LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Drive-By Truckers

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 17, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

For our weekly Lookback Machine sessions, we roughly tend to alternate between our favorite lesser known acts and seminal contributors to our kind of music. Of course, Drive-By Truckers would count among the latter, though they've also made some of our favorite music since their 1998 debut. Between Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell, the band has boasted three phenomenal songwriters over the years - it's telling that of our thirty (30) favorites below, Hood and Cooley both contribute 12 tunes, with Isbell owning 5 (and one Eddie Hinton cover). 

To their credit, Drive-By Truckers have largely maintained the rusty, rough edge that characterized their early work, even as they've sharpened their craft in growing into arguably the most worthy live act populating our playlists. Honing our initial, teeming list down to a requisite thirty favorites provided a challenge, leaving the studio floor littered with some great fallen soldiers. This is the unavoidable case, given the fact that Drive-By Truckers are responsible for no fewer than four (4) records that would easily compete among the best since the turn of the century. 

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: thirty favorites

- "Living Bubba" Gangstabilly  (Soul Dump, Mar 24, 1998)

- "Bulldozers and Dirt" Pizza Deliverance  (Soul Dump, May 11, 1999)

- "Nine Bullets" 

- "72 (This Highway's Mean)" Southern Rock Opera  (Soul Dump, Sep 12, 2001)

- "The Southern Thing" 

- "Women Without Whiskey"

- "Hell No I Ain't Happy" Decoration Day  (New West, Jun 17, 2003)

- "Marry Me" 

- "Outfit" 

- "Decoration Day"

- "The Day John Henry Died" Dirty South  (New West, Aug 24, 2004)

- "Carl Perkins' Cadillac" 

- "Danko/Manuel" 

- "Goddamn Lonely Love" 

- "Gravity's Gone" Blessing and a Curse  (New West, Apr 18, 2006)

- "World Of Hurt" 

- "Three Dimes Down" Brighter Than Creation's Dark  (New West, Jan 22, 2008)

- "Perfect Timing" 

- "Self-Destructive Zones" 

- "Santa Fe" Big To-Do  (ATO, Mar 16, 2010)

- "Everybody Needs Love" Go-Go Boots  (ATO, Feb 14, 2011)

- "Mercy Buckets" 

- "Primer Coat" English Oceans  (ATO, Mar $, 2014)

- "Pauline Hawkins" 

- "First Air Of Autumn" 

- "Filthy and Fried" American Band  (ATO, Sep 13, 2016)

- "What It Means" 

- "Thoughts and Prayers" The Unraveling  (ATO, Jan 31, 2020)

- "New OK" New OK  (ATO, Oct 2, 2020)

- "Every Single Storied Flameout" Welcome 2 Club XIII  (ATO, Jun 3, 2022)

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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: Alex Amen, Sun Of Amen (ATO, June 12)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 16, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

If yacht rock is truly a thing it's only in retrospect. Kenny Loggins, Doobie Brothers, Player. None of these artists knew they would eventually be classified that way. Even when he was sailing atop the charts, Christopher Cross had never heard of yacht rock. It's an unfortunate development we choose to ignore. But if there were contemporary artists (beside Keith Urban) who were deliberately creating yacht rock, they might sound like Alex Amen and his debut full length, Sun Of Amen (ATO). 

Having lived a couple years in the Seattle area, Amen has even restored a wooden boat. His 2025 Zorthian Tapes EP pictured him on the water (no doubt awaiting a cool change). He has admitted to a time when he was drawn to Jimmy Buffett's oeuvre. The songwriter grew up in Texas, and more recently has spent time in Los Angeles and New York. We mean no offense here. There are few artists creating music as smooth and laid back. And we're unabashedly here for it. 

Sun Of Amen is a disarmingly pretty collection, a folk-country rock project that harkens to Laurel Canyon as much as it suggests Texas and even the peaks of Colorado. Self-produced with engineer Jonny Bell, the record is so decided, so confident in its vibe that in less capable hands it might risk being dismissed as a mere tribute project. But Alex Amen is a skilled enough songwriter that songs like the piano-based "Lonely People" benefit from his earnestness (hey, wait - didn't America have a moderate hit with their own song by that title?). Lush strings wash across the track, Amen encouraging the sort of pure pop melancholy heard in J Tillman's earliest Father John Misty releases. Another piano number, "Memories Of You" recalls Harry Nilsson's underappreciated jazz-and-blues shaded balladry. 

