LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Vic Chesnutt

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 24, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Beneath a music blog such as ours lies a very personal vision, a subjectivity that dictates perspective. This is precisely why we never use words like best or speak objectively. Routes & Branches has always been guided by an individual pantheon, artists whose work serves to gather and orient all we do. Among these north star artists is Vic Chesnutt. 

Of course, with his idiosyncratic style and broken delivery, there are few more acquired tastes in our kind of music. Wheelchair-bound since a driving accident at 18, Chesnutt's earliest two records were set to tape by Michael Stipe of REM, featuring little more than voice and acoustic guitar. Even as the artist began to experiment with increased accompaniment and collaboration, beneath it all dwelt a visionary poetry that counted Chesnutt as among our most literary songwriters. Over the years, he would record with Lambchop (Salesman & Bernadette), Widespread Panic (recording as Brute), Elf Power (on Dark Developments), Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra and more. We've included at least one song from most of those pairings. 

Chesnutt ended his life with an overdose in 2009. While his oeuvre reached relatively far and wide in its influences, he never compromised or betrayed a lack of artistic drive. Our favorites playlist does not include work with the Keneipps on Merriment, since he essentially set words to their music, or 1996's About To Choke, which is unfortunately not available for streaming. But assembling our thirty favorites reminded us of the essential nature of Vic Chesnutt's music for what we do. Even as we recognize it's not for everyone, it epitomizes what we listen for every time we open our ears to a new artist. 

ViC CHESNUTT: thirty favorites

- "Isadora Duncan" Little  (1990)

- "Bakersfield" 

- "Speed Racer"

- "Withering" West Of Rome  (1990)

- "Where Were You" 

- "Lucinda Williams"

- "Supernatural" Drunk  (1993)

- "When I Ran Off and Left Her" 

- "I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine"

- "Gravity Of the Situation" Is the Actor Happy  (1995)

- "Sad Peter Pan"

- "Wrong Piano"

- "Duty Free" Salesman & Bernadette  (1998)

- "Replenished" 

- "Until the Led" 

- "Exploration Day" Cobalt (ft Widespread Panic) (2002)

- "I'm Through" Silver Lake  (2003)

- "Stay Inside"

- "Band Camp" 

- "Virginia" Ghetto Bells  (2005)

- "Ignorant People"

- "Rambunctious Cloud"

- "Wallace Stevens" North Star Deserter  (2007)

- "Everything I Say"

- "You Are Never Alone"

- "Little Fucker" Dark Developments (ft Elf Power) (2008)

- "Concord Country Jubilee" At the Cut  (2009)

- "Flirted With You All My Life"

- "Rips In the Fabric"  Skitter On Take-Off  (2009)

- "Sewing Machine" 

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

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 23, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

You'd be hard-pressed to find a band with a stronger pedigree in our kind of music than Styrofoam Winos. In addition to recording their own solo work, serving alongside Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, and playing with MJ Lenderman, Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant, and Joe Kenkel have just made public their third project as a trio. Newly signed to the Dear Life label, Styrofoam Winos have quietly become one of our most intriguing acts with the release of Any River. 

The trio have always lived by a real diy commitment, from swapping instruments and songwriting duties to speaking to the importance of independence and authenticity in their work. Their third LP follows a self-titled debut and 2024's Real Time, both expanding on and sharpening their vision. Maintaining their lean and economic trio sound, Any River multiplies their charm by loosening the reins and investing in their inherent quirk. 

On the good-natured "Somebody Wants To Send You a Message", Kenkel mumbles, Take it away, Jim, leading to an unexpected and unhinged bass clarinet solo from producer Jim Marlowe. It's just one of the sonic easter eggs on Any River, finger snaps and melodica moments that pepper the folk- and country-inflected pop. "Gettin' Down" adds cheese-adjacent synth, advising listeners to Be your own Elvis. It's all conducted, however, with a gentle sincerity that avoids B-52s level of oddball-ness. 

Styrofoam Winos decamped from their Nashville homes for the new collection, setting up shop in Louisville. Despite the traded vocals and instrumentation, there is an abiding cohesion to the session. "Pearls" features a confident bass from Nikrant, and a Athens-esque guitar line from Turner. The songwriters favor impressionistic lyrics over storytelling, Lou Turner observing, You've got a pearl tucked inside of your crabby conceits. With Trevor Nikrant on mic, the loungey "New Friend" opens, Making grocery lists with a fountain pen - stay for the flute and trumpet break. With each of the Winos proving quite competent no matter the instrument, there remains an air of learned amateurism, an innocence that complements the record's overall looseness. 

