KATiE PRUiTT - MANTRAS

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

April 14, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Exactly a month ago, Kacey Musgraves released Deeper Well, her fifth album following on the heels of 2021's star crossed. It's not our thing to spend digital ink telling folks what to avoid. Nevertheless, we didn't love that new collection, and didn't represent it too deeply in our Spotify ROUTES-casts. We found Deeper Well a bit shallow, the songs hollow and at times indulgent. It's by no means a terrible record, but we're still waiting for the appropriate follow-up to Golden Hour. 

Katie Pruitt isn't Kacey Musgraves. More grounded and prone to greater introspection, her superb 2019 debut addressed issues of identity and expectations, coming of age as a queer woman in the conservative South. Pruitt's new project, Mantras is the record Musgraves should have made. Pruitt wrote of Expectations' title cut: There is wisdom in not knowing, there is freedom in spontaneity and there is courage in letting go. Sometimes you just need to climb a mountain, smoke some pot, laugh with your friends, and while you're at it, stop giving so many fucks what people think. 

Mantras begins with a growl and a bang, electric guitars dialed to fuzz on a song that establishes one of the pervasive themes of the collection. "All My Friends" addresses a generation's search for meaning: A new mantra every other week. Pruitt's vocal paints with strong tones, already among the more powerful singers in our kind of music. With a solid pop hook and just enough country, this one actually does sound like the best Kacey Musgraves song that Kacey never recorded. "White Lies, White Jesus and You" slides from a woozy piano to a beat, with bursts of Steve Stevens guitar. Pruitt doesn't blame folks for finding identity where they will: If you say that Jesus gives you peace of mind / That's a good enough reason for me / And if it really helps you get some sleep at night / I'd kill for a little of that peace. 

While it's the emotion de jour for pop songwriters, Katie Pruitt seems to harbor no blame or to point no fault for her generation's short philosophical attention span. Most of Mantras finds the songwriter examining her own choices, especially as she recognizes dynamics that's she's carried forward from her childhood. She pages through a family scrapbook of emotions on "Blood Related": College debt and cigarettes / And all our shared mistakes. "Jealous Of the Boys" paints a picture of a girl experiencing the push-pull between her own identity and the expectations of those around her. Even these midtempo acoustic tracks deploy an electric undercurrent, the buzz of guitars or a digital swoosh beneath the organic strum. "Jealous" highlights Pruitt's ability as a storyteller: I would have a different body if only God gave me the choice. 

Whereas she tagged a lesser known associate to produce her debut, Mantras features Collin Pastore and Jake Finch, most recently celebrated for their work with boygenius. While certain songs bear a country influence, the prevailing spirit leans towards indie folk, with full arrangements and contemporary production. "Self Sabotage" features airy guitars that whip into a stormy chorus, the singer recognizing that she may be her own worst enemy: Gaslit by my mirror ... I'm both villain and victim. On "Worst Case Scenario", Pruitt grants herself the title King of Disaster Prevention, set to the tune of an electric crunch and cracking drums. Mantras suggests a more radio-ready take than Expectations, with tunes showcasing not only Pruitt's vocal range, but the personality and nuance in her delivery as well. 

Katie Pruitt cowrote only a couple songs on her new collection, with the majority boasting only her own name on the credits. As a writer, she leans towards Lori McKenna's domestic sociodrama, or Caroline Spence's projection of the personal into public spaces. Where Kacey Musgraves' new cowrites reach too far inward (or so far upwards) that they threated to disappear, Pruitt's craft anchors her introspection. She regards relationship missteps patiently, and operates from a place of forgiveness, even in light of her own shortcomings. Cowritten with Ruston Kelly, "Standstill" closes Mantras with a wistful acoustic number, with strings and warm fingers across frets. She sings, It's okay to stand still / You don't have to gain the world to say that you're fulfilled. 

Between the return of Coachella and the fact that I mowed my lawn for the first time in 2024, the threat of Summer is certainly in the air. A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster has accordingly begun swelling with the promise of forthcoming music. Timothy Showalter has announced his next Strand Of Oaks project. Set June 7 as the date for Miracle Focus on Western Vinyl. The supergroup trio of Bonny Light Horseman seem to be more than a passing flirtation. Anais Mitchell, Eric D Johnson, and Josh Kaufman expect Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free will be a double album, set for shelves on June 7 courtesy of Jagjaguwar. Felice Brothers' next record will appear via Conor Oberst's new label. Million Stars will release Valley Of Abandoned Songs on June 27. Boy Golden's next full-length was reportedly recorded to cassette tape. Six Shooter Records will share For Eden on July 19. Finally, 49 Winchester announce the follow-up to their 2022 breakthrough. Leavin' This Holler is expected on August 2, thanks to the New West label. 

- Morgan Wade, "Time To Love Time To Kill" Obsessed  (Ladylike, Aug 16)  D

- 49 Winchester, "Yearnin' For You" Leavin' This Holler  (New West, Aug 2)  D

- Nicolette & the Nobodies, "Don't You Dare" Long Way  (ArtHaus, 24)

- Wilder Blue, "I'm Your Man" single  (Hill Country, 24)  D

- Emily Nenni, "Amarillo Highway" Drive & Cry  (New West, May 3)

- Will Hoge, "Deadbolt" Tenderhearted Boys  (Edlo, 24)

- Kyle Kimbrell, "Punk Rock Girl" Easy Truths  (Cornelius Chapel, 24)

- John Moreland, "Ain't Much I Can Do About It" Visitor  (Old Omens, 24)

^ Katie Pruitt, "Standstill" Mantras  (Rounder, 24)

- Sunny War, "Solitary Hero" My Black Country: Songs Of Alice Randall  (Oh Boy, 24)

- Bridget Kearney, "Roman Sunset" Comeback Kid  (Keeled Scales, 24)

- Loose Collars, "Chris" Loose Collars  (Sentimental Noises, Apr 19)

- Arlo McKinley, "Place To Sleep" single  (Oh Boy, 24)  D

- Hour, "Most Gorgeous Day In History" Ease the Work  (Dear Life, 24)

- Trummors, "Long July" 5  (Ernest Jenning, 24)

- Old 97s, "Magic" American Primitive  (ATO, 24)

- Aaron West & Roaring Twenties, "I'm An Albatross" In Lieu Of Flowers  (Hopeless, 24)

- Felice Brothers, "Crime Scene Queen" Valley Of Abandoned Songs  (Million Stars, Jun 27)  D

