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 it is, folks!! The Top 20 songs of the year!! Ready? Here goes!! 20. "Mistakes" - Caamp 19. "Relationships" - Haim 18. "Metaverse" - Cage the Elephant 17. "After the Setting Sun" - The Head and The Heart 16. "People Watching" - Sam Fender 15. "Same Old Song" - The Lumineers 14. "Lucy" - Mt. Joy 13. "Rushmere" - Mumford and Sons 12. "Everything is Peaceful Love" - Bon Iver 11. "The Night Before" - The Black Keys 10. "Catch These Fists" - Wet Leg 9. "Everyday Magic" - My Morning Jacket 8. "Knockin' Heart" - Hamilton Leithauser 7. "Let Things Go" - Caamp 6. "Nothing I Need" - Lord Huron 5. "Ankles" - Lucy Dacus 4. "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" - Role Model 3. "Time Waited" - My Morning Jacket 2. "Horses" - Jesse Welles ....and....the number one song of 2025 is..."MOODY" BY ROYEL O...

 EIGHT whoppin' new songs for a whoppin' new year!! Can you believe it?! Here they are!! "Beautiful People (Stay High)" by The Black Keys:  While The Black Keys are known for having a "retro" sound to pretty much all of their songs, they haven't yet nailed the sunny side of psychedelic pop quite like they have for their latest tune, "Beautiful People (Stay High)." If the words "beautiful" and "high" weren't clues already, this is a song that attempts to capture the spirit of the swingin' '60s! This is probably the happiest song I've heard from Dan and Patrick so far. For a year that is probably going to be a shaky one for many, The Black Keys have managed to kick off 2024 with positive energy like no other! Highly recommended! "Deja Vu" by Abraham Alexander (featuring Mavis Staples):  This is only the second song I've heard so far from neo-soul musician Abraham Alexander (the first being "T...

 First new songs of the new year! Here they are: "Love is the Way" by Thee Sacred Souls: Our first song of 2023 sounds a bit more like something from 1973, or perhaps even further back than that, and there's a good reason for this. "Love is the Way," the debut song from Thee Sacred Souls, was produced by Gabriel Roth, the cofounder of Daptone Records. Said record company is most famous so far for producing the songs of Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, a neo-soul group who rose to prominence roughly around the mid-2000's but whose sound was more reminiscent of performers like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. Likewise, Thee Sacred Souls shows influence from people like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and The Spinners with their silky, smooth, and soulful breakthrough song, "Love is the Way," an earnest and powerful plea for love! "On the Radio" by Spoon: With "On the Radio," Spoon has now reached their fourth adult alt radio hit fr...