ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
January 17, 2025
Scott Foley, still purveying dust
We're exceptionally happy to be back in the mode of having to make decisions on what to keep and what to cut with regard to new music. As we'll see on Sunday's Spotify ROUTES-cast, the past seven days have brought us a terrific torrent of the stuff. For today, we'll just showcase the five (5) songs we enjoyed more than the others.
WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!
Tobacco City, "Autumn" Horses (Scissor Tail, Mar 7)
Chicago duo Chris Coleslaw and Lexi Goddard are planning a March 7 release for their second album, Horses. Per Mr Coleslaw: Autumn is about the hilarious pains of growing up in a shitty small town. Hilarious pains aside, we appreciate the tune's sardonic humor and generous pedal steel, along with the duo's classic harmonies.
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Benjamin Booker, "Slow Dance in a Gay Bar" Lower (Fire Next Time, Jan 24)
Benjamin Booker recorded his new album with indie rap producer Kenny Segal, adding an unexpected contemporary slant to the songwriter's punk-blues. The accompanying video features Booker at the wheel of a van driving through New Orleans' French Quarter (of course, shot prior to the recent attack).
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Jason Isbell, "Bury Me" Foxes in the Snow (Southeastern, Mar 7)
At his present level of popularity, there was some concern that Isbell had possibly worked himself into a corner with regard to his next artistic step. We're pleased to hear that Foxes will be a genuine solo project, featuring just the songwriter and his mahogany 1940 Martin 0-17 guitar. He writes: Still got so much to learn / Still feel alive / One lonely girl is all I need / To tie me to this world.
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Low Gap, "If a Song Could Change Your Mind (ft Brendan Walter)" single (Cloverdale, Jan 10)
We still enjoy pretending we're an americana blog, so it's nice to include stuff like this that toes the genre line. We're new to the music of young brothers Gus and Phin Johnson, but this simple ramble delivers a sweet appeal: If a song could change your mind / I'd write one better than John Prine.
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Pug Johnson, "Believer" El Cabron (Break Maiden, Mar 28)
The video for "Believer" features Pug Johnson as a ladies man. The artist says of the song, which actually co-stars his wife Mindy: On our first date I just kind of laid out everything that was wrong with me. I was like 'I've got a cocaine problem, and I've been trying to fix it.' I think I asked her for a couple weeks to dry out. And I let her know I wanted to date her. Today they are married, and she serves as his manager.
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