WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK (November 13, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

November 13, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

You might think that, given the fact that we feature thirty (30) songs on every week's Spotify ROUTES-cast, we include everything that we hear. This ain't the case. This week, f'rinstance, our initial list of new stuff represented nearly fifty new songs. So what we end up sharing every Sunday is a curated selection, believe it or not. 

And what makes it onto our Friday WSGATW?!! includes our favorites from that Sunday playlist, specifically from singles that have appeared in the past week. 

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

^Deloyd Elze, "Yamaha 250"  single  (Concord, 26)

Jacob Allen, who rides a small motorbike under the name Deloyd Elze, has been on our radar this year, owing to his very good March EP, Nellene. At the time, we prognosticated that even more genre-busting awaits just over the horizon. On his new single, Allen's tools are both organic and digital, his lyrics rambling and tangential: I got you a fortune teller to read your tarot cards / They pulled out the Five Of Cups / I guess you're fucked babe. 

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GracieHorse, "Roadside Assistance"  Breaking and Entering  (Wharf Cat, Jan 29)

We really enjoyed "5 Card Stud", the debut single from GracieHorse's January record. This second song is actually even better, though we find the above video nearly unwatchable. Per the songwriter, "Roadside Assistance" tells the story of someone who deliberately invites vehicular emergency in order to flirt with the AAA representative: Exchanging information by the roadside every night / To reach you, well that's how lonesome feels. 

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Racing Mount Pleasant, "Great Destroyer"  single  (R&R, 26)

Last August's debut LP from Racing Mount Pleasant was a terrific opening volley. It also featured a song called "Racing Mount Pleasant", and was released on a label called Racing Mount Pleasant. But we love the sound, the horns and the choral singing. It's almost like Traverse City, Michigan's own Black Country New Road. Except with more football. 

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Bonny Doon, "Lucky Ones"  Forever Green  (Anti, Feb 5)

New Commute's Jonathan Kerr calls the Detroit quartet's forthcoming return to the fray, the sound of a band shedding every last bit of self-consciousness to embrace exactly who they are - a veteran collective arriving at a new plateau through hard-earned conviction ... If this first single is any indication, Forever Green might be just the thing to land the band increased attention. Which is great, since the band admits, I'm getting pretty tired of picking at the bones. 

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Samantha Crain, "Bring Home My Man" single  (Crain, 26)

Samantha Crain's previous single, alongside guest contributor Ken Pomeroy, featured lyrics in the Choctaw language. Hard to beat that. This one's in English, and she didn't even write it - "Bring Home My Man" is a cover of a collaboration between Maya Hawke and Christian Lee Hutson, and it was recorded for an episode of The Lawman, starring Maya's dad (and apparently featuring cameos from Steve Earle, John Doe, and Ken Pomeroy herself). Nevertheless, like everything else Crain releases it's really good, a spare acoustic ballad with bursts of electric guitar. 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (November 12, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

November 12, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

^Tomorrow (Friday) marks the release of Homeward Blue, from James Felice. Glide celebrates with an interview, wherein he admits, Everything I have ever done has been at least as much a mistake as a success. And later, he describes himself and his brother Ian as very gloomy and self-flagellating and miserable. On an unrelated note, if you check out his Facebook page, it's full of close-up photos of bees. 

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Even when they're taking time off, Drive-by Truckers seem to keep busy. They've announced a pair of Portland shows in their Heathens Homecoming format. Oregon Public Broadcasting checks in with Patterson Hood for specifics and a couple live acoustic cuts.  The failure at everything until the age of 30 makes stops in Memphis, Alabama, and Roseburg, Oregon. Plus, who knew he's bring up the recent elections?

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Long as we're in Portland, KLOF sneaks a peek at Jeffrey Silverstein's shelves on the occasion of the release of his Doggone LP. Fortunately, it looks as though he's dusted recently (note to self). He calls the late Michael Hurley kind of one of the most famous not famous musicians, and confesses a proper drum machine choogle gets me every time. 

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We came so close to reviewing Doom Country from Hunter Freeman last week. Instead, we'll continue to share articles about the record, like this one from Paste. Come for Freeman's conflicted relationship with his parents' evangelical Christianity that led to him spending part of his early years in Eswatini; stay for the lil' fifteen-minute live session that follows. 

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Hey Paste! We're still clicking around the Paste site, and enjoyed a profile of Emma Ogier, who has just released Fly 1111 on Conor Oberst's new label (which also released James Felice's record). The Nashville songwriter was catapulted from singing songs in her bedroom to filling in for Emmylou Harris alongside Bright Eyes at Red Rocks. She writes like if Lizzy McAlpine had a gun, observes the article. 

