ROUTES-cast May 31, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

May 31, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

If we were a betting blog, our money this week might be on the return of Joshua Ray Walker, whose Ain't Dead Yet marks his seemingly triumphant return from cancer treatment. We're fond as well of No Gasoline, the full-length debut of Chicago's Widemouth, not to mention Greg Mendez's quiet little Beauty Land. And don't overlook Knuckle Sandwich, the excellent new project from Keyland. But for now:

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

We were hoping Simon Joyner's new double-LP Tough Love might show up on Spotify this week, after its Bandcamp debut last week. We've shared the link for your required listening in the likely event this fails to materialize. Officially Joyner's nineteenth studio project, Tough Love picks up the pieces behind 2024's understandably mournful Coyote Butterfly, wherein the Nebraska artist surveyed the depths of grief following the passing of his son. Where that session was a stark, solo statement, Joyner's new work returns to an ensemble setting, surrounded by his Nervous Stars cohort. 

Simon Joyner will never be accused of making easy listening music, though moments of Tough Love can seem relatively standard on his terms. "Isn't This How the Story Always Begins" is practically upbeat, with a bass pulse and the singer's Lou Reed-like recitation. With an organ accompaniment and fingersnaps, "In a Room Like This" verges on soulful, and see also "Wild Palms". Joyner's songs are likely products of in-studio noodling, though they sound quite purposeful and directed here. A subtle sax serenades during "Annelie", and pedal steel joins a scratchy violin on "How To Talk To Your Man. The small ensemble inspires some beautiful moments throughout Tough Love, from the exquisite guitar on the politics-adjacent "Allegiances" to the piano and string intro to "Winter Says". 

Of course, Joyner himself is the focal point of the album, both as a lyricist and a familiarly unconventional vocalist. He waxes romantic on "Annelie": I misplaced all the days / Before you walked through my door.  "Two Black Irises" serves as a junk drawer inventory, an inventory of candles and tacks / matches and maps. Like David Berman or Vic Chesnutt, there's both fleeting joy and inevitable tragedy to Joyner's work: The neighbor's cat scratches a hole in your screen / Even she's been trying to let some light in. 

Tough Love's fourth side features a twenty-minute spoken title track, Joyner giving voice to his son's spirit. The damning meditation won't be one you add to your playlists, but it serves the purpose of continuing to process the grief, likely the only way the songwriter knows: You want to know me now that it's too late / Isn't that a sad enough lullaby ... Don't skip this existential blues. Tough love cuts both ways. 

ROUTES-cast May 31, 2026

- Widemouth, "Debbie" No Gasoline  (Urban Scandal, 26)

- Keenan O'Meara, "Please Leave the Light On" Bathe In the Everlasting Light  (Belting Bronco, Jun 28)  D

- Greg Mendez, "So Mean" Beauty Land  (Dead Oceans, 26)

- Hanging Stars, "Let It Slide" Just a Day  (Loose, Jun 19)

- Kurt Vile, "Rock o' Stone" Philadelphia's Been Good To Me  (Verve, 26)

- Wild Pink, "Round Of Applause At the End Of the World" Still Coming Down  (Fire Talk, Aug 21)  D

- Eric Silverman, "Light Me Up" Bitter Honey  (Royal Okie, 26)

- Rodeo Mouth, "Better Try Again / Billsboro Blues" Terrestrial Thrills  (East Of Yonder, 26)

- Mike Richmond, "Small Southern Towns" Without An Audience  (Strolling Bones, Jun 12)  D

- Judah the Lion, "Maybe the Best Is Now" I Am a Prism  (Dualtone, Aug 14)  D

- Tallest Man On Earth, "Colors" single  (Anti, 26)  D

- Styrofoam Winos, "New Friend" Any River  (Dear Life, Jul 19)

- Maya de Vitry, "All My Faith" All My Faith  (Mad Maker, Jul 24)  

- SUSTO, "Black River Gospel" SUSTO Stringband Vol 2  (Susto, 26)

- Johnny Delaware, "Crystal Ball" On God's Time  (Normaltown, Jul 24)  D

- Jesper Lindell, "Whicha Way Did It Go" Royal  (Yep Roc, Jun 26)

- Leeroy Stagger, "Summer Rain" Pilgrimage  (Cordova Bay, 26)  D

- Mama's Broke, "The Nameless" Reunion  (Free Dirt, Aug 28)  D

- Silverada, "Jack" Living Proof  (Prairie Rose, Aug 7)

- Railroad Earth, "Cameras (ft Lindsay Lou)" single  (Ineffable, 26)  D

- Clover Valley Boys, "Bum Bum Blues" Clover Valley Boys  (Jalopy, Aug 21)  D

- Kaitlin Butts, "Never Really Mine" single  (Republic, 26)  D

- Joshua Ray Walker, "Ain't Dead Yet" Ain't Dead Yet  (East Dallas, 26)

- Kimmi Bitter, "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone" single  (Bitter, 26)  D

