Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Hide Anymore" by Wilder Woods:  The mostly old school R & B-oriented Wilder Woods have taken a turn towards embracing newer styles on their latest song, "Hide Anymore." Although Bear Rineheart's soulful vocals are still present, the rest of the song feels more like a contemporary pop tune, and even those sound more paranoid than they usually do on Wilder Woods' typically more fun material. It appears to be about a relationship where Bear feels betrayed by someone not telling the truth to him. I don't think anyone would feel OK after going through that, though! "The Lighthouse" by Stevie Nicks:  It's been a little over a decade since we last heard from Stevie Nicks! Having lost a longtime bandmate recently, though, she was probably in mourning during the last year or so, and the sadness shows in her latest song, "The Lighthouse." Although many of her best-known songs of regret were aimed at Lindsey Buckingham, ...

 here they are: "Sympathy" by Declan McKenna: So far, every Declan song I've reviewed ("Brazil," "Beautiful Faces," and "Be an Astronaut") has started with the letter B. "Sympathy" officially breaks that pattern. The song also sounds noticeably more chill and retro than his other stuff. For one thing, there's a tuba (or perhaps a synth imitating a tuba) punctuating the song, along with an island-y sounding acoustic guitar, with happy claps underscoring the instruments. This is probably the most fun song Declan has had since he debuted in 2016 with "Brazil." The lyrics of the song seem like a "word salad" of sorts, but perhaps that's part of its charm. Overall, this is a fun, happy tune that seems very fitting for the middle of summer! "Under You" by Foo Fighters: Our only other song of the week is another rumination on Taylor Hawkins' unexpected passing. FF released a song that was as rockin...

Yesterday was Juneteenth, so I decided to do my blog today instead of yesterday. Here are this week's songs: "Body" by Briston Maroney: Indie-folk-rocker Briston Maroney has added a bit more of a techno-pop influence to his music and blended it with acoustic guitar music in order to make his latest song, "Body," appeal to a wider audience than his previous material. The song, essentially, is a rumination on how life doesn't last forever, so we should make the most of it while we still can. Amidst slightly psychedelic flourishes midway through, "Body" is a breezy song overall that can really make you think about life! "Devotion" by Arlo Parks: Arlo Parks' take on neo-soul has been an interesting one. "Softly" involved a trip-hop influence, and her latest song, "Devotion," does as well, but "Softly" wasn't a very guitar-heavy song. "Devotion" actually is one, believe it or not. The guitars sta...

 Here they are: "Are You Gonna Run?" by Low Cut Connie: What little I've known so far from Low Cut Connie has been jazzy, soulful, and energetic. "Are You Gonna Run?" slows things down a little bit. There are blues-y guitar hooks in the song, but they don't take center stage. Instead, the piano and vocals take the front seat, and there's a reason for this. LCC's lead singer, Adam Weiner, was heavily affected by the death of Ronnie Spector, lead singer for the early 1960's girl group, The Ronettes. The Ronettes' front woman was highly innovative not just for pop and R & B, but even for alternative rock (The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," for instance, imitates the opening percussion riff for The Ronettes' "Be My Baby"), so it's no wonder Adam was compelled to write a song in her honor. The song's sweet yet sensual vibe would have fit perfectly for The Ronettes! "Looking for Love" by ...

 After two weeks of absence, I'm back! Six new songs for a brand new week. Here they are: "Exhausting Lover" by Ben Folds: What's this? Is alt-pop's resident piano man, Ben Folds, suddenly turning to synths instead?! Well, in this song, he appears to be doing just that, at least initially until a bright brass section comes in towards the middle! This IS Ben Folds we're talking about, though, and many of his songs are snarky commentary, so him modernizing his sound might just be a subtle jab at contemporary pop culture, along with some of the lyrics of the song, particularly when he says, "Never gonna say YOLO no mo'." The song tells the tale of a girl who is quite possibly a spoof of recent female celebrities like Kim Kardashian meeting either an unnamed character in the song or possibly Ben himself, a self-described "nerd." As you might expect, things go south for the two rather quickly, and by the end of the song, things get incredibl...

 Love is in the air...and so are 8 new songs!! Here they are: "Ghosts Again" by Depeche Mode: Depeche Mode are not known for writing love songs as much as they for writing songs that decry politics, religion, and pretty much anything central to human affairs that has the potential to both divide and unite us, but "Ghosts Again," just in time for Valentine's Day, is a love song. Well...sort of. It's an elegy of sorts to their recently departed keyboard player, Andy Fletcher, who passed away last year. It is both surprisingly upbeat and surprisingly pristine for a DM song while still maintaining the dark vibes that the now legendary pioneers of goth-rock have become known for. The song is almost U2-ish with the exception of its constant use of keyboard, but even the keyboard has a more soothing sound than the more synth-y stuff that DM usually go for. It is as mournful as it is celebratory, and this is exactly how the surviving members of the group intended fo...