ROUTES & BRANCHES

September 24, 2011

Scott Foley

Fort Collins band Mosey West won a contest thrown by Marquee Magazine earlier in the year.  Their prize awarded them the privilege of free studio time in Boulder to record their debut CD.   Apparently, the lack of pressure gave the trio the luxury to focus on their music.  The resulting EP, Vaca Money, is refreshingly unadorned alt.country. 


 ... and speaking of unadorned, the second best thing to hail from Milwaukee this year (go Brewers (said the disgruntled Mariners fan)), R Mutt has been together longer than I've been programmer R&B.  Their bar-ready country rock is new to me, however. 


Finally, Cowboy Junkies may have a hard time topping their Vic Chesnutt tribute album Demons, but the first cut from their third album in a year certainly sounds promising.  The band has promised music from this collection will be "nasty" and "dirty", bringing to the fore the bluesy psychedelic explorations more familiar to CJ concertgoers than fans of their CDs. 


* Jayhawks, "Pouring Rain At Dawn"  Mockingbird Time  (Rounder, 11)
* Matt the Electrician, "Faithfully"  Animal Boy  (Self, 09)
* Wood Brothers, "Mary Anna"  Smoke Ring Halo  (Self, 11)
* Zoe Muth, "I've Been Gone"  Starlight Hotel  (Signature Sounds, 11)
* Whiskey Bottles, "Love Is Never Easy"  Ain't No Crime  (Self, 10)
* Ry Cooder, "If There's a God"  Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down  (Nonesuch, 11)
* Gourds, "Eyes Of a Child"  Old Mad Joy  (Vanguard, 11)
* Whitehorse, "I'm On Fire"  Whitehorse  (Six Shooter, 11)
* Jim White, "Town Called Amen"  Transnormal Skiperoo  (Luaka Bop, 07)
* Blitzen Trapper, "American Goldwing"  American Goldwing  (Sub Pop, 11)
* HalleyAnna, "Peace Is Lonely Love Is War"  Country  (Cheatham St, 11)
* Cowboy Junkies, "Sing In My Meadow"  Sing In My Meadow  (Razor & Tie, 11)
* Dead Man Winter, "House Of Glory"  Bright Lights  (Banjodad, 11)
* Old Crow Medicine Show, "Methamphetamine"  Tennessee Pusher  (Nettwerk, 08)
* John Prine, "Souvenirs (demo)"  Singing Mailman Delivers  (Oh Boy, 11)
* Blind Pilot, "Keep You Right"  We Are the Tide  (Expunged, 11)
^ Mosey West, "Cold Prediction"  Vaca Money  (Self, 11)
* Band of Heathens, "Gris Gris Satchel"  Top Hat Crown  (BoH, 11)
* Lydia Loveless, "Steve Earle"  Indestructible Machine  (Bloodshot, 11)
* Tim Barry, "Bozeman"  28th & Stonewall  (Suburban Home, 10)
* Robert Earl Keen, "Play a Train Song"  Ready For Confetti  (Lost Hwy, 11)
* R Mutt, "Beautiful Bad Day"  Leash On Life  (Self, 11)
* Nick Lowe, "Somebody Cares For Me"  Old Magic  (Yep Roc, 11)
* Brigitte DeMeyer, "This Fix I'm In"  Rose of Jericho  (Self, 11)
* Megafaun, "Resurrection"  Megafaun  (Self, 11)
* Kenny Vaughan, "Lillie Mae"  Kenny Vaughan  (Sugar Hill, 11)
* Reckless Kelly, "New Moon Over Nashville"  Good Luck & True Love  (No Big Deal, 11)