Lana Del Rey: I think it's safe to say Lana Del Rey wins the award for Longest Song Title of the Year (so far)!! Fittingly, the song itself is somewhat long too, clocking in at 4 minutes and 45 seconds. In true Lana fashion, her latest song is a stark, melancholy piece of piano-based orchestral pop. Not sure if the titular "tunnel" is a real one or if it's supposed to be symbolic, as Lana's songs are typically loaded with symbolism, and this song is no exception. More than likely, though, it's both. There was a real tunnel under Ocean Boulevard, a place in Long Beach, California, until the mid-1960's, and Lana is trying to capture a slice of hippie-era nostalgia by wrapping it in a bittersweet musical present that is anything but psychedelic, but there are also many references to California's musical past, ranging from The Eagles' "Hotel California...