Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Give it Time" by Goose:  Post-millennial jam band, Goose, had a surprise hit on adult alt radio two years ago with "Hungersite"! It's a miracle when a song that's nearly 7 minutes long gets that much attention, and it's about to happen again with Goose's latest, "Give it Time." The song has a similar aesthetic to "Hungersite," although it's not as fast as that one was. The song seems to mostly have a contemporary soft rock sound with its true guitar playing chops hidden underneath. The guitar playing starts to shine through at around the 3-minute mark. Coincidentally, this is also when the song starts to speed up! Goose are truly something else! They're sort of like if a group like The Fray somehow became prog-rock! Unlike "Hungersite," which became a bit of a meandering jam band song after the 5-minute mark, "Give it Time" remains both vocally and instrumentally appealing throughout it...

 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...

 Monday was a holiday this time, so here is your New Music Monday on Tuesday: "Eyez" by The Arcs: Until now, Dan Auerbach's side project, The Arcs, was a one-hit wonder for "Outta My Mind," a song from 2015 whose psychedelic garage rock sound was awfully similar to his main band, The Black Keys. "Eyez" marks a softer, more sophisticated, and more electronic side to The Arcs' music. The song is a tribute to original band member, Richard Swift, who died in his early 40's a few years ago from hepatitis. The song's subdued sound, which seems defined by its use of major 7th chords, was probably chosen to address such a heavy topic. The intentional misspelling of "eyes" in the title suggests a sense of humor, but given how the song's subject is no laughing matter, perhaps it was more to reflect Richard's sense of creativity. "Grapevine" by Weyes Blood: Don't be scared by the "Blood" part of Natalie Mering...