Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 "Bobby" by Phoebe Bridgers:  I don't know who Bobby is, but Phoebe doesn't seem pleased with him! Right from the start, the song seems kind of eerie. The guitar seems a bit down-tuned (in a sort of open C sharp tuning), and the uncertain synths that punctuate the background also hint at a feeling of unease! The lyrics accompany the message of the music quite well, too! I had a suspicion that Bobby was not a nice person from the tone, and it seems like he isn't! With lyrics like "this could be the end" (which repeats), as well as the haunting and piercing "Bobby, this could be the end of wanting/I exist only if you're watching," I get the feeling that Bobby was a toxic, draining ex of Phoebe's! If anyone does not want to be in Bobby's world, it's Phoebe!  "Born Again" by Star Moles:  There's something about Star Moles - probably cleverly named for their lead singer, Emily Moales - that strike me as being older than...

 "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...