- Keyland, "Cannonball" Knuckle Sandwich  (One Riot, 26)

- Ray Wylie Hubbard, "Cassette Mix Tape" Reel 2 Reel 4 Real  (WylieWorld, Aug 21)  D

- Ransom Brothers, "Mexican Coke (ft Band Of Heathens)" single  (Ransom, 26)  D

- Michael Nau, "New Star Buried" Wooden Bouncy Ball  (relearn to boogie, 26)  D

- Way Dynamic, "Miffed It" Massive Shoe (Reissue)  (Jagjaguwar, Oct 2)  D

- Casual Technicians, "Higher Power" Well Once There Was a King  (Historic New Jersey, 26)

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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 May 24, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

May 24, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Many things to choose from this week for your virtual turntabling, posing somewhat of a challenge in tagging just one LP to recommend. Been a couple years since we last heard from Alela Diane, now serving up her handcrafted indie folk on the Fluff & Gravy label. We're also happy to hear from Ben Chapman, whose own strain of americana grows more soulful with every release. And we were pleasantly surprised to see that Waterspouts packaged their excellent singles into a full album. But if your time allotted is limited ... 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Thomas Dollbaum's approach to his songs isn't precious, more a product of sound and fit than pretty poetry or a detailed description of people or place. A poet and carpenter by trade, he grew up in Florida and currently called New Orleans home, though the songwriter admits that his Florida youth serves roughly as the setting for his second full-length, Birds Of Paradise (Dear Life). His stock was endorsed by MJ Lenderman who deliberately wore a Dollbaum t-shirt during his own NPR Tiny Desk set. 

Lenderman plays alongside Thomas Dollbaum on these new sessions, primarily on drums but occasionally on guitar and harmony vocals. Birds Of Paradise was set to tape at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi in the wake of his 2022 debut, Wellswood, with Clay Jones producing and Nick Corson and Josh Halper on bass and guitar. Label disagreements delayed the formal release until the Dear Life label added it to their schedule. An EP, Drive All Night, saw the light of day last year, further priming the pump for what has been an enthusiastic welcome for Birds. 

Playing largely live to tape, the new tunes are more muscular than Dollbaum's earlier work, with "Dozen Roses" solidly landing its heavy guitar punches as the singer delivers with more confidence in his own role. "Pulverize" lives up to its billing, dark rural rock that could hold its own against standards like Dirty South. Dollbaum bellows in his throaty vocal, Pulverize this heart / I don't even need it. On what seems to be the collection's most directly personal song, "Rabbits" pictures a young artist chasing rabbits with an iron bar alongside his sister. 

True to its title, Dollbaum's new set flocks with birds of paradise, calling out scrub jays, waterbirds, and cardinals. As heavy and guitar-driven as the record is, some of the writer's most impactful moments happen during his more restrained pieces such as "Waterbirds" and "Scrub Jay". Like Jason Molina or Richard Buckner, Dollbaum isn't a virtuosic vocalist, though his delivery is pitch-perfect for his stories. On "Scrub Jay" he asks, Leave me in the only place I know / I love to hang out in the mangroves. As a writer, Thomas Dollbaum looks to classic poets and short story masters for inspiration. Birds is not simply literature with an electric guitar accompaniment, though the lyrics speak to a writerly level of intention. As his own star seems to be rising, Dollbaum's new project deserves a place alongside the LPs of his collaborator Lenderman. 

ROUTES-cast May 24, 2026

^ Thomas Dollbaum, "Rabbits" Birds Of Paradise  (Dear Life, 26)

- Widemouth, "Raincoat" No Gasoline  (Urban Scandal, May 29)

- Casual Technicians, "Power City USA Pt 2" Well Once There Was a King  (Historic New Jersey, 26)  D

- Natural Child, "Born Lucky" Wooden  (Natural Child, 26)

- Rodeo Mouth, "Sunset Blues Revisited" Terrestrial Thrills  (East Of Yonder, 26)  D

- Waterspouts, "Heart Underneath the Foot" Reverse Aging Junkyard Dog  (Approaching Perfection, 26)

- Shaun Couture, "My Stove Burned Out" single  (General Store, 26)  D

- Bill Kirchen, "Cat Out Of the Bag" Cat Out Of the Bag  (Last Music, 26)  D

- Ed Askew, "Gray Air-o-Plane (ft Sharon Van Etten)" The Final Painting  (Drag City, Jul 31)  D

- Jesse Welles, "Masks Off" Masks Off  (Welles, Jun 12)  D

- Alela Diane, "Piss Coffee Blood Or Wine" Who's Keeping Time  (Fluff & Gravy, 26)

- Andrew Sa, "Your Whisper" American Rough  (Bloodshot, Jun 26)

- Lily Meola, "Daisies" Lucky To Be  (Nettwerk, Jul 17)

- Keyland, "Crayon" Knuckle Sandwich  (One Riot, May 29)

