Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Bells and Whistles" by Bright Eyes:  Hard to believe Bright Eyes have now been around for over 20 years, but it's true! The Wilco-esque sound of their latest song, the bluesy and boozy piano-dominated "Bells and Whistles," is not entirely out of character for them either, and it could easily be mistaken for a Bright Eyes song from a decade or two prior! Beneath the song's jaunty sound, Conor Oberst is actually trying to tell a tale about how things that seem trivial one moment can end up being a huge part of your life the next. I feel like I've been there before quite a few times myself, so I think I can relate to this song. The ending of the song is interesting, with the piano, guitar, and brass all in drunken yet coherent harmony with one another. "Big Time Nothing" by St. Vincent:  The surprisingly dark (even by St. Vincent standards) sounds of "Broken Man" from earlier this year were shocking yet appealing to me. ...

 here they are: "Broken Man" by St. Vincent:  Like many St. Vincent songs, "Broken Man" is an invigorating, original composition that pushes musical boundaries! The song's minimalist two-note structure is both fear-inducing and alluring, and the song does add more notes towards the end, but not by much. The title alone of "Broken Man" should give you a hint of how it sounds. The sound is a bit less like the two Davids (Bowie and Byrne) that typically inspire St. Vincent's material and is more reminiscent of people like Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, albeit in a way that's not nearly as aggressive as his material is. Highly worth listening to! "Good Together" by Lake Street Dive:  Neo-soul/blues-rock outfit Lake Street Dive have now been together for 10 years! Can you believe it?! So what are they doing to celebrate their success?! Releasing one of their most upbeat, happy songs yet! It's rare for Lake Street Dive not to have a...