ROUTES-cast October 12, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 12, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

ROUTES-cast October 12, 2025

^ Ladybird, "Clementine" Clementine  (Dangit, 25)

- Dogwood Tales, "Electric Lines" single  (Cloverdale, 25)  D

- Rhett Miller, "All Over Again" a lifetime of riding by night  (ATO, 25)

- Cory Branan, "Steppin' Outside (ft Tyler Childers)" single  (Blue Elan, 25)  D

- Sammy Brue, "Lord I'm Ready Now" The Journals  (Bloodshot, Jan 23)  D

- Lukas Nelson & Sierra Ferrell, "Unknown Legend" single  (Sony, 25)  D

- Daniel Donato, "Another Dimension (ft Elle King)" single  (Retrace, 25)  D

- Benjamin Tod, "Kentucky Coal (ft Matt Heckler)" single  (Tod, 25)  D

- Jonny Fritz, "Slow Down" Debbie Downers  (Gar Hole, Oct 24)

- Melissa Carper & Theo Lawrence, "Dat Ain't Right" single  (Warner, 25)

- Mountain Goats, "Cold at Night" Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan  (Cadmean Dawn, Nov 7)

- Hannah Frances, "Falling From and Further" Nested in Tangles  (Fire Talk, 25)

- The Dears, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" Life is Beautiful  (Next Door, No 7)

- Whitney, "Damage" Small Talk  (Whitney, Nov 7)

- Autumn Defense, "Hearts Arrive" Here and Nowhere  (Yep Roc, 25)

- David Huckfelt, "Anything" single  (Don Giovanni, 25)  D

- Great Lake Swimmers, "Running Out of Time" Caught Light  (Harbour Songs, 25)

- Katie Pruitt, "Get It Over With" Pleasantville Sessions EP  (Rounder, 25)  D

- Langhorne Slim, "Haunted Man" Dreamin' Kind  (Dualtone, Jan 16)  D

- Al Nicol, "You and Me (ft Erin Rae)" Only Hoping  (Nicol, 25)

- Lucius, "Thick as Thieves" Thick as Thieves EP  (Fantasy, 25)  D

- Pearl Charles, "Birthday" single  (Taurus Rising, 25)  D

- Paul Burch, "Close to Love" Cry Love  (Glider, 25)

- St Paul & Broken Bones, "Seagulls" St Paul & Broken Bones  (Oasis Pizza, 25)

- Jeb Loy Nichols, "No Rest Without Love" This House is Empty Without You  (Timmion, Nov 7)

- Robert Finley, "Can't Take Away My Joy" Halleluah Don't Let the Devil Fool Ya  (Easy Eye, 25)

- Amythyst Kiah, "Goin' Away Party" It's All Her Fault: Tribute to Cindy Walker  (Hummin'bird, 25)

- Jake Xerxes Fussell & James Elkington, "Glow in the Dark" Rebuilding  (Fat Possum, Nov 14)

- Hem, "Half Acre (Remastered)" Rabbit Songs (25th Anniversary Edition)  (HEM, Nov 28)  D

- Muireann Bradley, "Clay Pigeons" Rose Dogs EP  (Decca, Nov 7)  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:

ROUTES-cast October 5, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 5, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

ROUTES-cast October 5, 2025

^ Caitlin Canty, "High On a Lie"  Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove  (Canty, 25)

- Clover County, "Anywhere" Finer Things  (Undercover Lover, 25)

- Molly Parden, "Another Friend" Semi Permanent EP  (Parden, 25)

- Hanging Stars, "Sister of the Sun" single  (Loose, 25)  D

- Nicki Bluhm, "Bay Laurel Leaves" Rancho Deluxe  (Bluhm, 25)

- Red Clay Strays, "People Hatin'" single  (RCA, 25)  D

- Sophie Gault, "Pocket Change (ft Mando Saenz)" Unhinged  (Torrez, Jan 23)  D

- Ole 60, "Smokestack Town" Smokestack Town  (Three Twenty Four, 25)

