Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "American Dream" by Alabama Shakes:  Releasing a song called "American Dream" at a time when that sort of dream seems divided was intentional on the part of Brittany Howard and co this time. This swirling soul-rock slow jam expresses how disillusioned Brittany has become with both politics and how they affect other areas of life ranging from gun reform to abortion to the environment. She repeatedly refers to this dream as "the impossible dream," but not "impossible" in the sense of "sounds farfetched, but we can get there." More in the sense of how it really has become impossible now! "I can't keep dreaming," she says towards the end, reluctantly wanting to reconcile her dashed hopes with the harsher realities of American life at present. This one hurts, but in such a powerful, relatable way! "Any Old Fool" by Thee Sacred Souls:  TSS do what they do best on this song, and that is how they sound li...

 here they are: "Best Guess" by Lucy Dacus:  This song may be a bit more synth-y than the indie-folk-rock we're used to from Lucy, but with her latest tune, "Best Guess," both the song and its video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a90_cjTF770) carry powerful messages! The song is, in essence, a love song, but by no means an ordinary one! The message of this one is more than just an "I love you." It's more an "I love you because..." and the reasons she lists are both emotional and physical! She leans heavy into vulnerability vibes here in the best ways! "Clasping your necklace, zipping your dress/Hands on your waist, kissing your neck/I love your body, I love your mind/They will change, so will mine" are the open lyrics. What powerful opening lyrics! As someone who values the beauty and aesthetic of the human body, it means a lot to me to hear a song like this one! With many of the people in the song's video dressed in tank ...

 here they are: "Ankles" by Lucy Dacus:  Lucy Dacus has tried her hand at all sorts of areas of indie, ranging from indie-pop to indie-folk to some power pop, but I've never heard her attempt the "chamber pop" sound until now, and she's good at it! There are orchestral instruments in this song such as cello and what sounds like a harpsichord that can't be easily found in her other material, which makes it stand out from her other stuff. Equally remarkable is her video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcW_-uxy6dQ) which takes place at a museum (with Lucy as the painting) and stars another LGTBQ Lucy, Lucy Liu, as the curator. Anything to help out diverse communities during a time when the world just doesn't seem as open-minded as it used to be! "Bovine Excision" by Samia:  For a song with such a weird title, Samia's "Bovine Excision" has a surprisingly chill indie-folk sound (with gradual electro-pop elements added...

 "Cool About It" by boygenius: boygenius' third song to gain attention this year, "Cool About It," is not only a lovely mellow folk-rock tune, but it's a powerful one! Through three verses, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker each discuss about the complications and suffering they've faced through relationships they've had. It is never made clear whether the relationships they've discussed have ended or if they're still going on, but it's clear that unlike what the title suggests, they are not "cool about" what they've had to go through. They each seem to have to live with someone who has been unfaithful, uncommitted, or otherwise putting them in less than ideal situations. The aching sadness of this song will really strike a chord with anyone who has not gotten what they've wanted out of a relationship. "Dancing With Your Shadows" by Phillip Phillips: Let's move on to something more upbeat, shall...

 here they are: "Amnesia" by M83: Techno-influenced indie-pop group, M83, has been responsible for one major hit so far in the ever-expanding alt-rock pantheon, and that song is "Midnight City," which starts off with a rather eerie synth before morphing into a catchy pop song. "Midnight City" was a bit too synth-y for me to get into at the time it came out, which was a little over a decade ago, but with "Amnesia," I feel a bit more ready to dive into M83's music. It is mostly synth-dominated, like "Midnight City" was, but "Amnesia" has a bit more guitar backing it up, earning the song more than a few comparisons so far to groups like New Order. "Amnesia"'s shimmery guitar line does bear more than a passing resemblance to Bernard Sumner's guitar work. The song's ability to switch between a standard-sounding C major song and its more exotic descent into E flat major during the chorus parts is another no...