- Elliott BROOD, "C'mon Let's Go" Country  (Six Shooter, 24)

- Matthew "Doc" Dunn, "Up On the Hillside" Imaginational Anthem XIII: Songs Of Bruce Cockburn  (Tompkins Square, 24)

- James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, "Death Wishes To Kill" All Gist  (Paradise Of Bachelors, 24)

- Aaron Frazer, "Payback" Into the Blue  (Dead Oceans, Jun 28)  D

- Bonny Light Horseman, "I Know You Know" Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free  (Jagjaguwar, Jun 7)  D

- Boy Golden, "Here To Stay" For Eden  (Six Shooter, Jul 19)  D

- Lawrence Rothman, "Dreams Die Hard" Plow That Broke the Plains  (KRO, Apr 26)

- Pernice Brothers, "December In Her Eyes" Who Will You Believe  (New West, 24)

- Madi Diaz, "One Less Question (ft Lennon Stella)" single  (Anti, 24)  D

- Hermanos Gutierrez, "Until We Meet Again" Sonido Cosmico  (Easy Eye, Jun 14)

- Marcus King, "Cadillac" Mood Swings  (American, 24)

- Cedric Burnside, "Toll On They Life" Hill Country Love  (Mascot, 24)

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To enjoy our weekly 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:

PERNiCE BROTHERS - WHO WiLL YOU BELiEVE

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

April 7, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Age can be a tricky thing. The quality that seems admirable and appropriate as a youth can come across as antisocial and cranky as we age. Artistically, we are challenged to evolve or to risk becoming a stale, predictable stereotype, or worse. 

At age 56, Joe Pernice has been making music under one name or another for more than half a lifetime: Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline, New Mendicants, Roger Lion, Pernice Brothers. Each brought its own stylistic emphasis, with the constant being Pernice's own literate, classic pop vision. The songwriter's bio calls it, songs that convey complex ideas via catchy melodies and clever rhymes. Joe Pernice has also been tagged by Allmusic as a witty misanthrope and pop savant. Across eight albums with Pernice Brothers, he has been clever, cynical, melancholy, critically introspective, and acerbic, all the while creating a body of consistently listenable work.

Following a partnership with Sub Pop, the Pernice Brothers were released on their own Ashmont label. Last year, New West Records contacted Joe with a proposal to issue a 25th Anniversary edition of 1998's excellent Overcome By Happiness, establishing a relationship that has resulted in New West hosting the act's eighth project, Who Will You Believe.  While the twelve-track record follows in the tradition of their previous LPs, it's as diverse an assortment of songs as Pernice Brothers have created, in addition to seemingly marking a reorientation of Joe Pernice's perspective as a middle-aged writer. 

Who Will You Believe is not a full-scale parting of the clouds. The title cut launches the record: I fell in love with the possible world / Then I smashed my heart against the stones. With its ringing electric guitar line and reaching chorus vocal, "Who Will You Believe" recalls Gary Louris and the Jayhawks. It's a terrific re-introduction to an act that has been largely absent for too long a time. Serving as producer, Joe Pernice's arrangements are largely uncluttered, granting space for the song to succeed on its own terms. With a bouncy piano and bright horn flourishes, "Look Alive" practices self-effacing gallows humor: You can clip a little off the top, that's fine / But don't rouge my cheeks / I'll never look alive. Pernice's work sounds great with a complement of horns and strings, but the heart of his band remains his brother Bob, Peyton Pinkerton, and Patrick Berkery. 

Who Will You Believe is stylistically varied, recalling 80s Robyn Hitchcock on "Hey Guitar", replete with a racing beat and manic guitar solo: I was king, taken down by a broken string. "Man Of Means" incorporates Revolver-era drums and bass, and a playful chorus: Do it / Did it / Done it / Do-it-did-it-done-it-do-it-did-it-done-it. One of the collection's high points brings back Neko Case, a guest on Pernice Brothers' 2019 Spread the Feeling. Her country-flavored collab with Joe Pernice, "I Don't Need That Anymore", is a course in duet composition. Neko acknowledges, I don't feel the pull of sirens singing anymore, both singers accepting the cooling of their relationship, or at least an evolution from the days when You were neon trouble / All wreck and rubble / Calmest eyes of any hurricane. Elsewhere, "December In Her Eyes" finds Pernice trying his hand at soul, a'la Jeb Loy Nichols with sighing strings and stately horns. 

Joe Pernice is a classic songwriter, a throwback soul whose facility with words and melody hail from a place beyond genre. On Who Will You Believe, this might be most evident to a pair of tracks that portray him in quite a different light. "A Song For Sir Robert Helpmann" is a brief instrumental interlude, a sweet waltz carried on piano and strings like a cinematic theme from a motion picture soundtrack. "Purple Rain" closes the LP on a remarkable note, while addressing the loss of friends and family, including David Berman of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains: Here's a man one heartbeat from a ghost. His fragile voice alongside a simple acoustic strum, soon joined by heart-tugging strings, then low brass. The final minute of the album features the choral ensemble Choir! Choir! Choir! carrying the chorus for a unexpectedly sincere and moving finale. Pernice has commented, it's about the dread of potentially losing intangible things that I thought would always be there.  It comes off as an almost daring risk for Joe Pernice, a heart-on-sleeve moment that succeeds in leaving listeners with the impression that there's much more to hear from this one-time misanthrope. 

Taking a quick look at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, it must first be noted that John Moreland dropped a new collection with no prepub. We begin our trip through Visitor on this week's Episode (Old Omens). One of Our Fair Square State's longest-tenured bands, Slim Cessna's Auto Club are planning a new album. May 31 is the planned date for Kinnery Of Lupercalia: Buell Legion. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore collaborated for a full-length project back in 2018. The legendary duo will release a follow-up on June 21, TexiCali (Yep Roc). It has been about a decade since Beachwood Sparks last shared a full-length collection. They will rectify that with the release of Across the River Of Stars on July 19 (Curation). Blake Christiana and Yarn return to the fold with their first record in eight years. Born Blessed Grateful & Alive (Symphonic) is slated for a July 26 arrival. 

- Ana Egge, "Door Won't Close" Sharing In the Spirit  (StorySound, May 17)

- John Moreland, "Blue Dream Carolina" Visitor  (Old Omens, 24)  D

- Shannon McNally, "Ceremony" single  (Queen Maeve, 24)  D

- Iron & Wine, "Anyone's Game" Light Verse  (Sub Pop, Apr 26)

- Erin Mat & Paul, "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" Jesus + More  (Tableaux, 24)  D

- Avett Brothers, "Country Kid" Avett Brothers  (Ramseur, May 17)

- Angus & Julia Stone, "Losing You" Cape Forestier  (Nettwerk, May 10)

- Phosphorescent, "Fences" Revelator  (Verve, 24)

- Rosali, "My Kind" Bite Down  (Merge, 24)

- Woods, "Day Before Your Night" Five More Flowers EP  (Woodsist, 24)  D

- Old 97s, "Somebody" American Primitive  (ATO, 24)

- Will Kimbrough, "Other Side" For the Life Of Me  (Daphne, May 3)  D

- Kelsey Waldon, "Uncle Pen (ft Amanda Shires)" There's Always a Song  (Oh Boy, May 10)

- Kaia Kater, "In Montreal (ft Allison Russell)" Strange Medicine  (Free Dirt, May 17)

- Swamp Dogg, "Count the Days (ft Jenny Lewis)" Blackgrass: From West Virginia To 125th Street  (Oh Boy, May 31)

- Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, "Dogbane" Revelations  (Abeyance, 24)

- Kyle Kimbrell, "Interstate Living" Easy Truths  (Cornelius Chapel, 24)

- Beachwood Sparks, "Torn In Two" Across the River Of Stars  (Curation, Jul 19)  D

- Dustin Kensrue, "Heart Of Sedona" Desert Dreaming  (Vagrant, 24)

- Katie Pruitt, "Self Sabotage" Mantras  (Rounder, 24)

- Jesse Daniel, "Comin' Apart At the Seams" Countin' the Miles  (Lightning Rod, Jun 7)  D

- Orville Peck, "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other (ft Willie Nelson)" Stampede  (Warner, 24)  D

- Kimmie Rhodes, "If You Closed Your Eyes (ft Alejandro Escovedo)" Hypnotized  (Sunbird, 24)  D

- Charley Crockett, "Solitary Road" $10 Cowboy  (Son Of Davy, Apr 26)

- Kim Richey, "Joy Rider" Every New Beginning  (Yep Roc, May 24)

^ Pernice Brothers, "What We Had" Who Will You Believe  (New West, 24)

- A Savage, "I Can't Shake the Stranger Out Of You" Loft Sessions EP  (Rough Trade, 24)  D

- Marcus King, "Me Or Tennessee" Mood Swings  (American, 24)

- Black Keys, "On the Game" Ohio Players  (Nonesuch, 24)

- Lou Turner, "Pacing the Cage" Imaginational Anthems XIII: Songs Of Bruce Cockburn  (Tompkins Square, 24)

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To enjoy our weekly 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:

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO - ECHO DANCiNG

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

March 31, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

March 31 marks the one-quarter point for 2024. As is our habit, let's take account of our ten (10) favorite albums for the first three months of the year. In order of appearance. 

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT the FiRST QUARTER of 2024?!!

Brown Horse, Reservoir  (Loose, Jan 19)

Frontier Ruckus, On the Northline  (Sitcom Universe, Feb 16)

Tucker Riggleman & Cheap Dates, Restless Spirit  (WarHen, Feb 17)

Hurray For the Riff Raff, The Past Is Still Alive  (Nonesuch, Feb 23)

Leslie Stevens, Leslie Stevens  (Stevens, Feb 23)

Hanging Stars, On a Golden Shore  (Loose, Mar 8)

Adrianne Lenker, Bright Future  (4AD, Mar 22)

Rosali, Bite Down  (Merge, Mar 22)

Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood  (Anti, Mar 22)

Scott Ballew, Rio Bravo  (La Honda, Mar 29)

Also under strong consideration for this vaunted honor were releases by Willi Carlisle, Sarah Jarosz, Britti, Glass Hours, and Cody Jinks. 

And, since this Episode is also the last of March, we'll also commit to our favorite songs for the past 31 days. This one is ordered by preference. 

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT MARCH?!!

1. Hanging Stars, "Sweet Light" On a Golden Shore  (Loose, Mar 8)

2. Lawrence Rothman, "LAX (ft Amanda Shires)" Plow That Broke the Plains  (KRO, Apr 26)

3. Myriam Gendron, "Long Way Home" Mayday  (Thrill Jockey, May 10)

4. Kacey Musgraves, "Too Good To Be True" Deeper Well  (Interscope, Mar 15)

5. Waxahatchee, "Ice Cold" Tigers Blood  (Anti, Mar 22)

6. Anna Tivel, "Disposable Camera" Living Thing  (Fluff & Gravy, May 31)

7. Adeem the Artist, "One Night Stand" Anniversary  (Four Quarters, May 3)

8. Rosali, "Hills On Fire" Bite Down  (Merge, Mar 22)

9. Efterklang, "Getting Reminders (ft Beirut)" single  (City Slang, Mar 19)

10. Scott Ballew, "Mutiny" Rio Bravo  (La Honda, Mar 29)

Finally, consider this: You're speaking to a music aficionado. They are deeply knowledgeable and opinionated with regard to contemporary indie music, past and present. They're also pretty ignorant (and opinionated) about our kind of music, dismissing it as soulless and lacking edge. You'd like to convince them otherwise, even as you recognize the validity in their statement at some level. Your friend challenges you to recommend five solidly mainstream americana/alt.country artists, stuff that could sway their sentiments. Who would you suggest? Who could you stand behind, who is worthy of the banner this is americana and this is cool (note to self: consider this for a future R&B tagline)? 

This question hangs over all we do at R&B HQ, and could be the topic for a much longer piece if we had nothing better to do. We'll drop a spoiler here, however, the americana artist who is first to mind when it comes to integrity and edge: Alejandro Escovedo. 

Escovedo has just released Echo Dancing, a fourteen-cut collection that offers re-recordings of songs from his back catalog, even reaching to his past work alongside True Believers and Buick MacKane. This is by no means an especially original idea, though Escovedo's new sessions differ in a couple ways: 1) These are not his greatest hits, and 2) These new recordings depart from the originals in some pretty interesting ways. 

For Echo Dancing, Escovedo reached out to a pair of Italian artists with whom he had collaborated on the tour for 2018's The Crossing: producer/guitarist Don Antonio, and keyboardist Nicola Peruch. Aside from a pair of backing vocals and a soprano sax, everything we hear is the product of this trio, with Peruch programming drum tracks. A 1997 Buick MacKane number, "John Conquest" opens with a mess of macerating guitar, adding some urgency to the original as well as more rhythmic percussion and a barking punk delivery from Escovedo. Preening and stuttering, guitars hone a sharp edge on a song that boasts more fire and fury that the 73 year-old artist has demonstrated since his early punk days. 

