Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Light It" by The Tano Jones Revelry:  A song that hits the sweet spot between rock and soul, "Light It" sounds like a song from another time! Given the psychedelic folk-rock-y vibes of their last adult alt radio hit, "Daisy," this is hardly surprising. I'm guessing both from the titular phrase and from Tano Jones' urging his listeners to "get higher" that this song is about drug use and the pleasure some derive from it. Whether you're a drug user or not, though, this song should be enjoyable to anyone who just wants to unwind and have a good time, regardless of the reason! "Raze the Bar" by Travis:  Post-millennial alt-rock royalty have come together for this song to create a song that really doesn't sound that "alt." Coldplay's Chris Martin and The Killers' Brandon Flowers lend support vocals to Travis' latest tune, "Raze the Bar." The song really feels more like a light ...

 here they are: "Beaches" by beabadoobee:  I thought beabadoobee wouldn't achieve mainstream success again after the bubbly, Regina Spektor-esque song, "The Perfect Pair," made it onto both my local alternative station and  my local smooth jazz station about two years ago, but the eclectic indie sensation made huge waves yet again this year with her summer smash, "Take a Bite," which might mark the first time that she topped the adult alt radio charts, even though she has been featured on said charts many times before. beabadoobee seems to have a fondness for '90s alt-rock, and it shows on her latest song, "Beaches," which has echoes of some of the softer No Doubt songs like "Don't Speak" and "Simple Kind of Life." "Beaches" tries to rock out with its grungy distortion and its electric guitar solo towards the end, but it still very much a breezy, post-summer soft rock tune for the indie generation. The ly...

 EIGHT whoppin' new songs for a whoppin' new year!! Can you believe it?! Here they are!! "Beautiful People (Stay High)" by The Black Keys:  While The Black Keys are known for having a "retro" sound to pretty much all of their songs, they haven't yet nailed the sunny side of psychedelic pop quite like they have for their latest tune, "Beautiful People (Stay High)." If the words "beautiful" and "high" weren't clues already, this is a song that attempts to capture the spirit of the swingin' '60s! This is probably the happiest song I've heard from Dan and Patrick so far. For a year that is probably going to be a shaky one for many, The Black Keys have managed to kick off 2024 with positive energy like no other! Highly recommended! "Deja Vu" by Abraham Alexander (featuring Mavis Staples):  This is only the second song I've heard so far from neo-soul musician Abraham Alexander (the first being "T...

 here they are: "An Arrow in the Wall" by Death Cab for Cutie: You never expected a mostly somber, folk-y group like Death Cab to get funky, did you? Well, that's what they do on their latest song, "An Arrow in the Wall." In the 20 plus years that Ben Gibbard and co have been around, they've never attempted a song like this one, which is probably to Death Cab what "Emotional Rescue" is to The Rolling Stones (who, coincidentally, will be mentioned in the very next song for this week): a slow-burning, disco-y number that never quite reaches a climax but is still a slinky, seductive song. However, there is nothing whatsoever that could be considered seductive about the lyrics to "An Arrow in the Wall." It is, instead, a warning to Ben's fans about how our already dangerous world in the 21st century could get even worse if we don't do anything about it. Hopefully, DCFC's fans will take heed to Gibbard's message, even though th...