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How 'bout a piece from Texas Monthly about Jess Williamson and her recent A Mile South Of Heaven? She details the rush of thoughts which accompanied being introduced to Taylor Swift at Jack Antonoff's Grammy party: Oh my God, it's all happening. My dreams are coming true. I will be Taylor Swift's best friend, and maybe we'll do a song together and I'll open for her on tour. Turns out those dreams failed to materialize, just another happenstance event in a career largely facilitated by them: The dangling carrot is always going to be dangling, she concludes. 

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Pavement is one of our gateway acts, a band, while not roots-adjacent, serves as among the patron saints of our humble online adobe. Pitchfork accompanies the band as their Shaky Knees set is canceled onaccounta weather, allowing the journalist to drink beer from a black plastic bag with the indie rock icons. The piece reflects on Pavement: the Early Days. Per frontguy Stephen Malkmus: A lot of the charm of Pavement originally was that I was doing it wrong. It's out of tune. It signified youth and enthusiasm, lo-fi. It's a long read, but might count towards your end-of-year reading goals. 

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Let's see. We'll finish up here with an entertaining installment of The Other 22 Hours, featuring Adam Weiner from Low Cut Connie. The video podcast chats with the energetic Philadelphia performer about how he spends his down-time. Turns out he received death threats when he canceled a show at the Kennedy Center. Nevertheless, he's a positive fellow (who just happens to have received death threats). 

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As you're assembling your holiday gift list, please keep in mind A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our to-the-second account of new and forthcoming release calendar, for the person who has everything. This week, Trampled By Turtles introduced Good Dogs! Initially only available in good ol' fashioned indie record shops, the Duluth outfit's eleventh album lands on November 20 (Banjodad). Everyone who's recorded anything has tried their hand at a Townes Van Zandt cover. Few do it as well as Lemonheads, who have set a January 22 release date for Townesville, an entire LP of 'em (Fire). Bonny Doon will resurface with a new project on February 5. The Detroit quartet will share Forever Green via Anti Records. Did we mention that Cody Jinks has plans? He'll be dispersing copies of And Again on February 26 (Late August). Finally for now, we're pleased to see Sam Amidon continues to keep himself busy. Willing Brother Knowing will appear wherever music matters on February 26 (River Lea). 

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LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Allison Russell

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

November 11, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We haven't featured an artist in our Wednesday playlists with as much diversity as Allison Russell. From Po' Girl with Trish Klein of Be Good Tanyas (and Awna Teixiera), she formed Birds Of Chicago with her partner JT Nero. Our Native Daughters was a groundbreaking folk and gospel outfit featuring Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Amythyst Kiah. With 2021's Outside Child, she launched her phenomenal solo career, resulting (so far) in three projects that have expanded the boundaries of our kind of music. 

Plus, Allison Russell plays clarinet. Which you can't say (we don't think) about Jason Isbell, Alejandro Escovedo, or even Gillian Welch. A multi-instrumentalist, she is a serial collaborator - in our playlist below, Russell pairs with Luther Dickinson, Orville Peck, and Norah Jones, just to name three. Earlier this year, her In the Hour Of Chaos was effectively a project built from partnerships with fellow artists. 

For our Lookback playlist, we represent songs from all phases of Allison Russell's career, with a special appreciation for her more recent solo stuff. 

ALLiSON RUSSELL: thirty favorites

- Po' Girl, "Tell Me a Story" Vagabond Lullabies  (2004)

- Po' Girl, "Skies Of Grey"  Home To You  (2007)

- Sofia, "Burning By Our Hands" No Shame  (2007)

- Po' Girl, "All My Tears" Deer In the Night  (2008)

- Po' Girl, "Kathy" Follow Your Bliss  (2010)

- Birds Of Chicago, "Humbold Crows"  Birds Of Chicago  (2012)

- Birds Of Chicago, "Dim Star Of the Palisades" Real Midnight  (2016)

- Birds Of Chicago, "Remember Wild Horses" 

- Birds Of Chicago, "Hold Steady/Rock Slow" American Flowers  (2017)

- Birds Of Chicago, "Roll Away" Love In Wartime  (2018)

- Birds Of Chicago, "Baton Rouge" 

- Birds Of Chicago, "Superlover" 

- Luther Dickinson, "Kathy" Solstice  (2019)

- Luther Dickinson, "Til It's Gone" 

- Our Native Daughters, "I Knew I Could Fly" Songs Of Our Native Daughters  (2019)