- Cory Branan, "Kathleen" You'll Live  (Blue Elan, Oct 9)  D

- Tift Merritt, "Everyday Singing" Sugar  (One Riot, Jun 26)

- Deslondes, "I'm Gone" Don't Let It Die Vol 1  (New West, 26)

- Whitney Rose, "Tootsies" Tennessee Polaroids EP  (MCG, 26)

- Ben Chapman, "All Day" Feet On Fire  (Hippie Shack, 26)

- Dallas Good & Richard Reed Parry, "Echo the Part" We're the Watchtowers  (Yep Roc, Jun 26)  D

- Nora Kelly Band, "Salt Mine" So Wrong For So Long  (Mint, 26)

- Son Volt, "Skeleton At the Feast" single  (Transmit Sound, 26)  D

- Houndmouth, "Never Gonna Die" Lordy  (Dualtone, Jul 10)

- Magic Tuber Stringband, "Marker Of a Drowning" Heavy Water  (Thrill Jockey, 26)

- Will Sheff, "Always Everything" Extra Mile  (Solid Ghost, Jul 10)

- Shannon Lay, "Past the Veil" Past the Veil  (Lay, Jul 28)  D

- Johanna Samuels, "Circles (ft Tyler Ballgame)" Sorry Kid  (Odd Man Out, Aug 14)  D

- Le Ren, "Free Wheeling" Don't Be Funny Without Me  (Royal Mountain, Aug 28)  D

- Swamp Dogg, "Waka Waka Waka (ft Gary US Bonds)" Contemplates the Afterlife  (S-Curve, Jul 19)

- Bill Orcutt & Mabe Fratti, "A Rural Pen" Almost Waking  (Tin Angel, 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:

ROUTES-cast May 17, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

May 17, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

This week brings us back to a stronger slate of new stuff, from Kevin Morby to Jobi Riccio. We also gave some consideration to quality collections from 49 Winchester and Ryan Bingham (with Texas Gentlemen). When it comes down to brass tacks, however ...

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Honestly, Alejandro Rose-Garcia has almost never layered the production onto his folk-blues songs. Even with the growth of his reputation, the Austin artist has maintained the spirit of a street busker with little more than a suitcase and an acoustic guitar (although street performing has never been his style). Nevertheless, the artist known as Shakey Graves characterizes his new collection as a full creative reset - emphasizing a grittier, lo-fi sound and analog warmth. 

His fifth full-length, Fondness Etc (Dualtone), follows 2023's Movie Of the Week, arguably the most ambitiously produced of Rose-Garcia's projects. More soulful and inventive than a simple folky strummer, there is typically more to a Shakey Graves song than meets the ear. These are full songs rather than demos, watery synth textures beneath guitars and vocals on the languid "Don't Change a Thing". The groove-happy "When the Love Is New" lopes along on the slap of a drum machine and Rose-Garcia's melodically bluesy guitar. A pair of instrumentals included on Fondness attest to his inventiveness, overflowing his folky reputation. 

Shakey Graves took hold for his early lo-fi projects, reissued as Roll the Bones and And the Horse He Rode In On. Similar to M Ward's early work, except that Rose-Garcia managed to maintain his appeal as he added polish and popularity (whereas M Ward has been unable to match his initial appeal). An obscure cover, "Time Flies" is a string-sweetened early pop number, with the singer exercising his upper register. "On My Own" epitomizes that grittiness, its tuneful appeal projecting through the session's lo-fi buffer. Fondness, Etc succeeds as a reset as opposed to a reinvention, a reminder of Alejandro Rose-Garcia's abiding ability as a writer and musician. 

ROUTES-cast May 17, 2026

^ Shakey Graves, "The Boilermaker" Fondness Etc  (Dualtone, 26)

- Ryan Bingham, "Let the Big Dog Eat" They Call Us the Lucky Ones  (Bingham, 26)

- Mac Cornish, "Wayfaring Woman" single  (Cornish, Sep 25)  D

- Charles Wesley Godwin, "Better Than Way (ft Luke Combs)" Christian Name  (Big Loud, Jul 24) D

- 49 Winchester, "Heavy Chevy" Change Of Plans  (New West, 26)

- River Shook, "Country Angel" River Shook  (Blackberry River, Jun 26)

- Wilder Blue, "High Livin'" single  (Hill Country, 26)  D

- Old Crow Medicine Show, "Last American Waltz (ft Molly Tuttle)" Union Made  (Hartland, Jun 5)

- Fruition, "Oh Well" Something More  (Bloodshot, Aug 28)  D

- Jobi Riccio, "Idaho" Face the Feeling  (Yep Roc, 26)

- Pokey LaFarge, "Rent Money" Rent Money  (ONErpm, Sep 11)  D

- SG Goodman, "Planting By the Signs (ft Senora May, Tyler Childers)" Planting By the Signs (Deluxe)  (Slough Water, 26)

- Bella White, "Better" Sign In the Weather  (Rounder, Jun 5)