- Ward Davis, "Wouldn't Wanna Be Me Right Now" single  (MNRK, 25)  D

- Greensky Bluegrass, "In Control (ft Lindsay Lou)" XXV  (Big Blue Zoo, Oct 31)

- Micah P Hinson, "Walls" Tomorrow Man  (Ponderosa, Oct 31)

- Melissa Carper & Theo Lawrence, "All Fifty States" single  (Warner, 25)  D

- Luke Bell, "Roofer's Blues" The King is Back  (All Blue, Nov 7)

- Brennen Leigh, "Reason to Drink" Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  (Signature Sounds, 25)

- X-Rated Cowboys, "AM Gold" Hang 'em High  (X-Rated, 25)  D

- Al Nicol, "Only Hoping (ft Hiss Golden Messenger)" Only Hoping  (Nicol, 25)  D

- Deep Dark Woods, "Golden Petals" Circle Remains  (Victory Pool, 25)

- Amanda Shires, "Strange Dreams" Nobody's Girl  (ATO, 25)

- Cordovas, "Higher Every Time" Back to Life  (Yep Roc, Jan 30)  D

- Cataldo, "Clutch" Two Way Mirror  (FIIJDIM, Oct 10)

- Julianna Riolino, "Like a Rembrandt" Echo in the Dust  (MoonWhistle, Oct 24)

- Mavis Staples, "Sad and Beautiful World" Sad and Beautiful World  (Anti, Nov 7)

- Neko Case, "Match-Lit" Neon Grey Midnight Green  (Anti, 25)

- Jeff Tweedy, "Forever Never Ends" Twilight Override  (dBpm, 25)

- Michael Nau, "Hallway Overtone" single  (Colemine, 25)  D

- Benjamin Booker, "A Place For You" Passages: Artists in Solidarity With Immigrants  (Western Vinyl, Dec 5)  D

- Weirs, "Lord Randall" Diamond Grove  (Dear Life, 25)

- S Carey, "Daylight" Watercress EP  (Jagjaguwar, 25)

- Alan Sparhawk, "No More Darkness" Passages: Artists in Solidarity With Immigrants (Western Vinyl, Dec 5)

- Jesse Sykes & Sweet Hereafter, "Dead End Pools" Forever I've Been Being Born  (Southern Lord, Nov 28)

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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:

ROUTES-cast September 28, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

September 28, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We're juggling new stuff this Episode from Clover County, Neko Case, Amanda Shires, Jeff Tweedy, and so many many more. While we'd sincerely recommend making time for each and every one of those ... 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

The New York quartet Geese begin their third proper record with a curveball. "Trinidad" lurches forward on blurts of noise and a chorus featuring the  unhinged message: There's a bomb in my car!! Getting Killed (Partisan) follows 2023's 3D Country and last year's holiday surprise from frontman Cameron Winter, Heavy Metal. The new project finds its identity in Winter's baritone, careening between a soulful croon and a near-breakdown holler, alternately beautiful and unsettling. Credit is also due to Geese's percussionist, Max Bassin, who carves deep grooves and raises unholy rackets on the title track and the manic "Islands of Men". Getting Killed builds like Captain Beefheart fronted by Father John Misty, maybe with a touch of the Strokes' early brattiness. While the noise will generate headlines, songs like "Cobra" and "Taxes" lend the collection depth and soul that suggest Winter is more than a troubled novelty. In our neverending quest for that spot where different meets good, Geese ride on instantly appealing grooves, and can be a more engaging experience than rumors of skronky sax and Ukranian choral samples might suggest. 

