Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Call Me (Whatever You Like)" by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats:  Why wasn't this  the first single from Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats' newest album?! I mean "Heartless" wasn't a bad choice, but my fave Nathaniel songs are the ones where he lets out his inner soul man, and his latest song, "Call Me (Whatever You Like)," ranks among them! The song starts with a gritty, country-rock acoustic guitar strum before launching into a tune that imitates vintage soul music, complete with a kickin' horn section! This is definitely not the forlorn song "Heartless" was. There even a few choice swear words in this song to serve as a way for Nathaniel to tell us just how ticked off he feels! There's even an electric guitar solo in this song, a rarity for NRATNS!! If the title alone wasn't enough of an indicator that Nathaniel means business in this song, I dunno what is!  "Driver" by Soccer Mo...

 Half a year has gone by! Can you believe it?! Here are three new songs for this brand new month! "Annihilation" by Wilco:  After a few albums of more countrified rock, Wilco go all psychedelic on us again with their latest song, "Annihilation"! The song's crunchy yet roots-y distortion brings to mind a lot of the songs Wilco put out in the '00s. As one might expect from a song with this title, the lyrics are rather apocalyptic, albeit with a romantic subtext. "This kind of annihilation is alright," Jeff Tweedy sings during the song's chorus. He seems to be referring to how, even though the world around him is starting to crash, he still has love to fall back on. Nothing says "love conquers all" like that, eh?! "Lost" by Soccer Mommy: There's usually at least an undercurrent of angst in most Soccer Mommy songs. "Lost" is not one of them. This song is just pure bittersweet sadness in both the lyrics and the musi...

 here they are: "Forgiving Ties" by Deer Tick: More cowbell, anyone?! This "Running on Empty"-esque Heartland rock influenced tune has plenty of it! The chorus takes an interesting turn pulling a George Harrison-esque twang and a series of somewhat randomly-placed diminished chords to distinguish itself both from the verses and from modern songs in general. "I'm not looking for forgiving ties/I'm just looking for a way to survive," lead singer John McCauley earnestly pleads during the song's chorus. What exactly does he mean by this? Although both the song and its accompanying video don't take themselves too seriously, the lyrics of the song are somewhat serious. What McCauley says when he claims he's "looking for a way to survive" is to shake off the trauma in your life and just try to take care of yourself and those who love you. "Lose You" by Bully (featuring Soccer Mommy): Forget what The Spice Girls said about ...