- Scott Ballew, "Summer Baby" single  (Leisure Rodeo, 26)  D

- Katie Pruitt, "Same Boat" single  (Rounder, 26)  D

- Sera Cahoone, "Say Something" single  (Sub Pop, 26)  D

- Ramsey Thornton, "Chase After You" Called It!  (Gar Hole, 26)

- Ken Pomeroy, "Look At Miss Ohio" Tonight's News EP  (Rounder, Aug 21)  D

- William Matheny, "If I Were a River" Material Witness  (Diamond Teeth, Jul 10)

- Teddy Thompson, "Worst Two Weeks Of My Life" Never Be the Same  (Royal Potato, 26)

- Pieta Brown, "Dreamin' Of" Dreamin' Of  (Righteous Babe, Aug 21)  D

- Angus & Julia Stone, "Karaoke Bar" Bar  (Stone, Sep 4)  D

- Jerry Joseph, "I Think I'm Here" single  (Cavity Search, 26)  D

- Alex Amen, "California Blues" Sun Of Amen  (ATO, Jun 12)

- Kevin Morby, "Bible Belt" Little Wide Open  (Dead Oceans, 26)

- Widowspeak, "Soft Cover" Roses  (Captured Tracks, Jun 5)

- Fruit Bats, "That Goddamn Sun" The Landfill  (Merge, Jun 12)

- Caroline Rose, "Yip Yip Yow" single  (SUCK, 26)  D

- Jon Spencer, "Orange Slice Blues" Songs Of Personal Loss and Protest  (Shove, Jun 12)

- Clem Snide, "Afterlife" Turpentine Rags  (Only One On the Mountain, 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:

ROUTES-cast May 10, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

May 10, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Some weeks are just like this. Sure, there are some good records hitting the digital shelves from artists like Josiah & the Bonnevilles, Aldous Harding and the mysterious Daughn Gibson (Lake Mary, Not Mysterious). But none of those are especially speaking to us at the moment. Um ...

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Couple weeks ago Texas music legand Terry Allen released Blood Sucking Maniacs (Paradise of Bachelors), a project created with family and close friends. The track we shared, "No Rush To Fly", featured lead vocals by Terry's grandson Calder Allen. Turns out we whiffed on Calder's solo album, Fault Lines, back in March. 

Calder Allen's third project pairs him again with producer/instrumentalist Charlie Sexton (and Jacob Sciba), who lends the sessions a clean, direct polish. It's not just Allen's lineage that draws our attention. He is becoming an excellent songwriter, drawing from the deep and muddy Texas tradition without becoming mired in its easy conventions. "Howl" glows like a summer sunset, with Martie Maguire's fiddle and tastefully restrained pedal steel (plus, Uncle Bukka's keyboard). A guitar-forward blues-rocker, "Norwood County Line" speaks to Allen's confidence as a bandleader. 

As a vocalist, Allen dodges expectations as well, his delivery favoring rock edge over country twang. The hooky "Sideways" unspools with the appeal of 90s chart-rockers like the Wallflowers. There's more than a touch of Ryan Bingham in Allen's singing as well, another artist who has gathered the young artist under his wing. "Fault Lines" addresses his decision to pursue the family trade rather than college or his love for sport fishing. But to his credit, Calder's music sounds nothing like his grandfather's output. Despite subtle contributions from Jon Randall and Jack Ingram, Fault Lines succeeds on the strength of Allen's songs. Sexton and Sciba bring the sessions an undeniable sonic relevance, but the album owes its depth to Calder Allen. "Daylight Saves" merits repeat spins, an acoustic beauty that will compete among our favorites at the year's end. Let it serve as our intro to a promising artist whose trajectory is worth following. 

ROUTES-cast May 10, 2026

^ Calder Allen, "Daylight Saves" Fault Lines  (Allen, 26)  D

- Ashley McBryde, "Water In the River" Wild  (Warner, 26)

- 49 Winchester, "Oh Savannah" Change Of Plans  (New West, May 15)

- Waylon Payne, "Holding On To Lonely" single  (Big Loud Texas, 26)  D

- Caleb Caudle, "Anxious" Heavy Thrill  (Handplow, Jun 5)

- Michaela Anne, "Will You Still Love Me With a Broken Heart" These Are the Days  (Georgia June, 26)

- Ben Chapman, "Baby Blue" Feet On Fire  (Hippie Shack, May 22)

- JW Francis, "Jeffrey" single  (JFW, 26)  D

- Susto, "E-350 (ft Joshua Hedley)" Susto Stringband Vol 2  (Susto, May 29)

- Whitehorse, "Pure Poetry" All I Want Is All Of It  (Six Shooter, 26)

- Ramsey Thornton, "Tony's Song (ft Ken Pomeroy)" I Called It!  (Gar Hole, May 15)

- Haylie Davis, "Give Me a Rainbow" Wandering Star  (Fire, Jun 5)