While the mix on Echo Dancing can be thick with static, the trio maintains a lean approach throughout. Originally from 1999's Bourbonitis Blues, then revisited for '06s Boxing Mirror, "Sacramento & Polk" speeds forward unabashedly on a locomotive drum track, adorned by little more than a restless jazz piano: They vaguely remember some plans / But that was long ago. The track for "Everybody Loves Me" is glitchy and nearly industrial. Alejandro Escovedo has never shied away from the avant in his work, commenting: I always feel that a well-written song can withstand a lot of abuse. His best-known song, Man Under the Influence's "Castanets" is subject to the most manipulation. Once banned from his shows because of its appearance on George HW Bush's iPod, Escovedo morphs the tune into a cumbia, sounding like Los Lobos' more experimentally-minded material. 

Rather than reviving more familiar songs, Echo Dancing succeeds in assembling a very cohesive collection of lesser known stuff from his entire oeuvre. From 2008's superb Real Animal, "Swallows Of San Juan" presents a more organic, intimate sound that mines the artists' soul reserves. Reaching back to 1992's iconic Gravity, "Bury Me" lays a junkyard groove over the original, with bluesy guitar and keys. Escovedo looks back to True Believers' Hard Road record to retrieve "Outside Your Door", delivering the lyrics with a spoken/sung Lou Reed recitation: Smokey sings to me / As I dance alone / Wrapped in reverie. The soulful sway of the original is deconstructed, 80s keys and Bernard Sumner guitars generate a new wave-adjacent chill. Most impressively, Escovedo never treats his work with kid gloves. He follows his muse and his trio through layers of noise and electricity, generating a final product that both honors and alters the original. 

Alejandro Escovedo indicates that he's readying another all new project, reminding us that at 73 he remains creative and relevant, warmly embraced by the americana community even as he's rarely toed their line. There are pieces on Echo Dancing that may be more palatable for traditionalists, but the prevailing spirit is one of reinvention and flaunting expectations. Escovedo's choices also seem to speak to his own self-assessment, no matter how much time has passed since their initial recording. From 2016's terrific Burn Something Beautiful: Thought I'd let you know / Party's over / There's no more furniture to break / Glasses left to smash. 

ROUTES-cast March 31, 2024

- Anna Tivel, "Bluebird" Living Thing  (Fluff & Gravy, May 31)

- Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, "Give You All My Love" Revelations  (Abeyance, 24)

- Waxahatchee, "Crowbar" Tigers Blood  (Anti, 24)

- Adam Remnant, "Three Days" single  (Coiled Myth, 24)  D

- Jessica Pratt, "World On a String" Here In the Pitch  (Mexican Summer, May 3)

- GospelbeacH, "Nothin' But a Fool" Wiggle Your Fingers  (Curation, Apr 26)

- Scott Ballew, "Trouble Darling" Rio Bravo  (La Honda, 24)

- Lost Dog Street Band, "Survived" Survived  (LDSB, Apr 26)

- Sierra Ferrell, "Wish You Well" Trail Of Flowers  (Rounder, 24)

- Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore, "We're Still Here" TexiCali  (Yep Roc, Jun 21)  D

- Ashley Monroe, "I Like Trains" single  (Monroe, 24)  D

- Cody Jinks, "Take This Bottle (ft Pearl Aday)" Change the Game  (Late August, 24)

- Jenny Don't & the Spurs, "Pain In My Heart" Broken Hearted Blue  (Fluff & Gravy, Jun 14)  D

- Charlie Overbey, "Champagne, Cocaine, Cadillacs and Cash (ft Jaime Wyatt, Marcus King)" In Good Company  (Lone Hawk)  D

- Sarah Gayle Meech, "Love Me" Easin' On  (Good Timin' Woman, May 3)

- Trummors, "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" 5  (Ernest Jennings, Apr 12) 

^ Alejandro Escovedo, "Swallows Of San Juan" Echo Dancing  (Yep Roc, 24)

- Scott H Biram, "I'll Still Miss Ruby" One & Only  (Bloodshot, 24)

- Hallelujah the Hills, "Vitamin C" single  (Discrete Pageantry, 24)

- Secret Sisters, "Never Walk Away" Mind Man Medicine  (New West, 24)

- Lawrence Rothman, "Yesterday Tomorrow" Plow That Broke the Plains  (KRO, Apr 26)

- Adeem the Artist, "Rotations" Anniversary  (Four Quarters, May 3)

- Valerie June, "Big Dream" My Black Country: Songs Of Alice Randall  (Oh Boy, Apr 12)

- Yarn, "Heart So Hard" Born Blessed Grateful & Alive  (Symphonic Distribution, Jul 26)  D

- Rose Hotel, "Drown" A Pawn Surrender  (Strolling Bones, Jun 7)

- Tommy Prine, "You Don't Care For Me Enough To Cry" Apple Music Nashville Sessions  (Nameless Knight, 24)  D

- Rosali, "Hopeless" Bite Down  (Merge, 24)

- Adrianne Lenker, "No Machine" Bright Future  (4AD, 24)

- Elizabeth Cook, "Straight To Hell (ft Butch Walker)" Said the Firefly To the Hurricane  (Tasty Goody, 24)

- Miko Marks, "Lay Your Burdens Down (ft Buddy Miller)" single  (Redtone, 24)  D

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To enjoy our weekly 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:

SCOTT BALLEW - RiO BRAVO

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

March 24, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust 

This week's release date has brought us a ridiculous wealth of new stuff - possibly the best batch of the year to date. In parallel universes, we devoted this Episode's appreciation to deserving records by Waxahatchee, or Adrianne Lenker, Cody Jinks, Sierra Ferrell, or Rosali ... But here at R&B HQ, our attention is drawn towards the unexpected, the glittering gem beneath an overturned leaf. We can't ignore a gift. Scott Ballew's Rio Bravo (out March 29, La Honda) is simply too good to let pass without notice. 

Scott Ballew didn't grow up honing his songwriting chops. He didn't schlep his craft from bar to bar as a young man, hoping for a break. Ballew is primarily a filmmaker, and he decided to try his hand at songwriting while working on a short film about Texas legend Terry Allen during the pandemic. He's also created a documentary about Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan, and Jimmy Buffett in 1970s Key West. Rio Bravo is Ballew's third full-length, following a 2021 debut and 2022's Leisure Rodeo, records that he created with the help of Erika Wennerstrom, Shane Renfro, Ryan Bingham, Jesse Woods, and other names that matter. 

