Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Dracula" by Tame Impala:  (to be read in a Transylvanian accent) Greetings! It is I, the music blogger! They call me the music blogger because I love to blog songs!And today, there are SEVEN! SEVEN songs in this blog!! Ah, ah, ah. (to be read in a regular accent) Come on, I had to!! "Dracula" is right there in the song's title! Unlike last week's TI track, "Loser," Dracula" has more of the synth-pop sound Tame Impala have cultivated in more recent years. Its spooky (but fun) minor-key sound is fitting to the song's title. Did Tame Impala intentionally release this song around Halloween?! One never knows, but I get the feeling they might have! It even includes lyrics like "run from the sun like Dracula." The song seems to center around how much of an outcast Kevin Parker feels like overall (keeping with the theme of "Loser" from last week). Also, are "dueling songs" a trend now?! Spoon also has...

 here they are: "Eternal Love" by AVTT/PTTN (The Avett Brothers and Mike Patton):  Did you ever think that a member of a rock group as heavy as Faith No More would get together with a group as roots-y and bluegrass-y as The Avett Brothers?! Well, now they have!! The song is mostly in the Avetts' direction of bittersweet bluegrass-rock, but the surprise synth solo in the middle is likely Patton's idea. The Avetts have done plenty of reflective songs, but it's a fresh new road for Mike Patton. The coolest part?! It works wonderfully for him! Well, for both of them, really. Such a reassuring song for these increasingly dark times! "Loser" by Tame Impala:  Not to be confused with the Beck song of the same name, Tame Impala's "Loser" is an interesting tune. It takes Tame Impala in a new direction with a fresh funk-rock sound! The song's sound is somewhat reminiscent of "Fame" by David Bowie. Beneath the song's funky heartbeat l...

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: "Borrow Trouble" by Feist: Feist hasn't really made a splash since 2011, and her biggest hits are now over a decade old. That being said, I wondered if Feist would still hold up today if she released something new. The answer, it appears, is yes! She has reinvented her sound, too, adding strong influence from David Bowie's electro-rock classic, "Heroes," to her typical folk-pop atmosphere. Perhaps there are naysayers here who think that folk-rock and new wave can't be good bedfellows. Well, Feist sort of intended this song to have both a messy sound and messy lyrics, but somehow, it's ended up becoming a beautiful mess! "Psychos" by Jenny Lewis: The title of the song might sound off-putting and scary to some, but Jenny Lewis' latest tune, "Psychos," has a sound that's anything but psychotic. A laid-back folk-rocker that hearkens back to Jenny's days in indie-pop/rock group, Rilo Kiley, "Psychos...

 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...