"California Blues" was reportedly written when Alex Amen was just fourteen, and it has been included on a couple other releases. With Tommy De Bourbon's pedal steel and harmonies by Haylie Davis, it's the sort of corduroy-clad country-folk that typifies the collection. Joined in studio by actor/guitarist Adrien Garner, bassist Casey Nunes, and Colton Stephens on drums, the recordings rely on the simple appeal of a decent tune, well-recorded. Likewise, "Diamonds" offers an easy ticket to a breezy Laurel Canyon evening, a feather-light touch and a clear-blue melody. 

Published interviews confirm that Alex Amen is indeed the sort of guy you wouldn't mind tagging along with on your hike across the mountain vistas (or perhaps sailing on the clear and bright blue waters). His overall likeability can be attributed to an effortless vocal manner, a delivery that owes a bit to John Denver (see also Glen Campbell, Fred Neil). "Changes" adds a hint of a bluesy sway, while "Cabin By the Sea" is a carefree folk stroll. Sun Of Amen goes down so smoothly that it requires us to check our cynicism at the door, to listen with naiveté and to expect nothing more or less than a sweet collection of songs. In that, Alex Amen succeeds admirably. 

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ROUTES-cast June 14, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 14, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We'll be attempting our mid-year favorites list in the coming days at R&B HQ. Each day we're continuing to add future releases to A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster. This week's Episode includes debuts (D) from acts like Idle County, Bucko, and those edgy upstarts from American Aquarium. 

^ American Aquarium, "History Repeats Itself" New Ways To Lose  (Losing Side, Jun 26)  D

- Goodnight Texas, "How To Act" single  (GT, 26)  D

- Charles Wesley Godwin, "Hey There Son (ft Wyatt Flores)" Christian Name  (Big Loud, Jul 24)

- Willow Avalon, "Work To Do" Pink Pocket Pistol  (Atlantic, Jun 26)

- Jamestown Revival, "Juniper & Gin" single  (Jamestown, 26)  D

- Breakfield, "Angel 41" Breakfield  (Rounder, 26)

- Dead South, "Rox In the Box" single  (Six Shooter, 26)  D

- Presley Haile, "Busy" single  (Columbia, 26)  D

- Katie Pruitt, "Blackout (ft Nolan Taylor)" Fools For the Fleeting  (Rounder, Sep 18)  D

- Anna Graves, "America's Greatest Burnout" America's Greatest Burnout  (Rounder, Sep 4)  D

- Palmyra, "Cheap Beer" Cheap Beer EP  (Oh Boy, Sep 18)  D

- Natalie del Carmen, "Gone For Good" single  (Torrez, 26)  D

- Jesse Welles, "Siddartha" Masks Off  (Welles, 26)

- Otis Gibbs, "Low Down Dirty Rotten" single  (Gibbs, 26)  D

- Tim Barry, "Still Lit" Clear Blocks Ahead  (Chunksaah, 26)  D

- William Matheny, "I Wish I Was Back In West Virginia (ft John R Miller)" single  (Diamond Teeth, 26)  D

- Alex Amen, "Changes" Sun Of Amen  (ATO, 26)

- Max Knouse, "It's Time To Go Out Running" Goat Pupil  (Ruination, 26)  D

- Lambchop, "Stella" Punching the Clown  (Merge, Aug 21)

- Attic Abasement, "Bruised Water Moon" Moonlight Passes On  (Father/Daughter, Aug 14)  D

- Idle County, "Lebanon, TN"  single  (Idle County, 26)  D

- Bucko, "Casinos & Landfills" Casinos & Landfills  (Big Co Trucking and Steel, 26)  D

- Tracey Nelson, "The Can" Hercules  (perennial, Jul 10)

- Fruit Bats, "All Wounds" The Landfill  (Merge, 26)

- Aaron Lee Tasjan, "Lydia's Boots" Get Over It Underdog  (Blue Elan, Jul 17)

- Mountain Goats, "Shallow Grave" Days  (Cadmean Dawn, Aug 7)

- Elanor Moss, "Sarah Waiting In the Car" The Knife the Needle  (Merge, Aug 21)  D

- Jack White, "Dollar Bill" Frozen Charlotte  (White, Jul 10)  D

- Jon Spencer, "Step On the Gas" Songs Of Personal Loss and Protest  (Shove, 26)

- Johnny Blue Skies, "Whiter Shade Of Pale" Mutiny After Midnight (Extended Edition)  (Atlantic Outpost, 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 12, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 12, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Here is where we present five of our favorite new singles for the week passed. Sometimes with fun videos! It's like if Mtv's 120 Minutes was fixated on roots music. But the 120 Minutes hosted by Matt Pinfield, not the one with Kevin Seal. 