The Rio Bravo sessions were produced with Michael Nau, and engineered by Will Patterson, played alongside a band featuring the suddenly ubiquitous Mat Davidson, Rob Barbato, Bukka Allen, and other essential contributors. As we remarked a number of Episodes ago in appreciation of Nau's own records, he generates such a lovely, loose, rambling setting for songs that arrangements themselves become as important as the instruments. One of the great victories on Rio Bravo is this perfect partnering of Nau's sounds with Scott Ballew's wise, worldly lyrics, songs that deliver such poetic truth wrapped in the leftover stuff of the everyday: 

Inside a truck stop

Or maybe AA

Or outside of Denver

I heard someone say

If you're lonely get a dog

If you're broke get a job

Find religion if you believe in hell

Find god if you've already been there

Amen and amen. Coupled with the fact that much of the session was recorded live, Rio Bravo bears a wonderful warmth, a purity and immediacy that brings to mind classic Texas country records from the 70s. Ballew himself has cited influences ranging from Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley to more contemporary auteurs like Bill Callahan and Joanna Newsome. He calls "Can You Hear Me Smile" his most Bill Callahan song, a beautiful chamber piece featuring only the playing of Ballew and Nau: With the first cigarette of winter / Everything is possible. Like his producer, Scott Ballew wields an outsider's voice, a rangy and untamed cry that might recall Matthew Houck or Bobby Bare Jr. He emotes with real soul on "Trouble Darling", a tune he attributes to a shared love of Ennio Morricone and Harry Nilsson, backed by a heavenly chorus and Nau's evocative mellotron. 

Just on this side of turning thirty, Ballew has already amassed enough lived experience from which to speak. On "Trouble": When I let go of the reins / There's no more suffering. Terry Allen's son Bukka launches "True Love Can't Surf" with a steady harmonium, leading to a slow crescendo with contributors joining piece by piece towards a glorious denouement: People, they don't change / It's like hugging a crashing wave / Expecting it not to break. "Old Fashioned" pinpoints salvation in surrender, as accompanied by a rambling piano: Lord I realize / We've yet to harmonize / But I've been humbled by the flame. Ballew calls "All That Is Sacred" a Leon Helm sort of gospel song, featuring Odessa Jorgensen's sweet violin: All that is sacred / Is between me and you. The songwriter demonstrates a genuinely impressive lyrical expression, a pure and unadorned perspective that is eloquent in its direct simplicity. 

Songs are presented patiently on this great sounding collection, never manic or hurried. "Impossible Smile" is typical in its use of tape drag to achieve its Motown swagger. The album's title track rides a labored, bluesy organ, Ballew reflecting on the powerless feeling of watching his father in the ICU and his friend in rehab: Rio Bravo playing again on the TV / So loud the whole world goes quiet. The song is adorned with a gospel backing chorus featuring Angela Miller and Lauren Cervantes from Black Pumas. Among the year's most worthy singles, "Suicide Squeeze" floats gracefully in its watery arrangement. Inspired by Ballew's experience watching Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, the song is a fully satisfying whole composed of terrific parts: Ballew's yearning vocal, Davidson's fiddle and backing, Rob Barbato's electric guitar filigree, and remarkable lyrics: When you're seventeen you got so much left to see / But all I wanted was more. 

"Funny Masterpiece" is a nine-minute opus whose steady, repeated progress recalls Van Morrison in his mystical No Guru period: In my final gasp of glory days / Have I missed my window / To do something great / Or is being steady / A greater fate. It's a fitting wrap to Scott Ballew's humble but stunning statement, shimmering with surprise, rich with understated revelation. A contemporary renaissance artist (not unlike Terry Allen, it turns out), Ballew and his cohort have shared one of the year's most rewarding collections, an imminently listenable and endlessly quotable treasure: There's nothing as brave as surrendering ... And you learn how to live / As if you're someone to love. 

In the wake of this week's firehose release date, let's risk a look at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster for what's next. Just in time for its 25th Anniversary, Shelby Lynne will be reissuing a long unavailable I Am Shelby Lynne. An idiosyncratic musical statement, the record will appear courtesy of the Monument label on April 5 (in advance of Lynne's all-new forthcoming collection). Following a rising buzz of attention, Wyatt Flores has finally announced the arrival of his second EP/short LP. Expect Half Life on April 19 (Island). After almost ten years of relative silence, we're happy to announce that Sarah Gayle Meech will return with her forthcoming record. Easin' On arrives courtesy of Good Timin' Woman Records on May 3. Expect something new from the Decemberists as we head into Summer. Titled As It Ever Was So It Will Be Again, the LP drops on June 14 (YABB). Finally,, having rebranded themselves under the Silverada moniker, Mike & the Moonpies have chosen a June 28 release date for their self-titled collection (Prairie Rose). 

ROUTES-cast March 24, 2024

- Adrianne Lenker, "Free Treasure (ft Twain)" Bright Future  (4AD, 24)

- Erin, Mat & Paul, "Magic Please" single  (Tableaux, 24)  D

- Son of the Velvet Rat, "Southbound Plane" Ghost Ranch  (Fluff & Gravy, 24)

- Staves, "After School" All Now  (Nonesuch, 24)

- Waxahatchee, "Ice Cold" Tigers Blood  (Anti, 24)

- Lucy Rose, "Over When It's Over" This Ain' the Way You Go Out  (Communion, Apr 19)

- Pernice Brothers, "Purple Rain" Who Will You Believe  (New West, Apr 5)

- Rosali, "Hills On Fire" Bite Down  (Merge, 24)

- Nathan Kalish, "Ma Dude" Southern Poverty Guitar Center V2  (Yellow Canary, 24)

- Dr Dog, "Still Can't Believe" single  (We Buy Gold, 24)  D

- Wild Pink, "Unconscious Pilot" Strawberry Eraser EP  (Fire Talk, 24)  D

- Aaron West & Roaring Twenties, "Whiplash" In Lieu Of Flowers  (Hopeless, Apr 14)

- Jon Snodgrass, "Your First Rodeo" Barge At Will  (Thousand Islands, Mar 29)

- Bill Mackay, "Glow Drift" Locust Land  (Drag City, May 24)  D

- Thee Sinseers & Joey Quinones, "Hold On" Sinseerly Yours  (Colemine, 24)

- Pokey LaFarge, "One You Owe Me" Rhumba Country  (New West, May 10)

- Sam Evian, "Jacket" Plunge  (Flying Cloud, 24)

- Aoife O'Donovan, "Someone To Follow" All My Friends  (Yep Roc, 24)

- T Bone Burnett, "Sometimes I Wonder (ft Weyes Blood)" Other Side  (Verve, Apr 19)

- Ruston Kelly, "The Watcher" Weakness Etc EP  (Rounder, 24)

- Charlie Parr, "Little Sun" Little Sun  (Smithsonian, 24)

- Van Plating, "They're Gonna Kill You Anyway (ft Ritch Henderson)" single  (Singular, 24)  D

- Sierra Ferrell, "American Dreaming" Trail Of Flowers  (Rounder, 24)

- Wyatt Flores, "Wish I Could Stay" Half Life  (Island, Apr 19)  D

- Sarah Gayle Meech, "Easin' On" Easin' On  (Good Timin' Woman, May 3)  D

- Silverada, "Anywhere But Here" Silverada  (Prairie Rose, Jun 28)

- Cody Jinks, "Few More Ghosts" Change the Game  (Late August, 24)

- Magic Tuber Stringbard, "Dance On a Sunday Night" Needlefall  (Thrill Jockey, 24)

- Efterklang, "Getting Reminders (ft Beirut)" single  (City Slang, 24)  D

- Khruangbin, "Pon Pon" A LA SALA  (Dead Ocans, Apr 5)

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To enjoy our weekly 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:

HANGiNG STARS - ON a GOLDEN SHORE

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

March 17, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Returned from vacation abroad, where I was driving on the wrong side of the road and alarming the natives across the Scottish Highlands. As typically seems to be the case when visiting such rich cultures, we end up hearing a pale adaptation of American pop radio as opposed to more trad sounds from the immediate environs. 

As we've mentioned previously here at R&B HQ, americana music really has nothing to do with America, at least not in the sense that the country really owns the sounds that cobble together to make our kind of music. We pay regular visits to blogs that focus on roots music in the UK, in Finland, Norway, Canada, and Australia. 

When time came to create their fifth full-length record, The Hanging Stars departed their London home for a studio in northeast Scotland. There, the four-piece outfit, fronted by singer-guitarist Richard Olson, brought to life On a Golden Shore, a glimmering roots-pop gem with veins of psych and cool California folk. I got you under a cold, dark spell, Olson sings on the sessions which partner a bright ambiance with moody lyrics. 

With a recurring, good-natured acoustic guitar and flute (or pipe?), "Raindrop In a Hurricane" plays like the Kinks in their more pastoral moments, one of a couple of nods to Hanging Stars' UK influences. The song also establishes the sessions' habit of daydreaming: I've been dreaming of another country / A warm place where the lemons grow / And I've been thinking 'bout a girl so pretty / She doesn't want my loving no more. The album's closer, "Heart In a Box" adds horns and a bouncing bass for a shimmering, swaying anthem, Olson conceding: I guess I'm blessed with you. The Stars' British allegiance carries through as well on one of the LP's strongest tracks, the swaggering "Let Me Dream Of You". A chunky electric guitar and an understated glam sneer hone the song's Brit pop edge. 

Like Gary Louris' Jayhawks, a strong melodic streak speaks to Hanging Stars' dedication to pop expression. "Sweet Light" recalls a lazy lost afternoon, chiming guitars and the group's trademark harmonies deliver the tuneful chorus. Those harmonies are deployed throughout On a Golden Shore, playing to the record's psych sound and spirit. Longing is the greatest gift / Waiting is her evil twin, Olsen sings on "Happiness Is a Bird", bearing Jerry Garcia-inspired cascading guitar lines alongside those breezy vocals. It's a sound the band has evocatively termed cosmic heartbreak boogie. 

Pieces like "No Way Spell" bear a country stamp, with banjo added to the lush mix. Pedal steel, courtesy of special guest Joe Harvey-Whyte colors the proceedings throughout, an essential element to the overall vibe. On the overcast "Disbelieving", the instrument peals alongside chiming guitars and a rattling tambourine: Is it true that you're leaving / That you're gone / I have a hard time believing / That we're done. Elsewhere, "Silver Rings" encourages a beach vibe with a piano bossa, while "Golden Shore" meshes the band's flute and hand percussion with a perennial blues reference: Make me a pallet on your floor / Make it soft and make it pure. 

Frontman Richard Olsen can sound like the Church's Steve Kilbey at times, his measured baritone well-suited for the dreamy, downcast lyrics. With producer Sean Read, drummer Paulie Cobra, bassist Paul Milne, and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla, Hanging Stars weave an intoxicating musical spell that matches the Sadies' instrumentalism with Woods' eclecticism. Like Brown Horse, reviewed a couple episodes ago, it's accomplished with a distinctly British sensibility, with daydreams of California beaches and expansive cosmic country horizons. 

Finally, a quick glance at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our fully appointed new release calendar. Longtime producer and instrumentalist to the stars T Bone Burnett returns his attention to his solo career for the first time in twenty years. Due April 19 via Verve, The Other Side offers contributions from Lucius, Rosanne Cash, Weyes Blood and more. Adeem the Artist's 2022 White Trash Revelry brought the songwriter's essential work to a wider audience. The follow-up, Anniversary is scheduled for a May 3 release (Four Quarters). Heavy garage-blues duo Left Lane Cruiser are set for their first collection in five years. Alive Natural Sound has announced a June 7 date for Bayport BBQ Blues. That same date marks the return of Good Looks, whose Bummer Year drew a good amount of debut attention. Keeled Scales has landed on a June 7 date for Lived Here For a While. Avi Vinocur and Patrick Dyer Wolf have readied their next Goodnight Texas record. Signals drops July 19 on the 2 Cent Bank Check label. 