- Breakfield, "Straight For Heartbreak" Breakfield  (Rounder, Jun 12)

- Josiah & the Bonnevilles, "Carolina Heart" As Is  (Rounder, 26)

- Allison Russell, "Cold April (ft Kara Jackson, Denitia)" In the Hour Of Chaos  (Fantasy, Jul 10)  D

- Eli Paperboy Reed, "Nobody But Me" single  (Yep Roc, 26)  D

- Low Cut Connie, "Can't Be Wrong" Livin In the USA  (Contender, Jul 3)

- Whitney, "See You Later I'm Gone" single  (Whitney, 26)  D

- Thomas Dollbaum, "Pulverize" Birds Of Paradise  (Dear Life, May 22)

- Tracey Nelson, "86"  Hercules  (perennial, Jul 10)

- Futurebirds, "Fly On" Far Out Country  (Dualtone, Sep 4)

- Deer Tick, "ACI"  Coin-O-Matic  (ATO, Jun 5)

- Natural Child, "Biloxi Blues" Wooden  (Natural Child, May 22)

- Kurt Vile, "Zoom 97"  Philadelphia's Been Good To Me  (Verve, May 29)

- Zoh Amba, "Eyes Full" Eyes Full  (Matador, Jun 5)

- Case Oats, "Bottom Of An Afternoon" single  (Merge, 26)  D

- Gun Outfit, "A Little Game" Process and Reality  (Upset the Rhythm, 26)

- Aldous Harding, "What Am I Gonna Do" Train On the Island  (4AD, 26)

- Daughn Gibson, "Saint Paul" Lake Mary Not Mysterious  (El Ed Eb, 26)

- Lambchop, "Weakened" Punching the Clown  (Merge, Aug 21)  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 May 3, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

May 3, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Commendable listening options for this week include a debut full-length from Nashville folk 'n blues artist Maisy Owen and a fine return to form from Kacey Musgraves. The Woodsist label has also signed artist Ruby Of Thanks, and reissued their 2020 project, In Another World. Or ...

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Maybe we're taking Hiss Golden Messenger for granted. We've been sharing stuff from MC Taylor and his cast of collaborators since his early Court & Spark days. As Hiss Golden Messenger, his output has gradually abandoned the old weird and settled into a comfortable folk expression. Especially since 2016's Heart Like a Levee, we could make a case for Taylor serving as the epitome of an americana artist, batching folk, soul, and gospel in service of his heartfilled songcraft. 

By way of intro, North Carolinian MC Taylor explains that he felt fried and adrift following 2023's Jump For Joy, eventually casting about for reconnection through writing retreats in California and New Mexico before meeting producer and instrumentalist Josh Kaufman at Woodstock Studios in New York. As heard on I'm People (Chrysalis), the results are more a reinvestment than a change of course. Working with percussionist JT Bates and bassplayer Cameron Ralston, the new songs bear a live, immediate spirit, sessions that reveal the fingerprints of the participants (which here include guests such as Sam Beam, Sara Watkins, and Eric D Johnson).  

Working with Cook for the first time since 2019's Terms Of Surrender, these songs serve as a reminder of his golden ear as a player and producer. "In the Middle Of It" and "Shaky Eyes" are soulful jams with lovely hooks. "Alright and Then Some" whittles the arrangement back to fiddle, mandolin, and acoustic strum. Hiss Golden Messenger has never indulged in extended rave-ups, but even restrained songs like "Seneca" (featuring Sara Watkins' fiddle) kindle a satisfying groove. 

Taylor has always been a thoughtful writer, wading into streams of spirituality or the natural world for inspiration. On his notes for I'm People, he states These songs first and foremost are me singing to me. Hiss Golden Messenger doesn't preach or proselytize, but isn't beyond calling out our present storm, especially in light of halcyon days: Those pearly days / When all was revolution and light. Liner notes speak to a hard-won hope, a spirit that elevates the record. On "Heavy World", Taylor sings, Heavy world keep on suffering / We're suffering now / It ain't over then advises, Don't numb yourself to the ache / And don't try to understand it. 

With horns and hallelujah backing vocals, I'm People simmers to an uplift, though a more careful reading of Taylor's lyrics might reveal a thread of melancholy. On "Shaky Eyes" he sings, You got nothing to match my nothing. "Last Orders" suggests, Let's just never get older. Perhaps it's all a product of wandering in the wilderness since the last HGM LP. Taylor has emerged older and wiser, definitely ready to add to his already excellent catalog. On "Who You Gonna Run To", he reflects, Hard as it's been for everyone / I've never felt so perfect. 