"Just For You" is exemplary in its restraint and minimalistic approach, striking an appealing balance even with its fuzzy guitar solo. The fleeting "Swimminin" establishes a deep garage groove, while "Somebody Wants To Send You a Message" opts for a retro jangle: I'm digging through the free bin of frequencies / Them shortest waves sure sound okay. Any River is unhurried and while sure-footed the trio are never caught taking their work too seriously. Their vocal harmonies crop up throughout the songs, and are surprisingly just this side of tight. On "BBQ" they evoke late 60s surf pop, recalling Bacharach on "New Friend". 

Styrofoam Winos have gathered a shopping basket-full of sounds and influences on Any River, a practice that carries their music beyond the more standard approach of their first two projects. In an earlier interview, one member referred to the grocery story Trader Joes as the Winos of grocery stores. Far from a distraction, that more playful approach leads to a more original vibe that sounds like little else on the year's calendar of releases. 

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ROUTES-cast June 21, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 21, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

ROUTES-cast June 21, 2026

- Jeb Loy Nichols, "Cardigan Bay" You Know Where I Live  (Timmion, 26)

- Max Knouse, "Dubane" Goat Pupil  (Ruination, 26)

- Anna Bates, "Beggar's Hymn" single  (Westinghouse, 26)  D

- Tim Barry, "WW Pool" Clear Blocks Ahead  (Chunksaah, 26)

- Cinder Well, "Beyond the Pale" A Blooming Body  (Hen House, Jul 17)

- Sir Richard Bishop, "Back Forty Lashes" Hillbilly Erotica  (Drag City, Jul 31)

- Two Runner, "Strawberry Rhinestone" Porchlight  (Gar Hole, Aug 28)  D

- Allison Russell, "Black Lavender (ft Brittney Spencer)" In the Hour Of Chaos  (Fantasy, Jul 9)

- Waylon Payne, "Weed By the Wall" Wayward  (Big Loud Texas, Jul 16)

- Low Gap, "Timmy" single  (Cloverdale, 26)  D

- Wilder Blue, "Texas Women (ft Tracy Byrd)"  (Hill Country, 26)  D

- Jason James, "Cut the Chain" Cut the Chain  (Heart Of Texas, Sep 11)  D

- Fruition, "Reason To Live" Something More  (Bloodshot, Aug 28)

- Styrofoam Winos, "Somebody Wants To Send You a Message" Any River  (Dear Life, 26)

- Sera Cahoone, "Pulling Up Roots" I've Missed You All These Years  (Sub Pop, Aug 28)

^ Hanging Stars, "Time Is Nothing" Just a Day  (Loose, 26)

- Julia Jacklin, "Get Away From Me (I Think I'll Love You Soon)" The Gem  (4AD, Sep 25)  D

- Damien Jurado, "Cigarette Ropes" Bird Traps EP  (Maraqopa, 26)  D

- Squirrel Flower, "Reelin" Say a Prayer To the Gods Of Getting Going  (Polyvinyl, Aug 21)  D

- Houndmouth, "Don't Wanna Talk" Lordy  (Dualtone, Jul 10)

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

- Eels, "Cap In Hand" Cookie Happened  (E Words, Oct 16)  D

- Swamp Dogg, "Knock Knock (Memories)" Contemplates the Afterlife  (S-Curve, 26)

- Bucko, "Riding Mower" Casinos & Landfills  (Big Co Trucking & Steel, 26)

- Lily Seabird, "Election Day" Lightspheres On Their Way  (Lame-O, Oct 2)  D

- case/lang/veirs, "Accidental Tattoo" case/lang/veirs (10th Anniversary Edition)  (Anti, Sep 4)  D

- Alex Dupree, "New Meaning" Talking To the Dog  (Scissor Tail, Aug 14)  D

- Phosphorescent, "If I Could Only Fly" Sittin' With Blaze  (Lost Art, Aug 7)  D

- Lee Bains, "God's A-Working Man (live)" Free South 2025  (Don Giovanni, Aug 7)  D

- Slow Accordion, "Mettle" Slow Accordion  (Royal Potato Family, Jul 17)

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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 19, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 19, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

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Lily Seabird, "Election Day" Lightspheres On Their Way  (Lame-O, Oct 2)

Last year's Trash Mountain was a quirky alt.folk collection, and that was fine. Perhaps too much time on Trash Mountain leads to the blistering electric mayhem of "Election Day": I don't want your attention, she commands in a newly confident bark; Love me or leave me the fuck alone. 

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Squirrel Flower, "Reelin" Say a Prayer To the Gods Of Getting Going  (Polyvinyl, Aug 21)

Ella Williams' debut single from her newly announced Squirrel Flower collection is as good a song as we've heard this year. You know what makes a good song? Accordion and recorder. Who knew. Sweet forgiveness / Like honey / I'm not trying / To make a mess out of your life. 

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Houndmouth, "Don't Wanna Talk" Lordy  (Dualtone, Jul 10)

We've loved Houndmouth for years, but there's something special happening with these first couple singles from Lordy. We've included a nice live take on this new slow burner, produced by Brad Cook. 

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Julia Jacklin, "Get Away From Me (I Think I'll Love You Soon)"  The Gem  (4AD, Sep 25)

The Australian songwriter's forthcoming LP, The Gem, marks her first in four years. The indie pop gem simply grows catchier with each successive spin. It's about time the Aussies receive their due for all the prime pop music they've made over the years. 

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Eels, "Cap In Hand" Cookie Happened  (E Words, Oct 16)

We fell for Mark Oliver Everett's music as Eels upon receiving an advance copy of 2001's great Souljacker. Most importantly, E explains the origins of the album's title: As the great philosopher of our times, Cookie Monster once said: 'Me no cry because cookie is finished. Me smile because cookie happened. Preach, Cookie Monster.

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (June 18, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

June 18, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Lost Art Recordings is blessing us with a splendidly appointed tribute to Blaze Foley, due on digital shelves by August 7. In addition to the requisite Lucinda Williams cut, the collection includes stuff from John Moreland, Lucy Dacus, Angela Autumn, and so much more. We await word on why, given all of Blaze's great songs, the LP features two (2) takes on "If I Could Only Fly". Promise we'll share singles as they are released on our weekly Spotify ROUTES-casts. 

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T Hardy Morris appears on a video blog with the charming name Overeducated & Underemployed. The former Dead Confederate chats about tik tok brain, shyness, and his day job in architectural design. 

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Bandcamp features a piece about a 60s Tallahassee band called 2nd Coming that dallied in Southern rock before it was a thing. While the article is far more interesting than the music, members of the band would eventually contribute to better known purveyors of roots-adjacent music like Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, and a band with the unforgivable name The Load. 

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Lucinda Williams rouses some rabble on the pages of Spin, where she addresses the relevance of protest music, running into Jason Isbell at Whole Foods, and joining Thievery Corporation on stage. 

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Pleaser Magazine delivers an intro and interview with a Bucko, a band that hasn't fallen on too many radars yet. We debuted their Casinos & Landfills album on this week's Episode of our ROUTES-cast, and would strongly recommend a listen for fans of Ratboys and Florry. 

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Last year's left-field collab between Alan Sparhawk and Trampled By Turtles yielded some of our favorite moments for 2025. Looks like it's presently just on Bandcamp, but TBT have shared a terrific Live At the Ryman, recorded (checks notes) live at the Ryman in March. In addition to longtime live favorites, the band are joined on stage by guests like LeAnn Rimes and Wild Horses, and they perform the world's shortest cover of Pink Floyd's "Breathe". 

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Some of the best news of the week comes from the Left Arm Tan camp. Following 2024's Marfa Lights project, the full band have convened for new music and a tour. Watch their Facebook page as they share info. 

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With songs like "The Ballad Of Big Balls" and "Join ICE", Jesse Welles doesn't exactly cloak his lyrics in mystery. But just in case, the folksongwriter joins Consequence of Sound to explain the meaning behind his new work. 

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Spoiler: Zoh Amba's Eyes Full is one of our favorites for the first half of 2026. We expect their guitar has six strings, and that's about as far as we go regarding technical stuff. Guitar.com interviews the artist, getting all wonky about guitar FAQs. 

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This week has been rather busy on A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our spasmodically updated new release calendar. Sera Cahoone's last full-length happened almost a decade ago. Her return to recording is appropriately titled I've Missed You All These Years (Sub Pop, Aug 27). Neko/kd/and laura are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their case/lang/veirs collaboration with a September 4 expanded package (Anti). Following a couple promising topical singles, Katie Pruitt has declared a September 18 shelf date for Fools For the Fleeting, again on the Rounder label. While details are slim, Nicole Atkins took to Instagram to share a September 18 release for her next project, titled Drama. Finally, Lily Seabird's Trash Mountain seems light years away from what's we're hearing so far of her new collection, Lightspheres On Their Way (Lame-O, Oct 2). 

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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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