ROUTES-cast March 17, 2024

- Tennessee Freedom Singers, "Tennessee Rise" single  (TN Dawn, 24)  D

- Waxahatchee, "365" Tigers Blood  (Anti, Mar 22)

- Joe Kaplow, "Rock and Roll" Posh Poodle Krystal and Toe  (Fluff & Gravy, May 17)  D

- Eels, "Time" Eels Time!  (Eworks, Jun 7)  D

- Louisa Stancioff, "Cigarette" When We Were Looking  (Yep Roc, Apr 12)  D

- Scott Ballew, "Old Fashioned" Rio Bravo  (La Honda, Mar 29)

- Old 97s, "Magic" American Primitive  (ATO, Apr 5)

- Good Looks, "If It's Gone" Lived Here For a While  (Keeled Scales, Jun 7)  D

- Lostines, "Neon Lights" Meet the Lostines  (Gar Hole, ,Apr 26)  

- Kacey Musgraves, "Lonely Millionaire"  Deeper Well  (Interscope, 24)

- Emily Nenni, "Changes" Drive & Cry  (New West, May 3)

- Willie Nelson, "The Border" The Border  (Sony, May 31)  D

- Wonder Women Of Country, "I Have Met My Love Today" Wonder Women Of Country EP  (Bismeaux, 24)

- Katie Pruitt, "Worst Case Scenario" Mantras  (Rounder, Apr 5)

- Secret Sisters, "Paperweight" Mind Man Medicine  (New West, Mar 29)

- Tim Easton, "Everything You're Afraid Of" Find Your Way  (Black Mesa, May 17)

- Deep Dark Woods, "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue" Broadside Ballads Vol 3  (Victory Pool, May 1)  D

- Arlo McKinley, "Watching Vermont" single  (Oh Boy, 24)  D

- Dustin Kensrue, "High Scalers" Desert Dreaming  (Vagrant, Apr 5)

- Kyle Kimbrell, "Bar Rat" Easy Truths  (Cornelius Chapel, Apr 5)

- Hermanos Gutierrez, "Low Sun" Sonido Cosmico  (Easy Eye, Jun 14)

^ Hanging Stars, "Disbelieving" On a Golden Shore  (Loose, 24)

- Left Lane Cruiser, "Turkey Vulture" Bayport BBQ Blues  (Alive Natural Sound, Jun 7)  D

- Quinn Pilgrim, "Time Ain't Going Nowhere" A Few More EP  (6001, 24)

- James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, "Buffalo Stance" All Gist  (Paradise Of Bachelors, Apr 12)  D

- Myriam Gendron, "Long Way Home" Mayday  (Thrill Jockey, May 10)  D

- Mitski, "Coyote My Little Brother" Spotify Singles  (Dead Oceans, 24)  D

- Brennan Wedl, "Fake Cowboy" single  (Kill Rock Stars, 24)  D

- Raelyn Nelson Band, "Which Jesus" Let's Go Dancing: Celebration Of Kevn Kinney  (Tasty Goody, 24)

- Glen Campbell, "Long Walk Home (ft Hope Sandoval)" Glen Campbell Duets: Ghost On the Canvas Sessions  (Big Machine, Apr 19)  D

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To enjoy our weekly 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 March 10, 2024

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

March 10, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

ROUTES-cast March 10, 2024

- Phosphorescent, "Impossible House" Revelator  (Verve, Apr 5)

- Charlie Parr, "Bear Head Lake" Little Sun  (Smithsonian, Mar 22)

- Iron & Wine, "All In Good Time (ft Fiona Apple)" Light Verse  (Sub Pop, Apr 26)

- Loose Collars, "Toronto" single  (Sentimental Noises, 24) 

- Goodnight Texas, "Dry Heat" Signals  (2 Cent Bank Check, Jul 19)  D

- Black Keys, "This Is Nowhere" Ohio Players  (Nonesuch, Apr 5)

- Cedric Burnside, "Closer" Hill Country Love  (Mascot, Apr 5)

- Marcus King, "Hero" Mood Swings  (American, Apr 5)

- Leyla McCalla, "Love We Had" Sun Without the Heat  (Anti, Apr 12)

- Scott H Biram, "No Man's Land" The One & Only  (Bloodshot, Mar 29)

- Joe Pug, "Brother John (Charcoal On Paper)" Sketch Of a Promised Departure  (Nation Of Heat, 24)

- Ana Egge, "Where Berries Grow" Sharing In the Spirit  (StorySound, May 17)  D

- Adeem the Artist, "One Night Stand" Anniversary  (Four Quarters, May 3)  D

- Blitzen Trapper, "Hello Hallelujah" 100s of 1000s Millions Of Billions  (Yep Roc, May 17)

^ Hanging Stars, "Let Me Dream Of You" On a Golden Shore  (Loose, 24)

- Angus & Julia Stone, "Cape Forestier" Cape Forestier  (Nettwerk, May 10)

- Aoife O'Donovan, "Over the Finish Line (ft Anais Mitchell)" All My Friends  (Yep Roc, Mar 22)

- Sam Evian, "Stay" Plunge  (Flying Cloud, Mar 22)

- Sam Outlaw, "If You Still Want Me (ft Sarah Darling)" Terra Cotta  (Black Hills, 24)

- Mavericks, "Moon & Stars (ft Sierra Ferrell)" Moon & Stars  (Mono Mundo, May 17)  D

- Rachel Brooke, "You Ain't the Only One" single  (MAL, 24)  D

- Tyler Halverson, "Anybody But You" single  (Atlantic, 24)  D

- Charley Crockett, "Hard Luck & Circumstances" $10 Cowboy  (Son Of Davy, Apr 26)

- Morgan Wade, "2am In London" single  (Ladylike, 24)  D

- Swamp Dogg, "Mess Under That Dress" Blackgrass: From West Virginia To 125th St  (Oh Boy, May 31)  D

- Aaron Lee Tasjan, "Dylan Shades" Stellar Evolution  (Blue Elan, Apr 12)

- Buffalo Tom, "New Girl Singing" Jump Rope  (Scrawny, May 31)

- Donovan Woods, "Rosemary" Things Were Never Good If They're Not Good Now  (End Times, Jul 12)  D

- Rose Hotel, "Not Like That" A Pawn Surrender  (Strolling Bones, Jun 7)  D

- Quinn Pilgrim, "Pipe Dream" A Few More EP  (6001, 24)  D

Owing to a current vacation, we haven't pointed at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster in about two weeks. Of course, stuff has added up over that time - we'll mention just five. Kelsey Waldon's fifth record finds inspiration in old time songs and bluegrass music. With guest spots from SG Goodman, Amanda Shires, Margo Price and more, There's Always a Song bows in on May 10 (Oh Boy). Avett Brothers' last full-length dropped in 2019. Following last year's Americana Trailblazer award, they will present a self-titled collection on their longtime Ramseur label on May 17. Kim Richey announced a date for her tenth project. Courtesy of Yep Roc Records, Every New Beginning is slated for a May 24 release. Expect Margo Price, Justin Vernon, Jenny Lewis and more on Swamp Dogg's next sonic experiment. Blackgrass: From West Virginia To 125th Street celebrates the Black roots of the bluegrass genre (Oh Boy, May 31). Richard Thompson published a memoir since his last LP in 2013. The guitar legend returns on May 31 with Ship To Shore (New West). 