- Our Native Daughters, "You're Not Alone" 

- Allison Russell, "By Your Side (Sade cover)" single  (2019)

- "Nightflyer" Outside Child  (2021)

- "Persephone"

- "The Runner"

- "Joyful Motherfuckers"

- "Springtime" The Returner  (2023)

- "The Returner"

- "Demons"

- "Stay Right Here"

- Orville Peck, "Chemical Sunset" Stampede  (2024)

- Allison Russell, "No Springtime" In the Hour Of Chaos  (2026)

- "Cold April"

- "Really Real (ft Norah Jones)" 

- "Love Is a Golden Lion" 

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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 (November 10, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

November 10, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

This week we starred no fewer than six (6) records for possible review. Stuff by Jess Kerber and Chris Lyons rose above the fray, as did Lou Turner's Strangels. As we mentioned, Hudson Freeman's Doom Country is well worth your while. Twisted Teens' third album of the year, Holy Cross Tigers, might just be our favorite of the week, but we've spilled so much digital ink on them, and it's our intention to spread the joy as much as possible. 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

Woody Guthrie understood it. At a time like ours, tradition can seem subversive. On The Universal Bubba (Signature Sounds), his fifth LP, Will Carlisle shoulders John Henry's hammer for a bold and brash song cycle in praise of the everyman. 

Carlisle's cosmos revolves around "The Mason Jar At the Center Of the World", a rousing call to arms that sets the project in motion fueled by fiddle, banjo, and the singer's robust delivery: Take communion everywhere / At the center of the world / I was born a sinner at the center of the world. Over the space of a double album, Carlisle and his cohort rouse the rabble and hurrah the downtrodden in a celebration of what he calls The Universal Bubba - effectively the working men and women on whose backs our country is built. On the rocking two-part title track, we are reminded, Most of the things worth doing / In the Age of Babylon / Take a Universal Bubba doing it for herself. 

The Universal Bubba also celebrates those third places, the secular or sacred spaces where we congregate. The gas station, the neighborhood watering hole, or even the smoke-filled bar that doubles as a yoga studio on the classic "Marlboro Vinyasa": I spent a couple nights with the bendy queers / Worshipping an elephant that held ten beers. Carlisle has spoken of his role as a ventriloquist, giving voice to the spirit of the John/Jane Doe, and he accomplishes that as eloquently and accurately as any songwriter of his generation. "Good Morning Midnight" is told from the perspective of a second shift vampire, walking home and taking inventory on the dark streets of his hometown: I twist myself into the shape I thought a man should be / Beer can mangled / Or a pair of shoes strangling the power lines across the street. The song succeeds with a singalong chorus that suggests a latenight "City of New Orleans". 

The Universal Bubba was, it turns out, set to tape in the Big Easy, with Tyler Childers serving as producer. While Carlisle's earlier work has spoken of his poetic prowess, Childers' contribution serves as a convergence of compelling forces, part Will the Circle Be Unbroken and part Red-Headed Stranger. Where Carlisle has tended to record as a solo artist, just voice and acoustic guitar or banjo, Childers has convened a phenomenal band, featuring members of his own Food Stamps, including the essential utility player Jesse Wells and Ross Whitaker's pedal steel. The sessions are revelatory, infusing a rowdy spirit into Carlisle's folk, country, rock, and gospel numbers, and even displaying more experimental chops on "Contact High". 

On his new collection, Willi Carlisle resembles another burly bearded queer poet - Walt Whitman. His Bubba is nothing less than the Everyman. A controversial firebrand in his own time, Whitman famous wrote, I sing the body electric / The armies of those I love ... Carlisle cites Pantera and Eyehategod, but echoes the poet: I sing America / Old and weird / Sing wide open borders and pioneers. Like Mark Twain, he recognizes the subversion of humor on seemingly goofy numbers like "She Only Loves Horses" (I thought leather bridles just meant a good time) and the lovably memorable "Sadly Enormous": Tiny chair / Tiny table / Tiny coat / Tiny hat. Universal Bubba overflows with quotable lyrics. On "Use Me Up": My dad got to work at five in the morning / So he could buy a stupid kid his football pads / So I could get my ass kicked / Five times before sunrise. 

In Universal Bubba, Willi Carlisle and Tyler Childers share a new artistic peak, repurposing Woody Guthrie's songbook for our present time. On "I Ain't Crazy", the songwriter confesses, I've been learning / How to hold my spirits down / How to hide all my fears and faults in pan-american sounds. But in these hyper-personal portraits of the Bubbas in our midst, he highlights the indefatigable spirit of progress that might just save us: The world's on fire / And I'm here for it. 

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ROUTES-cast November 8, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

November 8, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

ROUTES-cast November 8, 2026

^ Twisted Teens, "I Spend My Time Crying" Holy Cross Tigers  (Sub Pop, 26)

- Odie Leigh, "Corner Store" single  (Leigh, 26)  D

- Star's Revenge, "Don't Worry Dynamite" Star's Revenge II  (Star's Revenge, Nov 27)  D

- Hudson Freeman, "Texas In Flaming Tongues" Doom Country  (Mom+Pop, 26)

- Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co, "Dark Don't Hide It" Texas Four Step  (Keeled Scales, Feb 12)  D

- Anna McClellan, "Anywhere (ft Gloorp)" South Of Dodge EP  (Exploding In Sound, Nov 20)

- Lou Turner, "Rattle Yr Dags" Strangels  (Turner, 26)

- Jess Kerber, "The World Is Dark But I Want It To Be Funny" The World Is Dark But I Want It To Be Funny  (Felte, 26)

- Arlo McKinley, "Just Be Simple" Untitled  (Oh Boy, Nov 20)

- Fernando Viciconte, "Do You Remember" Lucky House  (Domingo, Jan 8)

- Alela Diane, "Kids Cats & Dog" Who's Keeping Time (Expanded Edition)  (Fluff & Gravy, Jan 15)  D

- Haylie Davis, "November Nights" single  (Fire, 26)  D

- Noeline Hofmann, "Lovers" single  (Mercury, 26)  D

- Dead South, "Butter My Lover" Silence Please  (Six Shooter, Mar 5)  D

- Willi Carlisle, "She Only Loves Horses" Universal Bubba  (Signature Sounds, 26)

- Nicki Bluhm, "Measure Of a Man" single  (Bluhm, 26)  D

- Elijah Ocean, "Backwoods Of Tennessee" Country Mile  (Back Cabin Sound, Nov 20)  D

- JP Harris, "Walk On By" Long Memory: 20 Years Of Free Dirt  (Free Dirt, 26)

- Cody Jinks, "And Again" And Again  (Late August, Feb 26)  D

- Whitey Morgan & the 78s, "Cruel Hearted Woman" Hell On the Highway  (Morgan, Dec 4)

- Lucinda Williams, "Don't Be Denied" Heart Of Gold: Songs Of Neil Young Vol 2  (Cinema, 26)

- River Shook, "California Dreaming" single  (Blackberry River, 26)  D

- Sylvie, "California Hills (ft Sierra Ferrell)" New Season  (Ghostly Int'l, 26)

- Chris Lyons, "Nothing Good Happens Twice" New Love For the Old Flame  (Lyons, 26)  D

- Will Hasell, "Knuckle" single  (Suddenly, 26)  D

- Cleo Reed, "american dream" Is This How Empires Die EP  (Reeding, Dec 4)  D

- Spencer Cullum, "Far Below the Willows (ft Hollow Hand, Erin Rae)" Banquet Rock  (Full Time Hobby, Feb 26)  D

- Johnny & Lillie Flynn, "Dink's Song" Beam Cottage  (Flynn, 26)

- Sam & Louise Sullivan, "Trying Your Luck" Familiar Strangers Vol 1: Is This It  (22Twenty, Dec 4)

- Eddie 9V, "Come and Get Me Lord" Down Here  (Easy Eye Sound, 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?!! (November 6, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

November 6, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

^Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co., "The Dark Don't Hide It" Texas Four Step  (Keeled Scales, Feb 12)

Short of Jason Molina pulling out of his illness, this is the very best of all possible outcomes. We've featured the handful of singles that Will Johnson and the surviving members of Magnolia Electric Co have released to date, and couldn't be more impressed with Keeled Scales' announcement of this forthcoming double live document. Here we'll quote from Erin Osmon's notes: ... they are not a tribute act. Not a cover band. They are a new, very gifted band of players who happened to have intimate relationships with the music they're playing and the man who wrote it. We've heard the entire thing, and the results are transcendent. 

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Tomgirls, "Run" Sissy  (Skull & Bow, Feb 12)

Jenni Rose is the singer and songwriter for the Vandoliers. "Run" is the stirring debut song from her new project as Tomgirls. It was released a few weeks ago, but we decided to feature it here because it's a terrific song and a great video. This is the first day that she feels alive / Jenni told me I just have to try / Might not be good at this, but I still want it / I want to see her in the mirror. 

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Hudson Freeman, "Texas In Flaming Tongues" Doom Country  (Mom+Pop, 26)

Yesterday we shared a link to a Consequence of Sound piece where Hudson Freeman addressed how his new project was influenced in part by his evangelical upbringing, a dark fascination with the apocalypse and a genuine fear of the rapture. You'll hear some of that in this final single, in addition to electric guitars seemingly dragged behind a train. In a good way.

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River Shook, "California Dreaming" single  (Blackberry River, 26)

Back in June, River Shook released their excellent self-titled album. This standalone single arrives as Shook embarks on their California Dreaming Tour. In the writer's own words: It's about possibility and potential. It's about taking stock of your life and making sure it's going in the direction you want. It's about reaching for your dreams at any age, at any time, and working your ass off to make them come true. 

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Will Hasell, "Knuckle" single  (Suddenly, 26)

We're glad Will Hasell released this single, partly so that we can talk about Roadkill Heart, the exceptional full-length he released back in August. We didn't notice the record until it had already passed us by, and have since decided it's among the best of the year. There. Now we feel a little better. 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (November 5, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

November 5, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We're at that point in the year when most of what we add to A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster (our boundless release calendar) is due in 2027. From Scotland by way of New Mexico, Cahalen Morrison's next full-length is due January 29. You can read more about Broken Bell (Hudson) below. Tomgirls is an outfit fronted by Jenni Rose of Vandoliers. Their debut, Sissy should reach us on or about February 12 (Skull & Bow). Gillian Welch & David Rawlings are preparing the next installment of their Boots catalog. Due February 12, read more about Boots No 3: the Hickory Show (Acony) below, too. Spencer Cullum is a busy guy. His next project, created witih Hollow Hand and Erin Rae, will be called Banquet Rock (Full Time Hobby, Feb 26). Finally, Dead South are our first band with a March release. That would be Silence Please, via the Six Shooter label (Mar 5). 

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^After four (4) tantalizing singles, we're ready for Doom Country, Friday's full-length from Hudson Freeman. Among others, Consequence Of Sound and Pleaser have devoted plenty of digital space profiling the New York by-way-of Missouri artist. Who knows. We might be writing more about it too ... We featured the video for "Fell Ass Backwards" a few weeks ago, about which Freeman notes, I got this really bad haircut like two days before the shoot, so I thought, what if I have a head wound - as if I literally fell ass backwards before we started rolling. It was just to cover my bad haircut ...

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... on the other hand, we also might write about Holy Cross Tigers, the third project this year from Twisted Teens. Even New York Times is sending journalists to profile the duo. Follow the link to read more about Caspian Hollywell living on a couch in the middle of a field, how the act is co-managed by Allison Crutchfield from Waxahatchee, and how they consider themselves folkies: I think a lot of the new rock music has lost its connection to tradition. Us too, Caspian. Us too. 

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It was back in September than Nicole Atkins released her Drama album (Sun). Remember? Glide published an expose shining light on pro wresting's influence on Atkins, to the point where she organized something called Ultimate Zeppelin, which brought together the seemingly diverse worlds of wrestling and Led Zeppelin, and featured acts like Sheryl Crow, Dap-Kings and Dr Dog covering the classic rock band in wrestling gear. 

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A few weeks ago, we featured thirty of our favorite songs from Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. This week, the duo announced Boots No 3: the Hickory Show. Americana UK shares more about the collection, which presents a 1997 concert during which they played an under-rehearsed take on "Pancho & Lefty", bout which Welch comments, even though we play that song, and we've never played it, and we don't know what we're doing, I don't really detect any fear. We're very comfortable and, alright, this solo is gonna be really long because we don't know how to get out of it and we just do it ...

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Oh hey, we also shared a Lookback Machine playlist in celebration of Buddy Miller. This week, the Bluegrass Situation features a piece about the longtime bandleader, having served alongside Robert Plant, Steve Earle, Elvis Costello, and more. Click on the link to read about how Miller's traumatic onstage heart attack influenced his new album (fortunately, we were sitting down). 

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Did you know that Cahalen Morrison moved from New Mexico to Glasgow, Scotland? KLOF published a piece about the origins of his forthcoming record, Broken Bell, featuring musicians whose names we'd struggle to pronounce (Brighde Chaimbeul, Kim Oehme ...). The link will also give you access to a live acoustic session, featuring banjo!

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While there's nary a banjo in sight, KCRW presented a live set with This Is Lorelei. Turns out we missed the meeting where it was decided that the kind of stiff truckers hat sported by frontguy Nate Amos is a good look. Really really good session, though. 

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