ROUTES-cast May 3, 2026

^ Hiss Golden Messenger, "Seneca"  I'm People  (Chrysalis, 26)

- Houndmouth, "Lordy" Lordy  (Dualtone, Jul 10)

- Hanging Stars, "All Your Yesterdays" Just a Day  (Loose, Jun 19)

- Gun Outfit, "Whiplash" Process and Reality  (Upset the Rhythm, May 8)

- Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, "Record Machine" Taxi the Rich  (Midtopia, 26)

- Widemouth, "Hotel Pool" No Gasoline  (Urban Scandal, May 29)

- Jeffrey Silverstein, "Coming Back Around" single  (Full Time Hobby, 26)  D

- Bobby Dove, "Dreamt I Met John Prine" Fortune Teller  (New Motor, 26)

- Joshua Ray Walker, "Shoot Me Straight" Ain't Dead Yet  (Easy Dallas, May 29)

- Emily Nenni, "Yes It Hurt" Movin' Shoes  (New West, 26)

- Keyland, "Stick" Knuckle Sandwich  (One Riot, May 29)

- Margo Price, "Rita Ballou" Old No 1 Revisited  (Truly Handmade, 26)

- Charley Crockett, "Waylon Rides Again" Clovis  ($10 Cowboy, 26)  D

- Erin Enderlin, "I Wrote This Song For You" single  (Black Crow, 26)  D

- Eric Silverman, "Light Me Up" Bitter Honey  (Royal Oakie, May 29)

- Kacey Musgraves, "Mexico Honey" Middle Of Nowhere  (Lost Highway, 26)

- Southall, "Pocketknife and Pliers" Kinfolk  (Smoklahoma, 26)  D

- Charlie Franklin, "Patchwork Of Colours" single  (Franklin, 26)  D

- Maisy Owen, "My Youth Is All For You" Dark On a Sunny Day  (Tompkins Square, 26)

- Bobby Bare Jr, "Ridin' On the Soul Road" Let's Go Dancing: Stopped a Freight Train With a Grain Of Sand  (Tasty Goody, 26)

- Ducks Ltd, "Easy Come Easy Go (ft Martin Courtney)" Easy Come Easy Go EP  (Carpark, 26)  D

- Greg Mendez, "No Evil" Beauty Land  (Dead Oceans, May 29)

- Black Keys, "Stop Arguing Over Me" Peaches!  (Easy Eye, 26)

- Jesper Lindell, "Sweeter Tomorrow" Royal  (Yep Roc, Jun 26)

- Teddy Thompson, "The Game" Never Be the Same  (Royal Potato, May 15)

- Mildred, "UPS Brown" Fenceline  (Dog Day, 26)

- Pinkerton Raid, "All the Protest Songs Are About You" All the Protest Songs Are About You EP  (DeConto, 26)  D

- Magic Tuber Stringband, "Blooms In the Rapids" Heavy Water  (Thrill Jockey, May 22)

- Hannah Cohen, "Golden Chain" single  (Congrats, 26)  D

- Alex Izenberg, "Old Gold" single  (Mexican Summer, 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:

ROUTES-cast April 26, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

April 26, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

For completely arbitrary reasons, we regard the calendar year in thirds. If AI serves us, we're seeing that May 1 marks the one-third point for 2026. It must be time for a list. 

Following are our thirty (30) favorite albums from the front third of the year, displayed in order of appearance. While we're not hopelessly in left field with our picks, it wouldn't be a long-distance call. It's not that there is no value in mainstream americana. Acts such as Cat Clyde and Courtney Marie Andrews have resonated with the genre's status quo, and while Ratboys or Sturgill Simpson position themselves along the alt edge of our kind of music, they are two of the year's biggest success stories to date. 

But we've always held that we're defined by our exceptions, and there's some exceptional stuff on our list. We'll revisit it again at the half-year point, and then again as 2026 limps to a close. Traditionally, about a third of our one-third year list crosses that finish line (and about one-half of our half-year list). For now, these are the records that rattled our cage in the past four months. 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to THiRTY (30) RECORDS THiS WEEK

Euphoria Again & Dogwood Tales, Destination Heaven  (Born Losers, Jan 7)

Courtney Marie Andrews, Valentine  (Loose Future, Jan 18)

Sophie Gault, Unhinged  (Torrez, Jan 23)

Lowest Pair,  Always As Young As We'll Ever Be  (Delicata, Jan 23)

One Wheel Fireworks Show, Jason Eternal  (OWFS, Jan 28)

Emily Scott Robinson, Appalachia  (Oh Boy, Jan 30)

Ratboys, Singin' To An Empty Chair  (New West, Feb 6)

Nude Party, Look Who's Back  (Nude Party, Feb 13)

Twisted Teens, Blame the Clown  (Jazz Life, Feb 13)

Adeem the Artist, Notes From the Inside  (Adeem, Feb 25)

Bill Callahan, My Days Of 58  (Drag City, Feb 27)

Crooked Fingers, Swet Deth  (Merge, Feb 27)

Buck Meek, The Mirror  (4AD, Feb 27)

Natalie Jane Hill, Hopeful Woman  (Dear Life, Mar 6)

Deloyd Elze, Nellene EP  (Concord, Mar 6)

Brit Taylor, Land Of the Forgotten  (Cut A Shine, Mar 6)

Morgan Nagler, I've Got Nothing To Lose and I'm Losing It  (Little Operation, Mar 13)

Cat Clyde, Mud Blood Bone  (Concord, Mar 13)

Johnny Blue Skies, Mutiny After Midnight  (Atlantic Outpost, Mar 13)

Charlotte Cornfield, Hurts Like Hell  (Merge, Mar 27)

Sluice, Companion  (Mtn Laurel, Mar 27)

Big Harp, Turns To Blue  (Saddle Creek, Mar 27)

Drayton Farley, A Heavy Duty Heart  (Hargrove, Mar 27)

Droptines, Drought Flower  (Big Loud Texas, Apr 3)

Brown Horse, Total Dive  (Loose, Apr 10)

Natalie Wildgoose, Rural Hours EP  (state51, Apr 15)

Souled American, Sanctions  (Jealous Butcher, Apr 17)

Kiki Cavazos, Goodbye Blues  (Jalopy, Apr 24)

Hrishikesh Hirway, In the Last Hour Of Light  (Keeled Scales, Apr 24)

Bobby Dove, Fortune Teller  (New Motor, Apr 24)

Even as we disperse our breadcrumbs from the past several months, we are always looking forward. More specifically, we're most looking forward to the following projects, due in the coming weeks and months.

Hiss Golden Messenger, I'm People  (Chrysalis, May 1)

Alela Diane, Who's Keeping Time  (Fluff & Gravy, May 22)

Thomas Dollbaum, Birds Of Paradise  (Dear Life, May 22)

Bella White, Sign In the Weather  (Rounder, Jun 5)

Zoh Amba, Eyes Full  (Matador, Jun 5)

Alex Amen, Sun Of Amen  (ATO, Jun 12)

Styrofoam Winos, Any River  (Dear Life, Jun 19)

River Shook, River Shook  (Blackberry River, Jun 26)

Houndmouth, Lordy  (Dualtone, Jul 10)

John R Miller, The Great Unknowning  (Rounder, Jul 17)

ROUTES-cast April 26, 2026

^ Kiki Cavazos, "Goodbye the Crazies" Goodbye Blues  (Jalopy, 26)

- Mama's Broke, "Heaven" single  (Free Dirt, 26)  D

- Terry Allen, "No Rush To Fly" Blood Sucking Maniacs  (Paradise Of Bachelors, 26)

- River Shook, "If We Got a Chance" River Shook  (Blackberry River, Jun 26)  D

- Styrofoam Winos, "Next Thing" Any River  (Dear Life, Jun 19)

- Rachel Brooke, "North Star" This One's For You  (MAL, 26)

- JW Francis, "Watery Road" single  (JWF, 26)  D

- Milk Carton Kids, "Blinded and Smiling" Lost Cause Lover Fool  (Far Cry, 26)

- Tift Merritt, "Someone To Watch the Band With Me" Sugar  (One Riot, Jun 26)

- Ryan Bingham, "Blue Skies (ft Texas Gentlemen)" They Call Us the Lucky Ones  (Bingham, May 15)

- Alela Diane, "Dusty Roses" Who's Keeping Time  (Fluff & Gravy, May 22)

- Deslondes, "Try Again" Don't Let It Die Vol 1  (New West, May 22)

- Mikaela Davis, "Nothin's On the Radio" Graceland Way  (Kill Rock Stars, 26)

- Old Crow Medicine Show, "My Side Of the Mountain (ft Molly Tuttle, McCourys)" Union Made  (Hartland, Jun 5)  D

- Bobby Dove, "Fortune Teller" Fortune Teller  (New Motor, 26)

- Red Clay Strays, "Demons In Your Choir" Grateful  (RCA, Jun 5)  D

- Whitney Rose, "Marquee" single  (MCG, 26)  D

- John R Miller, "Tollbooth" The Great Unknowing  (Rounder, Jul 17)  D

- Houndmouth, "Tiger Blood" Lordy  (Dualtone, Jul 10)  D

- Fruit Bats, "Think Aboutcha" The Landfill  (Merge, Jun 12)

- Jessica Lea Mayfield & Dolour, "Good Life" Pinkerton  (Inverness, May 22)

- Johanna Samuels, "Two People In the Moon" single  (Odd Man Out, 26)  D

- Hrishikesh Hirway, "Your Voice (ft Ken Pomeroy)" In the Last Hour Of Light  (Keeled Scales, 26)

- Mildred, "Cobwebs" Fenceline  (Dog Day, 26)

- Jesus Chris Taxi Driver, "White Roses" Taxi the Rich  (Midtopia, 26)  D

- White Fence, "Blind Your Sun" Orange  (Drag City, 26)

- White Denim, "Matchbook Baby" 13  (Bella Union, 26)

- Natural Child, "Smokin' In the Kitchen" Wooden  (Natural Child, May 22)  D

- Beth Orton, "Waiting" Ground Above  (Partisan, Jun 26)  D

- Swamp Dogg, "Searching For Heaven" Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife  (S-Curve, Jun 19)  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 April 19, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