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To enjoy our weekly 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:

GLASS HOURS - GLASS HOURS

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

March 3, 2024

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Through the years, we've chased Brad Armstrong from his time with Dexateens back through his truly original music with 13ghosts, and forward into a trio of underappreciated solo projects (Empire in 2018, Got No Place Remembers Me in 2019, and 2020's Heart Like a Sigil). Those records under his own name sharpened and tamed his earlier unpredictable tendencies, while continuing to emphasize the creativity in his writing. All of this is well worth tracking down. 

Over the years, Armstrong has benefited from the vocal support of Maria Taylor (half of Azure Ray alongside Orinda Fink). He finds a new collaborator in Megan Barbera, beneath the moniker Glass Hours, and the duo has released a debut, self-titled album on the Cornelius Chapel label. A fellow Hudson Valley resident and an established songwriter in her own right. Barbera writes: Just over a year ago, I took a chance on writing some songs with a person I barely knew. Someone very different than me. At least on the surface. But our songwriter was strikingly familiar. Other than contributions from fiddler Sue Westcott, the product of their collaboration features only the instruments and vocals of Armstrong and Barbera in a warm, folk-based setting. 

Glass Hours isn't as sonically ambitious as Brad Armstrong's earlier work, though the greater ambition at play here might be simply opening oneself to the process of cowriting. Alexander and Barbera trade lead and support vocal throughout their project, their deliveries as complementary as those of Alexander and Taylor. "Hurricane" is a contemporary country number, benefiting from Westcott's fiddle and a prominent pedal steel: He had a stick and poke tattoo / Hole in his heart like an empty room Barbera sings. "Same Old You" maintains that twang with a gothic echo like a theme for a new season of True Crime: Same old you / Splitting your world in two / When it was on the mend. A storysong with a strong dark streak, "Silver For Mine Eyes" adds banjo and fiery strings. Armstrong's voice resounding like Nathaniel Rateliff or Sean Rowe. 

I was admittedly unfamiliar with Megan Barbera's songwriting prior to hearing Glass Hours. With a voice that shares qualities with both Natalie Merchant and Jolie Holland, she carries her breathy lead on the historically-inspired "Rattlesnake Springs": Ditch the high hopes and the heavy things / Til you're down to nothing but the dirt to blame. Barbera's work is especially resonant on "Covering Blue", its funereal pace and stamping drum introducing a lovely vocal and an unexpectedly untamed electric guitar solo. An almost dirgelike "Annie" is built from haunting piano and another terrific vocal: I'm the break, you're the storm / It's the way we get along. 

Glass Hours' most rewarding moments seem to bear the strong stamp of both songwriters, at the intersection of voices and strings. "Far Enough Away" leans beautifully into the blending of the pair's diverse styles: Hey did you know every road is a straightaway / And everything's a simple shape from far enough away. "Scarlet Tongues" chimes like a 60s folksong: I got canyons in my heartbeat and razors in my voice. There are few grand gestures on Glass Hours. Instead, Megan Barbera and Brad Armstrong succeed on the quiet strength of simplicity and sure songwriting. The sound of artists at work with shared intentions. 

- Scott Ballew, "Mutiny" Rio Brava  (La Honda, Mar 29)

- Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties, "Alone At St Luke's"  In Lieu Of Flowers  (Hopeless, Apr 12)

- Jon Snodgrass, "Crunchin' the Numbers" Barge At Will  (Thousand, Mar 29)  D

- Vandoliers, "Together We Will Sink Or Swim" single  (Ted Hutt, 24)  D

- Lawrence Rothman, "LAX (ft Amanda Shires)" Plow That Broke the Plains  (KRO, Apr 26)

- LA Edwards, "Good Luck" single  (Bitchin', 24)  D

- Circles Around the Sun, "Gloaming Way (ft Mikaela Davis)" After Sunrise EP  (Kill Rock Stars, Apr 5)

- Trummors, "Cosmic Monster" 5  (Ernest Jenning, Apr 12)

- Will Hoge, "Good While It Lasted" Tenderhearted Boys  (EDLO, Apr 12)

- Kim Richey, "Floating On the Surface" Every New Beginning  (Yep Roc, May 24)  D

- Shane Smith & the Saints, "1,000 Wild Horses" Norther  (Geronimo West, 24)

- Kelsey Waldon, "Hello Stranger (ft SG Goodman)" There's Always a Song  (Oh Boy, May 10)  D

- Wonder Women Of Country, "Won't Be Worried Long" Wonder Women Of Country  (Bismeaux, Mar 15)

- Loose Collars, "Drunk" single  (Sentimental Noises, 24)  D

- Kacey Musgraves, "Too Good To Be True" Deeper Well  (Interscope, Mar 15)

- Corb Lund, "It Takes Practice" El Viejo  (New West, 24)

- Lost Dog Street Band, "If You Leave Me Now" Survived  (LDSB, Apr 26)

- Martha Scanlon & Jon Neufeld, "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way" Save It For Later  (Jealous Butcher, 24)

^ Glass Hours, "Far Enough Away" Glass Hours  (Cornelius Chapel, 24)

- T Bone Burnett, "Waiting For You (ft Lucius)" Other Side  (Verve, Apr 19)  D

- Richard Thompson, "Singapore Sadie" Ship To Shore  (New West, May 31)  D

- Rosali, "Bite Down" Bite Down  (Merge, Mar 22)

- Daniel Romano, "You Can Steal My Kiss" Too Hot To Sleep  (You've Changed, 24)

- Avett Brothers, "Love Of a Girl" Avett Brothers  (Ramseur, May 17)  D

- Lake Street Dive, "Good Together" Good Together  (Fantasy, Jun 21)  D

- Stephie James, "Steve McQueen" As Night Fades  (James, 24)

- Ophelias, "Black Ribbon" Ribbon EP  (Ophelias, Apr 14)  D

- Leslie Stevens, "The Dance" Leslie Stevens  (Stevens, 24)

- Hurray For the Riff Raff, "Ogallala" Past Is Still Alive  (Nonesuch, 24)

- Anna Tivel, "Disposable Camera" Living Thing  (Fluff & Gravy, May 31)  D

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To enjoy our weekly 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: