WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT the FiRST HALF of THiS YEAR?!!

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

July 3, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of independence 

Welcome to this special Heat Dome Edition of WSGATW?!! In recognition of the fact that we've just passed the halfway point through 2026, and in the spirit of independence, we're dedicating the day to our favorite records of the year to date. As you might expect, our list embraces a diversity of sounds, from folk and americana to several things that would be preceded with indie-this or alt-that. We list these in order of appearance, onaccountof we don't want to give any spoilers to our end-of-year lists. That said, we're especially partial to Ratboys, Johnny Blue Skies, Brown Horse, Thomas Dollbaum, and Zoh Amba. But don't hold us to that. A lot can happen in six months. 

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT the FiRST HALF of THiS YEAR?!!

- Courtney Marie Andrews, Valentine  (Loose Future, Jan 16)

- Sophie Gault, Unhinged  (Torrez, Jan 23)

- Ratboys, Singin' To An Empty Chair  (New West, Feb 6)

- Twisted Teens, Blame the Clown  (Jazz Life, Feb 13)

- Bill Callahan, My Days Of 58  (Drag City, Feb 27)

- Natalie Jane Hill, Hopeful Woman  (Dear Life, Mar 6)

- Deloyd Elze, Nellene EP  (Concord, Mar 6)

- Morgan Nagler, I've Got Nothing To Lose and I'm Losing It  (Little Operation, Mar 13)

- Cat Clyde, Mud Blood Bone  (Concord, Mar 13)

- Johnny Blue Skies, Mutiny After Midnight  (Atlantic Outpost, Mar 13)

- Charlotte Cornfield, Hurts Like Hell  (Merge, Mar 27)

- Sluice, Companion  (Mtn Laurel, Mar 27)

- Droptines, Drought Flower  (Big Loud Texas, Apr 3)

- Brown Horse, Total Dive  (Loose, Apr 10)

- Kiki Cavazos, Goodbye Blues  (Jalopy, Apr 24)

- Bobby Dove, Fortune Teller  (New Motor, Apr 24)

- Hiss Golden Messenger, I'm People  (Chrysalis, May 1)

- Kevin Morby, Little Wide Open  (Dead Oceans, May 15)

- Shakey Graves, Fondness Etc  (Dualtone, May 15)

- Jobi Riccio, Face the Feeling  (Yep Roc, May 15)

- Thomas Dollbaum, Birds Of Paradise  (Dear Life, May 22)

- Alela Diane, Who's Keeping Time  (Fluff & Gravy, May 22)

- Simon Joyner, Tough Love  (Grapefruit, May 22)

- Zoh Amba, Eyes Full  (Matador, Jun 5)

- Bella White, A Sign In the Weather  (Rounder, Jun 5)

- Alex Amen, Sun Of Amen  (ATO, Jun 12)

- Styrofoam Winos, Any River  (Dear Life, Jun 19)

- American Aquarium, New Ways To Lose  (Losing Side, Jun 26)

- River Shook, River Shook   (Blackberry River, Jun 26)

- Andrew Sa, American Rough  (Bloodshot, Jun 26)

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Looking to the horizons a bit, here are the five (5) releases to which we're most looking forward in the days, weeks, months to come:

Waylon Payne, Wayward  (Big Loud Texas, Jul 16)

Lambchop, Punching the Clown  (Merge, Aug 21)

Dogwood Tales, Every Star In Rockingham County  (Born Losers, Aug 28)

Angela Autumn, Believer  (Gar Hole, Sep 11)

Lily Seabird, Lightspheres On Their Way  (Lame-O, Oct 2)

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (July 2, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

July 2, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster is our darling album release calendar. Since our last missive, Charlie Crockett has found a home for his wayward Clovis LP, being released by Atlantic Outpost on Friday. Billy Strings, savior of all things with strings, has set August 28 for the unveiling of So Much For Goodbyes (Reprise). We've been eagerly awaiting an announcement from Angela Autumn regarding her second full-length. The increasingly busy Gar Hole label will deliver Believer come September 11. Folk music savant Rhiannon Giddens calls her September 18 project Hope Is the Things With Feathers (Nonesuch). And, in an entirely different spirit, JP Harris' October 23 record is called Shaving a Dead Man (Bloodshot). 

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^ Adam Weiner is Low Cut Connie. His Livin' In the USA hits virtual shelves this week. Twangville asks the questions we've all wanted to ask, about the Gherkins, "Lover, Discover Me" and his touring vehicle. 

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We'll go on record saying that Bright Eyes is one of our favorite live bands. Cardinal Sessions has made a fantastic 2025 set available, set to tape in Berlin. While Conor Oberst can be unpredictable, here he is unpredictably good. 

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Among the year's finest developments is the recent news that Wilco and friends gathered to perform songs from the Mermaid Avenue albums at their Solid Sound set in NYC. Joining them on stage was a plethora of notoriety including Natalie Merchant, Sally Timms, Billy Bragg, and more. Brooklyn Vegan has pics and vids. 

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Kevin Morby's new I Ride Passenger video series is the anti-Carpool Karaoke. For his first episode, he eats ice cream with Katie Crutchfield, discusses album titles, and their cool situation (ie relationship). Also, they're apparently expecting, preparing to bring an indie-folk prince into the world!

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What better way to celebrate 250 years of (relative) independence! Otis Gibbs is streaming, A Love Letter To Handsome John,  his documentary about Todd Snider for free on July 4. The songwriter/filmmaker guarantees, 99.9% of the world will absolutely hate this film. 

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Been way too long since we've heard from Emmylou Harris. She's apparently been wandering the library at Nonesuch Records, and spends seven minutes reflecting upon her treasures. Spoiler: she shares our fondness for Low Anthem's debut LP. 

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It's not often we're able to connect you to PBS News. That changes today! The site interviews Willy Vlautin about his books and music with Richmond Fontaine and the Delines. He's one of the best: I feel like got invited to a party that I wasn't supposed to get invited to. 

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Courtney Barnett surprised us with March's Creature Of Habit, a collection that portrays the Australian artist as a still-evolving songwriter and vocalist. Barnett uploaded a really good live set, recorded with just a bassist and drummer at Levon Helm Studios. 

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Beth Orton tells Hearing Things about her Judds phase, wanting to be a criminologist, and a brief encounter with Kate Bush. There are also some nice videos of Orton performing songs from her Ground Above gem. 

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LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Avett Brothers

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

July 1, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

There was a time when the Avett Brothers were volatile. Their home-brewed, approximate harmonies and walloped instruments were fresh and exciting, albeit this side of amateurish. Brothers Seth and Scott and third wheel Bob Crawford wore that lack of polish as a badge on their off-the-rails raves as well as their hyper-earnest ballads. The formula worked to garner the Avetts a staunch live following, and eventually a deal with a larger label and a world-class producer. 

This brings us up to 2009 and their Rick Rubin-produced I and Love and You. We followed the Avett Brothers onto The Carpenter and Magpie and the Dandelion and even into True Sadness, though their mainstream popularity and increasing polish tempered our enthusiasm. There's absolutely nothing wrong with artistic maturity, and domestic stability is something we'd wish on any worthy performer. As we've expressed on a regular basis, that early rough garage electricity is simply impossible to maintain as we become more seasoned performers. 

Heck, we'll even forgive the Avetts their ill-fated Broadway musical. Their left-field collaboration with Mike Patton (AVTT/PTTN) served to remind us that Seth and Scott remain open to novelty like we like, even if we didn't strongly represent the project here at R&B HQ. Returning to Four Thieves and Emotionalism in compiling our Lookback list rekindled some of that early enthusiasm and jogged our memory of some of the brothers' genuinely good stuff. We didn't include anything from their four live packages, but recommend them as documents of their fabled stage show. 