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

Johnny Blue Skies, "Whiter Shade Of Pale" Mutiny After Midnight (Expanded Edition)  (Atlantic Outpost, 26)

On the occasion of his birthday, Sturgill lowered his walls and begrudgingly posted March's Mutiny After Midnight on streaming services. The band has broken out their take on the Procol Harum gem on tour, though this marks its studio debut. Gary Brooker set an unfairly high bar, but the song seems tailor-made for Simpson and co. 

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Alex Amen, "Changes"  Sun Of Amen  (ATO, 26)

There's a good chance we'll have more to say about Alex Amen and his lovely hand-crocheted record in the days to come. For today, this final single speaks volumes about his effortless throwback folk, songs that succeed in the exceedingly rare feat of creating retro music that doesn't come off like a studio trick. 

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Lambchop, "Stella" Punching the Clown  (Merge, Aug 21)

If the entirety of Lambchop's August project is consistent with their first pair of singles, somebody's been listening to our prayers. Kurt Wagner creates idiosyncratically beautiful music, no matter what musical sandbox he's playing in. Here with Justin Vernon and something called the Eau Claire Vocal Sextet, they recall a 60s folk scare cut left behind by Glenn Yarbrough (now we're going to start praying for a Lambchop cover of "Frodo Of the Nine Fingers"). 

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American Aquarium, "History Repeats Itself" New Ways To Lose  (Losing Side, Jun 26)

Today BJ Barham's band announced a pending project in the wings, produced again by Shooter Jennings and promising to kick your throat in. While we don't need that kind of talk, this initial glimpse promises a deck of well-executed Springsteen-esque portrayals. This live recording from Echo Mountain demonstrates how it is done. 

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Attic Abasement, "Bruised Water Moon" Moonlight Passes On  (Father/Daughter, Aug 14)

Prior to Friday's onslaught of novelty, this Episode of WSGATW?!! featured a circus of left-of-center oddities, great stuff that wouldn't really fit on our weekly Spotify ROUTES-cast (think Hank Heaven, Hollow Hand, Mary In the Junkyard). This droopy oddball by Mike Rheinheimer's Attic Abasement is all that remains of that lovely assemblage. Moonlight will mark his first record in a decade. That's an unhealthily long time to spend in your attic. 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (June 11, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

June 11, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Consequence of Sound offers ten minutes of Anna Tivel and Hudson Freeman answering questions about influences, experiences, and John Mayer for their Lagunitas Six Pack Stories series. 

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^ On the heels of last week's release of her excellent A Sign In the Weather, Bella White sits with Range to discuss her inspirations behind the sessions. 

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We celebrated the music of Zoh Amba for our Tuesday review. Bandcamp's new profile provides a nice follow-up. 

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We've championed the music of Caleb Caudle since 2014's Paint Another Layer. Bluegrass Situation offers an interview where we discover about his connection to Cash Cabin, his new Heavy Thrill record, and what he thinks of AI. 

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Rolling Stone profiles CMA Vocal Group of the Year Red Clay Strays, faith and all. If the paywall won't let you in, you can always watch their spirited live run through "Demons In Your Choir". 

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Twangville says Eilen Jewell has declared a hiatus from hard touring, though she continues to release new music, including a cover of the Doors.  

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Vice shares a story about how the legendary Townes Van Zandt happened to play for a small, unappreciative audience of farmers at an out-of-the-way New Zealand bar. 

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A few weeks ago we celebrated the return of Souled American. Trib asks them why it took thirty years to find their way back to the studio. 

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New this week to A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster (our peripatetically updated new release calendar) are Magnolia Sessions (Anti Corp, Jul 3) from fast-rising americana act Hannah Juanita and Frozen Charlotte (Jul 10) from garage savior Jack White. Ty Segall has announced both an LP and an EP for August 28 (Drag City), and Palmyra returns with an EP called Cheap Beer on the Oh Boy label. We're also looking forward to I Would Do It For You (Wicked Cool), a tribute/collaboration for Jesse Malin featuring famous friends like Valley Lodge and Dead Milkmen. 

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LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Deer Tick

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 10, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Most of the acts that we've featured in our Lookback Machine Episodes served a role during the formative years of our kind of music. By definition, they've been around for a long time and their best years are behind them. Deer Tick will never release another record with the impact of their 2011 debut, but their just-released Coin-o-Matic is arguably the strongest thing John J McCauley and co have created at least since 2011's Divine Providence. 

