Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 here they are: "Count the Ways" by The Last Dinner Party:  The latest song from The Last Dinner Party combines a slinky guitar riff with Abigail Morris' sultry yet venomous vocals. Right from the opening lyrics, we get lines like, "Let the snake bite/Let her crawl under your skin/Let it eat you from within/It's alright," and shortly after that, "You break into my house/I'll break into your house/I'll do it/Do it." Those are very vindictive lyrics if you ask me! But the song also has a yearning undercurrent to it, centering around how much Abigail misses her lover. I dunno 'bout you, but I think I'm gonna count the ways this song lends itself to lyrical ambiguity! "Site Unseen" by Courtney Barnett (featuring Waxahatchee):  When it comes to sardonic yet sweet women of 2020's indie-folk-rock, Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee are both giants, so it's interesting to hear them come together here! The song lacks the bite...

 here they are: "Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)" by Inhaler:  The Irish indie quartet are back, with a more disco-y yet still intimate-sounding flavor than we might be used to from them. A similar vibe to songs like Modest Mouse's "Float On" with its combination of breezy dance-rock and light guitar riffs interspersed enough to make it seem it doesn't stray completely from the rock category. I have a question before I begin this review, though. Who IS Billy, and why do they repeat his name 12 times before the first verse begins?! Billy Idol? Billy Joel? Billy Squier? Billy MAYS, maybe?! (Well, ok, the last one's highly unlikely). It's probably just an ordinary person named Billy, and Elijah Hewson seems to be reaching out to him in a similar way to how Burt Bacharach reached out to someone named Alfie many decades before this song came out. Elijah may not be asking, "What's it all about?" to Billy, but that sense of empathy is clearly there!  ...

 here they are: "Bored" by Waxahatchee:  The song may be called "Bored," but it sure isn't boring! The song plays out like a slightly more countrified Tom Petty, echoing the progressions of classic Petty songs like "Listen to Her Heart." The title of "Bored" pretty much indicates what the lyrics are like. It's basically a song about Katie Crutchfeld being tired of the relationship she has.  "Dance in the Desert" by Daniel Donato:  The title of this song sounds kind of hippie-ish, doesn't it?! Fittingly, this song sort of sounds like a happier, more upbeat version of a Grateful Dead song with its Jerry Garcia-esque twang mixing with a peppy, almost ska-like drumbeat. The song is actually a 3-and-a-half minute version of a song that's actually a sprawling nearly 20-minute epic when he performs it live. Trippy, man! "Docket" by Blondshell (featuring Bully):  Bully have done some awesome songs by themselves, but pe...

 here they are: "Can't Believe We're Here" by J. Mascis:  Like a lot of his solo stuff, the Dinosaur Jr. frontman's latest song leans more towards folk-rock than noise-rock (except maybe during the guitar solo part), but it still contains the raw, ragged sense of honesty and world weariness he is known for. The song seems to be a lament about a relationship he has gone through, with the titular "we" referring to him and his partner. Typical Dino Jr./Mascis disillusionment with life here.  "From the Start" by Laufey:  Look out, Bjork! Another eclectic Icelander is on your path, and her name is Laufey (pronounced like "lay-vay"). Laufey has earned comparisons to other charmingly weird (or would that be weirdly charming?!) women in indie-folk-pop of the 2020's such as beabadoobee and Mitski, and with her unpredictable yet super catchy combo of indie-folk and bossa nova (of all things), it's easy to see why she has been compared t...

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...