AVETT BROTHERS: thirty favorites

- "Pretty Girl From Matthews" Country Was (2002)

- "November Blue"

- "Traveling Song" A Carolina Jubilee (2003)

- "At the Beach" Mignonette (2004)

- "Swept Away" 

- "Salvation Song" 

- "Talk On Indolence" Four Thieves Gone - the Robbinsville Sessions (2006)

- "Colorshow" 

- "Dancing Daze" 

- "When I Drink" The Gleam EP (2006)

- "Die Die Die" Emotionalism (2007)

- "Paranoia In B Major"

- "Weight Of Lies" 

- "Ballad Of Love and Hate" 

- "I Would Be Sad" 

- "Murder In the City" Second Gleam EP (2008)

- "I and Love and You" I and Love and You (2009)

- "Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise"

- "Kick Drum Heart" 

- "Laundry Room" 

- "Live and Die" The Carpenter (2012)

- "February Seven"

- "Open Ended Life" Magpie and the Dandelion (2013)

- "No Hard Feelings" True Sadness (2016)

- "True Sadness"

- "I Wish I Was"

- "Tell the Truth" Closer Than Together (2019)

- "Victory" Third Gleam EP (2020)

- "Love Of a Girl" Avett Brothers (2024)

- "Eternal Love" AVTT/PTTN (2025)

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To enjoy any Spotify ROUTES-cast, just open Spotify and search for "routesandbranches" to access this most recent playlist, as well as many others from past months.  Or click here for a preview:

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK: Andrew Sa, American Rough (Bloodshot, Jun 26)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

June 30, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Fact is, this week we had something nearly complete in praise of River Shook's debut solo record, something we'll still strongly recommend. But we've also been spending time with an artist who has shared a stage with Shook recently, Andrew Sa. Each time we returned American Rough to the turntable our appreciation grew, until this morning we decided to fully cast our lot with Sa rather than Shook. 

This is where that IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK becomes problematic. On a week when we're also looking at new projects from American Aquarium and Keenan O'Meara (not to mention Beth Orton), we fully suggest you listen to MORE THAN ONE RECORD ...

American Rough is co-produced with HC McEntire and Missy Thangs, working with Andrew Sa to walk a line between novelty throwback and genuine original. With a voice that has been compared to Roy Orbison and Raul Malo, the challenge is to conjure an arrangement that doesn't cloak Sa's songs in nostalgia. Fact is, songs like "Follow" and "Lavender Cowboy" are perfectly beautiful. The former boasts an immediately familiar snare pattern with lovely strings, while the latter even directly sites "Angel Band" even as it draws an alluring picture of queer attraction. In these more trad settings, Sa's voice shines like a more polished Jimmie Dale Gilmore. 

The album's songs are best honored, however, and Sa's possible future is most readily visible, as sounds and sonic ideas are folded into the mix. The reedy sax on "Your Whisper" suggests a jazz ballad sensibility, joined by swarming strings adding just a touch of mystery. Written with Liam Kazar, "Under You" layers harmony vocals as pedal steel echoes from wall to wall: Let me stay a nickel in your fountain. 

Where Orville Peck is brawny, Andrew Sa brings a bruised spirit to his music and delivery. "Gorgeous Things" blooms with terrific arrangement choices, from woozy violin to low-tuned electric guitar: You've got a pair of little brown eyes / Hanging on you tonight. American Rough can't help but be hopelessly romantic, it's just in the Chicago songwriter's nature: On every chiseled face out there / I picture your facial hair. Cue the horn section, this side of vampy. 

River Shook's self-titled record succeeds in acknowledging what we already know. In Andrew Sa, however, we revel in the spirit of music discovery. An acknowledged fan of artists like Rufus Wainwright and kd lang (in addition to Patsy Cline, natch), Sa's future might see him wisely expand his music reach beyond the baseline he establishes on American Rough. On "Where It Lands", with collaborators McEntire and Rosali, Sa delivers the project's most promising passage. Sounding not unlike ANOHNI in a tamer moment, the singer croons atop a digital murmur: The eye can wander forever / Isn't love where it lands. 

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ROUTES-cast June 28, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

June 28, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We've been giving some thought to our mid-year favorites, a list we'll likely debut on Friday's usual WSGATW?!! Watch this space. In the meantime, great albums are made up of great songs, which is our focus every Sunday on our Spotify ROUTES-casts. For this week's Episode we had to carry out a lot of pruning in order to arrive at our lean, award-winning playlist below. 

ROUTES-cast June 28, 2026

^ Keenan O'Meara, "Love Like An Ox" Bathe In the Everlasting Light  (Belting Bronco, 26)

- Pieta Brown, "Was the One" Dreamin' Of  (Righteous Babe, Aug 21)

- Samantha Crain, "Pott County Call Return (ft First Aid Kit)" single  (Crain, 26)  D

- Jayhawks, "Keeping Our Heads Above Water" Sanctuary Park  (SHAM, Aug 28)  D

- Ken Pomeroy, "Late For the Sky" Tonight's News EP  (Rounder, Aug 21)

- Johnny Delaware, "Regret Town" On God's Time  (Normaltown, Jul 24)

- Aubory Bugg, "Nosedive" I Think I Had Something Once  (Dualtone, Sep 18)

- Marfa, "Last Time Last" single  (Big Machine, 26)

- Presley Haile, "Silver Promise" Hamilton Honey Pt 1 EP  (Columbia, Jul 17)

- Andrew Sa, "Where It Lands (ft Rosali, HC McEntire)" American Rough  (Bloodshot, 26)

- River Shook, "Beater Car" River Shook  (Blackberry River, 26)

- Riley Downing, "Landfill Poetry" Landfill Poetry  (Oh Boy, Aug 28)  D

- Taylor Hollingsworth, "Boxers Song" Folk N' Roll  (Dial Back Sound, Aug 21)

- Ray Wylie Hubbard, "Dog Or Wolf" Reel 2 Reel 4 Real  (WylieWorld, Aug 20)

- Elizabeth Cook, "Sunset Promenade" Great Television  (Agent Love, Aug 13)

- Sean Burns, "Glory For Me" Better Off In Time  (Department Store, Sep 18)  D

- Lawrence Rothman, "The Meaning" Here Lies Love/Sawdust To Stardust  (KRO, Sep 25)  D

- Turnpike Troubadours, "Feelin' Good Again (ft Sierra Ferrell)" single  (Bossier City, 26)  D

- Mac Cornish, "Barfly" Wayfaring Woman  (Cornish, Sep 25) 

- American Aquarium, "Twin Flames" New Ways To Lose  (Losing Side, 26)

- Le Ren, "Gold In California" Don't Be Funny Without Me  (Royal Mountain, Aug 27)

- Brennan Wedl, "Pretty Little Fantasy" Brennan Wedl  (Anti, Aug 21)

- Sam and Louise Sullivan, "Down On Love" Love & Devotion  (Historic New Jersey, Jul 24)  D

- Nicole Atkins, "When the Night Falls" Drama  (Sun, Sep 18)  D

- Wild Pink, "Box Store" Still Coming Down  (Fire Talk, Aug 21)

- Johanna Samuels, "Blue vs Pinkerton" Sorry Kid  (Odd Man Out, Aug 14)

- This Is Lorelei, "Billy Came Back" The Singer In My Band  (Matador, Sep 11)  D

- Beth Orton, "Cigarette Curls" Ground Above  (Partisan, 26)

- Trampled By Turtles, "Love Is Everywhere (Beware) (ft Jeff Tweedy)" single  (Banjodad, 26)  D

- Muireann Bradley, "Not Going Back" single  (Fontana, 26)  D

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To enjoy any Spotify ROUTES-cast, just open Spotify and search for "routesandbranches" to access this most recent playlist, as well as many others from past months.  Or click here for a preview:

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!! (June 26, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

June 26, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

It's weeks like this that make us at least moderately sympathetic to the plight of The Average Music Listener. So many new albums. So many advance singles. That's why we celebrate just our five (5) favorites on WSGATW?!! The rules here are loose - we're generally only considering anything that's been released during the past week as a single. 

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Elizabeth Cook, "Sunset Promenade" Great Television  (Agent Love, Aug 14)

We weren't drawn to roots music for the quality of the videos. But it doesn't hurt when an artist gets it right. This second single from Cook's August full length is colorful, clever, and fun. While the song cribs a bit from K-Ci & JoJo, there are only so many notes to go around. It's among our favorites for the year, with a phenomenal chorus: Turns out hurricanes are great television / Turns out all the things in my head are a prison / I just want a friend I can stand to do my time with ...

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Nicole Atkins, "When the Night Falls" Drama  (Sun, Sep 18)

The first single from the super-talented Atkins' new project certainly reenforces the record's title. With a deprecating sense of self a'la Jenny Lewis and a nearly unrivaled pop ear. she is destined for the stage and/or screen. Something we've never said about Rodney Crowell. 

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Jayhawks, "Keeping Our Heads Above Water" Sanctuary Park  (SHAM, Aug 28)

We harbor quite a few unpopular opinions. F'rinstance, Jayhawks were at their best during the early oughts, between the release of Smile and Rainy Day Music. We've previewed their new album and find it similar, with Gary Louris and friends leaning into their roots-pop pocket. Plus, we were getting pretty tired of those colorful and engaging videos.

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Brennan Wedl, "Pretty Little Fantasy" Brennan Wedl  (Anti, Aug 21)

Rodney Crowell never had a foil tent like these ladies. With help from Waxahatchee and Brad Cook, who can blame them for having so much fun. Pre-released singles from her major label debut have focused more on Wedl's country-ish blush, but we've never been put off by noisy guitars or smeared mascara. 

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Wild Pink, "Box Store" Still Coming Down  (Fire Talk, Aug 21)

This one's for anyone who felt those other videos were too well lit, or didn't contain any references to character actor William Fichtner. Let's be honest, though. As great as the guitars and piano are here, Wild Pink's new song really isn't about anything. That's why the only money they spent was probably on bandages and Chinese take-out. 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (June 25, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

June 25, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

^ The Jayhawks are celebrating forty (40!) years of good work with a worldwide tour and a new record. Americana UK spills the tea about August 28th's Sanctuary Park. 

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Haylie Davis joins Bluegrass Situation for a talk about her Northern California influences, the Gipsy Kings helping her through a breakup, and her new Wandering Star project. 

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If this Old 97s thing doesn't work out, Rhett Miller has a recurring podcast called Wheels Off. He recently spoke with Aaron Lee Tasjan in advance of his record Get Over It Underdog. 

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Couple weeks ago we caught wind of a fine new album from an outfit called i26connector  The podcast Obscurity Knocks recently spoke to member Caelan Burris on why Asheville, North Carolina is so hot right now. Both in terms of weather and the sort of alt.country we enjoy here. 

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Tomorrow (Friday) marks the release of the new American Aquarium collection. Live From the Lobby features BJ Barham as he plays three (3) songs from New Ways To Lose, and pulls back the curtain on what to expect. 

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No spoilers here, but Elizabeth Cook has just released one of our favorite songs of the year. American Songwriter debuts "Sunset Promenade", and checks in with the songwriter about the story behind the story. 

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As we mentioned in our recent appreciation of his Sun Of Amen record, Alex Amen's new collection features some decidedly dated production and arrangement. Relix features a live set from the New York songwriter that demonstrates how he sounds without that studio magic. The set also features three guys with mustaches straight from the 70s. 

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This year's Americanafest happens September 15-19 in Nashville. While we're by no means mainstreamers, the lineup of performers is undeniable, and it's growing by the day. 

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Your week isn't complete without a visit to A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our perpetual release calendar, updated at regular intervals. This week's adds include Wayward (Big Loud Texas), the July 16 record from Waylon Payne (whose 2020 record held a coveted spot on our end-of-year favorites list). Lee Bains documents the phenomenon that was his Old Time Folks tour with Free South 2025 (Don Giovanni, Aug 7). Roots-pop phenom Brennan Wedl has finally announced an August 21 shelf date for her self-titled collection, which features production from Katie Crutchfield and Brad Cook. Part-time Deslonde Riley Downing will be the next artist to debut with Oh Boy Records. His Landfill Poetry will show up on August 28. Finally, producer/musician/songwriter Lawrence Rothman has set aside some me-time for another solo effort. Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust boasts contributions from Katie Pruitt, Jason Isbell, and many more. 

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