In another world, Deer Tick could have been considered alongside the Replacements, with frontguy McCauley serving as their Paul Westerberg, a better songwriter than he's been credited. Those earlier projects were sloppy in the loveliest way, but like Westerberg McCauley pushed out from those punk roots to define a wider-reaching swath of roots rock and pure pop, his trademark vocals ensuring that Deer Tick continues to betray those origins. We could easily have made this a Lookback at John J McCauley, including his excellent side projects with Middle Brothers and Diamond Rugs, but since his early years in Rhode Island the singer has made it his intention to be part of a group rather than a solo act (the band is presently composed of Dennis Ryan on drums, bassist Christopher Ryan, and Andrew Tobiassen on guitar). We did, however, include one of a couple of Pogues covers that Deer Tick have recorded. 

DEER TiCK: thirty favorites

- "Art Isn't Real (City Of Sin)" War Elephant  (Partisan, Sep 4 2011)

- "Baltimore Blues No 1" 

- "These Old Shoes" 

- "Little White Lies" Born On Flag Day  (Partisan, Jun 23 2009)

- "Smith Hill"

- "Houston TX"

- "Twenty Miles" Black Dirt Sessions  (Partisan, Jun 9 2010)

- "Mange"

- "The Bump" Divine Providence  (Partisan, Oct 5 2011)

- "Let's All Go To the Bar" 

- "Main Street" 

- "The Rock" Negativity  (Partisan, Sep 24 2013)

- "The Curtain" 

- "Dream's In the Ditch"

- "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" Bloodshot Six Pack To Go  (Bloodshot, Aug 2 2016)

- "Sea Of Clouds" Deer Tick Vol 1  (Partisan, Sep 15 2017)

- "Card House" 

- "Jumpstarting" Deer Tick Vol 2  (Partisan, Sep 15 2017)

- "It's a Whale" 

- "Hey! Yeah!" Mayonnaise  (Partisan, Feb 1 2019)

- "If She Could Only See Me Now (Live)" Live From Fort Adams  (Deer Tick, Jul 30 2021)

- "Forgiving Ties" Emotional Contracts  (ATO, Jun 16 2023)

- "A Light Can Go Out In the Heart" 

- "Sacrosanct" Contractual Obligations  (ATO, Jul 12 2024)

- "Big Black Hearse"

- "Light Up Reindeer" single  (ATO, Nov 18 2025)

- "Dog Years" Coin-o-Matic  (ATO, Jun 5 2026)

- "Mary Singletary" 

- "ACI" 

- "Everything Born" 

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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: Zoh Amba, Eyes Full (Matador, June 5)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 9, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

For their seventh record, their first for the Matador label, Zoh Amba chose to set aside the saxophone with which they had built their reputation as an improvisational player. Eyes Full (Matador) presents the Tennessee artist as a primitive visionary, a vehicle for the unfiltered light of music. In this sense, even without the sax, singing from a wild and unschooled place, hammering at their acoustic guitar, this is much the same Zoh Amba that we hear wailing away in an Italian church at the end of "Child You'll See". 

In a recent interview, Zoh Amba explains, Everything I was trying to do with the saxophone music is everything I'm trying to do in this. For Eyes Full, they've gathered a small but essential team of apostles, including electric guitarist Kevin Hyland, bassist Lawson Alderson (from MJ Lenderman's band) and visionary drummer Jim White, with whom Amba played as Beings. On "Smile With Your Eyes", the acoustic strings chug like a train straining to gain speed. The trio recorded the songs live in studio, forgoing overdubs or enhancements. "Dead End Street" rages with free-range energy, an engine that also drives the title cut. Like the unrestrained spirit that characterizes their horn playing, Amba's voice is pure expression, a bold and raw delivery that can be shocking, even abrasive. 

Yet that's the beauty of Zoh Amba's new session, the confidence and unadultered place that make songs like "Southern Soil" almost devotional. Those who need to classify Eyes Full could point to the record's most direct moment as a folksong, rooted like many of their new tunes in the sometimes harsh realities of their native Tennessee. Reportedly the survivor of a rough and uncertain upbringing, Amba counsels their mother and father, You ain't gotta keep those secrets. There is a definite sweetness and light on "Another Time", as the singer reaches toward God in and through people on the street: Saw you on the street / You were playing guitar / You were looking at all the eyes that passed / You were looking for god. 

Zoh Amba selected their current name as an expression of their monastic Hinduism, and this pervasive openness to God and spirit shines throughout their music and interviews. Loose comparisons could be made to Adrianne Lenker's work with Big Thief, or even to Karly Hartzman's savage expression with Wednesday. But Eyes Full captures a specific moment in the restless artistic journey of a genuine original. I hope that people can come and give the music a chance, they have said, and let it sit in their heart. If they give it a chance, the music will grow a flower in the heart. I promise. 

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