ROUTES-cast September 28, 2025

^ Geese, "Cobra" Getting Killed  (Partisan, 25)

- Jeff Tweedy, "Western Clear Skies" Twilight Override  (dBpm, 25)

- Neko Case, "Rusty Mountain" Neon Grey Midnight Green  (Anti, 25)

- Bright Eyes, "Victory City" Kids Table EP  (Dead Oceans, 25)

- Thomas Dollbaum, "Warlock's House" Drive All Night EP  (Dear Life, 25)

- Elizabeth Moen, "Love Takes Miles" single  (Moen, 25)  D

- Boy Golden, "Suffer" Best of Our Possible Lives  (Six Shooter, Feb 13)  D

- Louisa Stancioff, "Look at Miss Ohio" single  (Yep Roc, 25)  D

- Amanda Shires, "Lately" Nobody's Girl  (ATO, 25)

- Droptines, "Calling All Cars" single  (Mercury, 25)  D

- Ladybird, "Famous Band" Clementine  (Dangit, Oct 10)  D

- Ratboys, "Light Night Mountain All That" single  (New West, 25)  D

- Van Plating, "Keep Your Soul (ft Isaac Hoskins)" single  (Singular, 25)

- Whiskey Myers, "Rowdy Days" Whomp Whack Thunder  (Wiggy Thump, 25)

- Ava Hall, "What About Yours" single  (JAVA, 25)  D

- Colter Wall, "1800 Miles" Memories and Empties  (La Honda, Nov 14)  D

- Ryan Bingham, "Lucky Ones (ft Texas Gentlemen)" single  (Bingham, 25)  D

- Luke Bell, "Black Crows" King is Back  (All Blue, Nov 7)

- Clover County, "Sweeter" Finer Things  (Undercover Lover, 25)

- Todd Snider, "High Lonesome and Then Some" High Lonesome and Then Some  (Aimless, Oct 17)

- Joshua Hedley, "All Hat (No Cattle)" All Hat  (New West, Oct 24)

- Jeremy Pinnell, "Too Much Sugar" Decades  (Sofaburn, Oct 31)  D

- Alexa Rose, "Anywhere, OH" Atmosphere  (First City, Oct 31)

- Cale Tyson, "Out Dancing Again" single  (Tyson, 25)  D

- Molly Parden, "Burnin" Semi Permanent EP  (Parden, 25)  D

- Jr Thomas, "Temptations" In the Eraserhood  (Deep Matter, 25)

- Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo, "Demon Time" In the Earth Again  (Computer Students, Oct 31)

- Parts Work, "Trenton" Parts Work EP  (Pintail Rendezvous, Oct 24)  D

- Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co, "Wooden Heart" single  (Keeled Scales, 25)

- Jake Xerxes Fussell & James Elkington, "Contemplating the Moon" Rebuilding  (Fat Possum, Nov 14)  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:

ROUTES-cast September 21, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

September 21, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

It's tempting to showcase new albums from some of our recurring favorites for this Episode. Otis Gibbs' old reliable folk-blues, John Calvin Abney's polished songcraft, and Joan Shelley's warm, familiar rural fabric. Karly Hartzman and Wednesday are making great waves with their increasingly accomplished, sharp-edged rural squall. That said ...

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Birmingham's Janet Simpson has been in no hurry to offer a follow-up to 2021's memorable Safe Distance. A supporting musician for acts like Delicate Cutters, Wooden Wand, and Timber (with Will Stewart), she carries elements of punk and pop into her solo stuff. We called that solo debut vulnerable and even unrefined, and while Can I See You Tonight (Cornelius Chapel) retains a terrifically off-the-cuff spirit, the sessions and songs seem bolder and increasingly confident. "Porch" and "Tonight" are breezy and sweet, and Simpson leans into her pop persona on the bluesier "Sunday's Girl". Can I See You truly launches on guitar-forward cuts like "Too Close to the Fire", the artist sharing fiery electric bursts with Stewart. Janet Simpson splits the balance between SG Goodman's angular folk and Rosali Middleman's guitar-driven Carolina rural rock, gathered with the patient slow burn of Lucinda Williams. 

ROUTES-cast September 21, 2025

^ Janet Simpson, "Porch" Can I See You Tonight  (Cornelius Chapel, 25)

- Red River Dialect, "Again Again" single  (Hinterground, 25)  D

- Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, "Meet Me Anywhere (ft Ethel Cain)" Mossy Oak Shadow  (Run for Cover, 25)

- Joan Shelley, "Here in the High and Low" Real Warmth  (No Quarter, 25)

- Autumn Defense, "I'll Take You Out of Your Mind" Here and Nowhere  (Yep Roc, Oct 10)

- Jack Schneider, "Stone's Throw Away" Streets of September  (Jeffers, 25)

- Nicholas Jamerson, "Days Like These" Narrow Way  (Cloverdale, 25)  D

- Mariel Buckley, "Nashville Now" Strange Trip Ahead  (Birthday Cake, Oct 17)

- Otis Gibbs, "Maybe in Memphis" Trust of Crows  (Wanamaker, 25)

- Briscoe, "Arizona Shining" Heat of July  (ATO, 25)

- Courtney Marie Andrews, "Cons and Clowns" single  (Loose Future, 25)  D

- John Calvin Abney, "Prayers and Pollen" Transparent Towns  (Well Kept Secret, 25)

- Joelton Mayfield, "The Shore" Crowd Pleaser  (Bloodshot, Oct 24)

- Avett Brothers w/Mike Patton, "Eternal Love" AVTT/PTTN  (Ramseur, Nov 14)  D

- Joe Kaplow, "Homestead Gold" single  (Sonder House, 25)  D

- Bones Owens, "Silver Spoon Blues" Best Western  (Black Ranch, 25)

- Paul Burch, "Cry Love" Cry Love  (Glider, Oct 10)

- Chris Lyons, "It's Come Over Me" Painter's Street  (Nudie, Oct 24)

- Bobby Dove, "Not Much of an Outlaw" single  (Dove, 25)  D

- LC Franke & Silverada, "Young in Love" Prisoner EP  (Side Hustle, Sep 23)

- Nick Shoulders, "Bored Fightin'" Refugia Blues  (Gar Hole, Oct 31)

- Kelly Willis, "I Don't Care" It's All Her Fault: Tribute to Cindy Walker  (Hummin'bird, Oct 10)  D

- Pink Stones, "Hometown Hotel" Thank the Lord ... It's the Pink Stones  (Normaltown, 25)

- Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co, "Twenty Cycles to the Ground" single  (Keeled Scales, 25)

- Wednesday, "Phish Pepsi" Bleeds  (Dead Oceans, 25)

- Gunshy, "Buzzer Beater" single  (Sleep, 25)  D

- Woods, "Goodnight" single  (Woodsist, 25)  D

- Weirs, "Everlasting" Diamond Grove  (Dear Life, Oct 3)

- Shovels & Rope, "Blue Bayou (ft Al Olender)" single  (Dualtone, 25)  D

- Third Mind, "Creator Has a Master Plan" Right Now!  (Yep Roc, 25)

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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:

ROUTES-cast September 14, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

September 14, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Do we feature two (2) covers of Jackson Browne's "These Days" on this week's Episode? Yes. Yes, we do. We could've features three (3), if we had selected Margaret Glaspy's rendition with James Bay. This trio of tributes were all released in the past week, not unlike when you accidentally wear the same outfit as two of your coworkers. 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Scott Ballew likely shares an appreciation for Jackson Browne's song, but has chosen not to cover it for his fourth full-length collection, Paradiso. We heaped praise upon the singer-songwriter-filmmaker's Rio Bravo in 2024, lifting it onto our ten favorites for the year. As we mentioned in that review, Ballew the filmmaker has created a documentary on fellow outsider artist Terry Allen, whose sprawling and poetic vision seems to inspire Paradiso. From the soulful piano and throwback backing vocals of "Hey Baby" to the ambitious "Last Viking in Sweden", there is a fullness and confidence to these new songs that were hinted at on Ballew's earlier work. Like The Band, Ballew and producer Rob Barbato color the sessions with organ, churchly backing vocals, and an admirable looseness that prevent the record from succumbing to its own ambition. The duo is joined for the New Orleans recordings by frequent collaborators Michael Nau, Mat Davidson, and Sam Doores. Scott Ballew remains beneath the popular radar of our kind of music, true to his outsider status. 

ROUTES-cast September 14, 2025

^ Scott Ballew, "Missed Connection (ft Sam Doores)"  Paradiso  (Leisure Rodeo, 25)

- Nude Party, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" Look Who's Back  (Nude Party, Feb 13)

- Far West, "See for Yourself" Everything We Though We Wanted  (Blackbird, Sep 26)

- Michaela Anne, "If Your Body Fails You" single  (Georgia June, 25)  D

- Dillon Warnek, "Bad Accordion" As the Neighbors Tried to Sleep  (Warnek, 25)

- Loose Cattle, "Unholy Rollers" Unholy Rollers EP  (Well Kept Secret, 25)  D

- Joshua Ray Walker, "Telephone" Stuff  (East Dallas, Oct 14)

- Lori McKenna, "Tied to You (ft Medium Build)" single  (CN, 25)  D

- Rhett Miller, "All for You" A lifetime of riding by night  (ATO, Oct 10)

- Micah P Hinson, "One Day I Will Get My Revenge" Tomorrow Man  (Ponderosa, Oct 31)

- Katie Pruitt, "Time Wasn't Wasted (ft Jess Nolan)" single  (Rounder, 25)  D

- Low Gap, "Someone to Call Home" single  (Cloverdale, 25)  D

- Greensky Bluegrass, "Windshield (ft Holly Bowling)" XXV  (Big Blue Zoo, Oct 31)

- Jonny Fritz, "Hot Chicken Condos" Debbie Downers  (Gar Hole, Oct 24)

- Emily Hines, "These Days" single  (Keeled Scales, 25)  D

- Ruston Kelly, "Twisted Root" Pale Through the Window  (Rounder, 25)

- Carson McHone, "The Canvas" Pentimento  (Merge, 25)

- Fruit Bats, "Building a Cathedral"  Baby Man  (Merge, 25)

- Great Lake Swimmers, "Youth Not Wasted" Caught Light  (Harbour Songs, Oct 10)

- Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell, "Ketchum, ID"  Making Good Time EP  (Black Cricket, 25)

- Jeb Loy Nichols, "Good Morning Monday" This House is Empty Without You  (Timmion, Nov 7)

- St Paul & the Broken Bones, "Sitting in the Corner" St Paul & the Broken Bones  (Oasis Pizza, Oct 10)

- Margaret Glaspy, "Fruits of My Labor (ft Julian Lage)" Golden Heart Protector EP  (ATO, 25)

- Mountain Goats, "Armies of the Lord" Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan  (Cadmean Dawn, Nov 7)  D

- Whitney, "Back to the Wind" Small Talk  (Whitney, Nov 7)

- Dove Ellis, "To the Sandals" single  (AMF, 25)  D

- Andrew Bird, "Blood"  Mysterious Production of Eggs (20th Anniversary)  (Wegawam, Feb 27)  D

- Muireann Bradley, "These Days" single  (Verve, 25)  D

- Jeff Tweedy, "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" Twilight Override  (dBpm, Sep o26)

- Alice Phoebe Lou, "Darling" Oblivion  (Nettwerk, Oct 24)  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:

ROUTES-cast September 7, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

September 7, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

On 2022's Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Big Thief featured "Spud Infinity", a twang-infused ramble with scratchy fiddle, mouth harp, and lyrics that bounced between corny and expansively wise. For better or worse, there is nothing like "Spud" on the trio's Double Infinity, their sixth full-length and first project without former bassist Max Oleartchik. Singer-lyricist Adrianne Lenker continues to write with one foot beneath the warm covers and the other bounding from one celestial body to the next, linking the sensual and the immediate with the universal. Where Dragon occasionally opted for that folky campfire acoustic vibe, Big Thief's new songs spiral through sonic space like the message of hippie astronauts. We're invited into their intimate circle in the midst of an extended jam, sounds more electric and deliberate than on Dragon, but no less loose or intuitive. Lenker is a wonder and a throwback, one of our genuine lyrical poets whose artistic explorations sound like no one else. 

ROUTES-cast September 7, 2025

^ Big Thief, "Words" Double Infinity  (4AD, 25)

- Friendship, "Hard to Love a Man" I Will Swim to You: Tribute to Jason Molina  (Run for Cover, 25)

- Wild Pink, "Fences of Stonehenge (ft John Moreland)" Dulling the Horns (Deluxe Edition)  (Fire Talk, Oct 3)  D

- Spoon, "Guess I'm Falling in Love" single  (Matador, 25)

- Julie Doiron, "Cryin' Kind" single  (Numero, 25)  D

- Steve Gunn, "Nearly There" Daylight Daylight  (No Quarter, Nov 7)  D

- Jack Schneider, "Crying in the Rain" Streets of September  (Jeffers, Sep 19)

- Caleb Elliott, "Slow Burn" single  (Single Lock, 25)

- Chris Lyons, "Talking Blues" Painter's Street  (Nudie, Oct 24)  D

- Son of the Velvet Rat, "White Patch of Canvas" single  (Rat Music, 25)

- Marfa, "American Lonely" single  (Ascend, 25)

- Sophie Gault, "Stowaway" single  (Torrez, 25)  D

- Grant-Lee Phillips, "Did You Make it Through the Night Okay" In the Hour of Dust  (Yep Roc, 25)

- Fruition, "I Dare You" single  (Fruition, 25)  D

- Joshua Hedley, "Boogie Woogie Tennessee" All Hat  (New West, Oct 24)

- Brit Taylor, "All for Sale" single  (Cut A Shine, 25)  D

- Robbie Fulks, "There's a Man" Now Then  (Compass, 25) 

- Brennen Leigh, "Tell Me" Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  (Signature Sounds, Oct 3)

- Paul Burch, "One if By Land" Cry Love  (Glider, Oct 10)  D

- Nicki Bluhm, "Tumbleweed" Rancho Deluxe  (Bluhm, Oct 3)

- LC Franke & Silverada, "Say Yes to Heaven" Prisoner EP  (Side Hustle, Sep 23)

- Luke Bell, "The King is Back" The King is Back  (All Blue, Nov 7)  D

- Clover County, "Whiskey Cherry" Finer Things  (Undercover Lover, Sep 26)

- Jr Thomas, "Life of the Party" Jr Thomas in the Eraserhood  (DeepMatter, Sep 26)

- Rosie Flores & Talismen, "Lines" Impossible Frontiers  (Mule Kick, Sep 26)  D

- Marcus King, "Heartlands" Darling Blue  (American, Sep 26)

- Todd Snider, "While We Still Have a Chance" High Lonesome and Then Some  (Aimless, Oct 17)  D

- Anna Tivel, "Airplane to Nowhere" Animal Poems  (Fluff & Gravy, 15)

- Janet Simpson, "Too Close to the Fire" Can I See You Tonight  (Cornelius Chapel, Sep 19)

- Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, "Gentle Chaperone" Forever I've Been Being Born  (Southern Lord, Nov 28)  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:

ROUTES-cast August 31, 2025

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

August 31, 2025

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We think the byline of this site, the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music, is plenty. We've used it since The Radio Days, way back before the beginning of the blog. On the other hand, the byline also fails to encompass all we embrace here at R&B HQ. While we continue to feature the americana from which we spawned seventeen-ish years ago, genres are restricting by definition. The official party line has shifted here and there to accommodate changes in our kind of music, but mainstream americana atrophies over time. Current releases from artists who once landed on our year-end favorites list now might seem tired and lacking creativity. Or maybe we're just restless. 

Anyhow, this week's full releases include a satisfying indie-roots release from Foot Ox, another draught of soul-infused folk from Floating Action, the return of the reliable Moviola, and welcome projects from frequent end-of-year favorites Margo Price and Anna Tivel. Nevertheless:

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

We're pleased to announce that, five albums deep into her career, Caroline Spence hasn't fallen into that aforementioned americana rut. Heart Go Wild, like 2019's excellent Mint Condition, doesn't deliver by pushing boundaries and flouting tradition. The epitome of a Nashville songwriter, Spence simply pens great country-folk songs and honors them with tastefully polished arrangements. Like Patty Griffin or Lori McKenna, she can be whisper-soft and vulnerable. Caroline Spence also wields an almost peerless ear for pop melodicism on songs like "Soft Animal" and "Effortless". She doesn't flirt with the edges of our kind of music, but she is the sort of just-under-the-radar gift that kindles our flickering hope in americana. 

ROUTES-cast August 31, 2025

^ Caroline Spence, "Where the Light Gets Through" Heart Go Wild  (Spence, 25)  

- Amanda Shires, "Piece of Mind" Nobody's Girl  (ATO, Sep 26)

- Rodney Crowell, "Louisiana Sunshine Feeling Okay (ft Larkin Poe)" Airline Highway  (New West, 25)

- Joan Shelley, "The Orchard" Real Warmth  (No Quarter, Sep 19)

- Anna Tivel, "Paradise" Animal Poems  (Fluff & Gravy, 25)

- Brothers Comatose, "Blue Mountain" Golden Grass  (Swamp Jam, Sep 12)

- Kolton Moore & Clever Few, "Brave the Weather" A Place That I Call Home  (Motion & Thought, Sep 26)

- Silverada, "Measure of a Man" Texas 42  (Prairie Rose, 25)

- Margo Price, "Love Me Like You Used To Do (ft Tyler Childers)" Hard Headed Woman  (Loma Vista, 25)

- Van Plating, "Song of Everything (ft Heather Little)" single  (Singular, 25)  D

- Brent Cobb, "Power Man (ft Cody Cannon, Whiskey Myers)" single  (Ol' Buddy, 25)  D

- S Carey, "Watercress" Watercress EP  (Jagjaguwar, Oct 3)  D

- Dean Johnson, "Perfect Stranger" I Hope We Can Still Be Friends  (Saddle Creek, 25)

- Tommy Prine, "Caught in the Wake" Love Circle EP  (Nameless Knight, 25)

- Case Oats, "Wishing Stone" Last Missouri Exit  (Merge, 25)

- Thomas Dollbaum, "Angus Valley" Drive All Night EP  (Dear Life, Sep 26)  D

- Scott Ballew, "One Trick Pony" Paradiso  (Leisure Rodeo, Sep 12)

- Moviola, "Hillbilly Effigy" Earthbound  (Dromedary, 25)

- Julianna Riolino, "Full Moon (ft Weird Nightmare)" Echo in the Dust  (MoonWhistle, Oct 24)

- Foot Ox, "Go With" A Lighthouse With Silver Dog Eyes  (Ernest Jenning, 25)

- Alabama Shakes, "Another Life" single  (Island, 25)  D

- Spoon, "Chateau Blues" single  (Matador, 25)  D

- Geese, "100 Horses" Getting Killed  (Partisan, Sep 26)

- Geckos, "Lo Hice" Geckos  (Geckos, Sep 26)

- Savannah Conley, "Love You Mean It" Love You Mean It EP  (Conley, Oct 24)  D

- Bright Eyes, "Dyslexic Palindrome (ft Hurray for the Riff Raff)" Kids Table EP  (Dead Oceans, Sep 26)  D

- Boo Boos, "Toughest Bitch I Know" Young Love  (Play it Again Sam, Sep 19)

- Floating Action, "History's Saddest Loadout" A Hand Carved Garden Tool  (Airloom, 25)

- Mavis Staples, "Beautiful Strangers" Sad and Beautiful World  (Anti, Nov 7)

- Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo, "Radioactive Dreams" In the Earth Again  (Computer Students, Oct 31)  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: