Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Dancing on the Wall" by Muna:  This song smacks of '80s pop influence, but there's something urgent and somewhat dark about this song that wouldn't get in your run-of-the-mill Madonna or synth-pop song (this song seems to be influenced by both). On the subject of '80s pop, "Dancing in the Wall" is not like "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie. "Dancing on the Wall" is not a song where the singer playfully dances somewhere where a person wouldn't ordinarily be seen dancing. In fact, "dancing," in this case, is a metaphor. It's really a song where Katie Gavin is being rejected by a lover and left "dancing on the wall" as a result (fending for herself without a leg to stand on).  "Donnie Takes the Bus" by Fantastic Cat:  A throwback to late '60s/early '70s roots-rock, "Donnie Takes the Bus" by Fantastic Cat is probably going to become a fave among people wh...

 here they are: "Cold at Night" by The Mountain Goats:  A song that was released last month but that I'm just starting to get to know now...it only figures The Mountain Goats would release something on Halloween month, right?! I mean with titles like "Damn These Vampires," "Up the Wolves," and "Werewolf Gimmick," The Mountain Goats run the gamut when it comes to "spooky" titles and topics. "Cold at Night" fits right along with that. The song also has a bit more of a rock sound than fans of the Goats' normally folk-rock-y music might be used to, but it still lands roughly in that indie-folk-ish patch. I'm surprised there isn't "fandom rivalry" between The Mountain Goats and The Decemberists, given how both were mid-'00s indie-folk-rock groups who often sing about dark subject matter over sweet folk-rock-y melodies. "Cold at Night" totally lands in that Decemberists-ish spot with its tale ...