Spencer Griffin's New Music Mondays

 Happy New Year everyone!! Here goes!! "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" by Jeff Tweedy:  A striking contrast to the other two following entries on my list in a few ways. It starts with L, not W, the performer of the song is white, not Black, it tells a statement, not a question (the other two both ask "Who?"), and it goes more towards alt-rock and folk-rock than it does to vintage R & B vibes. This makes "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" a vibrant entry to start off 2026!! Even the title of the song says a lot!! The Patron Saint of Alt-Rock has long deserved his own song, and Jeff Tweedy finally gives him one! Does it sound like Lou Reed?! Yeah, it kinda does! It has a very laconic, dry rock sound that goes halfway between laid-back folk-rock and jagged, experimental alt-rock. The song contains rather obvious references to songs like "Rock and Roll," and other more oblique references to various Lou/Velvets songs, possibly evoking "Sister Ray...

 here they are: "Downstairs" by Matt Maeson:  Matt Maeson's work is usually guitar-oriented, but it often goes more towards folk-rock than it does electric guitar-based material. This is what makes his latest song, "Downstairs," stand out from his other material! The song starts out with just Matt's vocals and the electric guitar by themselves before it crescendoes to full-band instrumentation during the chorus. The title seems to be metaphorical, too, suggesting an escape from the world when everything goes wrong. Although clearly rooted in an indie-pop sound, there's something almost post-grunge-y about how "Downstairs" is set up with its soft-but-about-to-break verses and more explosive (but still relatively calm) chorus. "Enough" by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco):  In this midtempo folk/country-rock tune, Wilco's lead singer poses a tough question at the very start of this song: "Has it ever been enough? Has it ever been OK?" T...

 Half a year has gone by! Can you believe it?! Here are three new songs for this brand new month! "Annihilation" by Wilco:  After a few albums of more countrified rock, Wilco go all psychedelic on us again with their latest song, "Annihilation"! The song's crunchy yet roots-y distortion brings to mind a lot of the songs Wilco put out in the '00s. As one might expect from a song with this title, the lyrics are rather apocalyptic, albeit with a romantic subtext. "This kind of annihilation is alright," Jeff Tweedy sings during the song's chorus. He seems to be referring to how, even though the world around him is starting to crash, he still has love to fall back on. Nothing says "love conquers all" like that, eh?! "Lost" by Soccer Mommy: There's usually at least an undercurrent of angst in most Soccer Mommy songs. "Lost" is not one of them. This song is just pure bittersweet sadness in both the lyrics and the musi...

 here they are: "Every Chance I Get" by Dan Auerbach: Imagine, if you will, a cross between Canned Heat's "On the Road Again," The Doors' "Love Me Two Times," and Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky." The Black Keys frontman has just released a song that is pretty much that. You'll swear you stepped into a time machine to the late 1960's after hearing this psychedelic blues-rock number! In case the song itself didn't sound "sinful" enough with its slinky, seductive vibe, the music video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8baM8oySjqw&t=115s) features a (presumably) female skeleton doing what appears to be a striptease for a bunch of (presumably) male skeletons. As skeletons are already stripped of their skin, I don't see how this is even possible, but apparently, it is! It's like watching a more risqué version of the "Skeleton Dance" cartoon that Disney did back in the day!  ...