April 19, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust 

We're hoping your Record Store Day proved rewarding, for those who celebrate. If you're still on the hunt for good new music, you could reach back to last week's creative indie/folk release by My New Band Believe. We confidently stand behind this week's new projects from Benjamin Tod and Vincent Neil Emerson, one of our strongest country writers. See also, the reissue of A Derby Spiritual by Rick Alverson and his act Drunk, first produced in 1996 as Jagjaguwar's very second LP. 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Chris Grigoroff and Joe Adducci didn't intend to allow thirty years to pass before releasing the seventh Souled American record. As the act's core, the duo had begun in 1988 creating albums that were referencing alt.country before it was even a thing. The British-based Rough Trade label signed Souled American and Lucinda Williams as their first two American artists. You can mine the band's history on a very welcome retrospective assembled last year by Omnivore, Rise Above It.  

Quite a bit can change in thirty years, and on Grigoroff and Adducci's new collection, Sanctions (Jealous Butcher), Souled American's already unique sound displays the creaks and sighs of age. Another writer called the band's roots-informed slowcore, a study in resonance, echo, and disintegration. Songwriting credits are evenly divided, as are vocals and instruments, though Grigoroff tends to handle guitar duties, with Adducci on bass. Nothing on Sanctions progresses beyond a mosey pace, with vocals drawn out and arrangements informal and approximate. 

Long overlooked by the general listening public but enthusiastically embraced by their rabid converts, Souled American's new sessions are unlikely to earn new evangelists. Like Giant Sand or Califone, their work can be challenging but beautiful. New songs like "Stranger" and "Freeing Wheels" will fit snugly beside earlier hits, and "Bad To Be Good" is dangerously almost a bop. But Souled American's output helps illuminate a dusty corner of old weird americana. 

ROUTES-cast April 19, 2-26

^ Souled American, "Bad To Be Good" Sanctions  (Jealous Butcher, 26)

- Waterspouts, "Train Dreams" single  (Approaching Perfection, 26)

- Vandoliers, "Girl On the Run" single  (Break Maiden, 26)  D

- Angela Autumn, "Trampstamp" single  (Cacti Omen, 26)  D

- Vincent Neil Emerson, "Angeline" Blue Stars  (LaHonda, 26)

- Kacey Musgraves, "Middle Of Nowhere" Middle Of Nowhere  (Lost Highway, May 1)

- Benjamin Tod, "Bottle's Gone" Vengeance and Grace  (Tod, 26)

- Ashley McBryde, "Lines In the Carpet" Wild  (Warner, May 8)

- Ben Chapman, "Out In the Country" Feet On the Fire  (Hippie Shack, May 22)

- Emily Nenni, "What Have I Done Wrong" Movin' Shoes  (New West, May 1)

- Whitehorse, "Bullet In the Chamber" All I Want Is All Of It  (Six Shooter, May 8)

- Rodney Crowell, "Are You One Of Us (ft Guy Clark)" Then Again  (New West, Jun 26)  D

- Bella White, "Pink Living Room" Sign In the Weather  (Rounder, Jun 12)

- Breakfield, "Pull Some Strings" Breakfield  (Rounder, Jun 12)

- Andrew Sa, "Under You" American Rough  (Bloodshot, Jun 26)

- SG Goodman, "Pepper" single  (Slough Water, 26)  D

- Caleb Elliott, "Dead Ringer" single  (Single Lock, 26)

- Sam Blasucci, "SSTAR" Physical Dream  (Calico, 26)

- Rosali, "Other Side" single  (Merge, 26)  D

- Kevin Morby, "Badlands (ft Amelia Meath, Justin Vernon)" Little Wide Open  (Dead Oceans, May 15)

- Daughn Gibson, "Cocoa Beach" Lake Mary Not Mysterious  (El Ed Eb, May 8)

- I'm With Her, "Lord Lead Me On" Sing Me Alive  (Rounder, 26)

- Natalie Wildgoose, "Sibyl" Rural Hours EP  (state51, 26)

- Aaron Lee Tasjan, "Lost and Alone" Get Over It Underdog  (Blue Elan, Jul 17)

- Shakey Graves, "On My Own" Fondness Etc  (Dualtone, May 15)

- Gregory Alan Isakov & Sylvan Esso, "Fade Into You" single  (Suitcase Town, 26)  D

- Touch Girl Apple Blossom, "I'm Lucky I Found You" Graceful  (perennial, May 15)

- Will Sheff, "Funny Feeling" Extra Mile  (Solid Ghost, Jul 10)  D

- Widowspeak, "No Driver" Roses  (Captured Tracks, Jun 5)

- This Is Lorelei, "Where's Your Love Now (ft Waxahatchee)" Box For Buddy Box For Star (Super Deluxe)  (Double Double Whammy, 26)

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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: