LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Joe Pernice

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 28, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We've made the argument that Scud Mountain Boys' 1996 Massachusetts belongs among the pantheon of early, essential alt.country. The short-lived act provided our first glimpse at the seminal songwriting of Joe Pernice, who would continue to ply his trade as a solo artist and as a collaborator. As a member of Pernice Brothers, he extended into the pure pop realm. Chappaquiddick Skyline was reportedly a collection of Brothers songs he felt fell short of a true Pernice project. New Mendicants provided a perfect foil in Teenage Fan Club's Norman Blake, while Roger Lion proved an unexpectedly good trip hop outing with Josh 'Budo' Karp (Pernice called it acoustic music for a hip hop world). More recently, Joe Pernice: the solo guy has relaxed into a pair of reassuringly good records on the New West label. 

While it's not included in our Spotify playlist below, Pernice has also floated more than his share of cover songs, most notably on a 2009 soundtrack to his published novel, It Feels So Good When I Stop (not to overlook a surprisingly sincere EP in tribute to Barry Manilow). 

While most of this work flew well beneath the popular radar, it rose to a critical success. A published author with an MFA degree, Joe Pernice is among the foremost literary songwriters. He's shared his songs beneath several different names, but it all holds together exceptionally well, as you'll hear on our Lookback Machine playlist below. 

JOE PERNiCE: thirty favorites

- Scud Mountain Boys, "Silo" The Early Year  (1997)

- Scud Mountain Boys, "Freight Of Fire" 

- Scud Mountain Boys, "In a Ditch" Massachusetts  (1996)

- Scud Mountain Boys, "Scratch Ticket" 

- Scud Mountain Boys, "Grudge Fuck" 

- Scud Mountain Boys, "Knievel"

- Pernice Brothers, "Crestfallen"  Overcome By Happiness  (1998)

- Pernice Brothers, "Overcome By Happiness"

- Joe Pernice, "Prince Valium" Big Tobacco  (2000)

- Chappaquiddick Skyline, "Hundred Dollar Pocket"  Chappaquiddick Skyline  (2000)

- Chappaquiddick Skyline, "Leave Me Alone"

- Pernice Brothers, "Working Girls" World Won't End  (2001)

- Pernice Brothers, "She Heightened Everything" 

- Pernice Brothers, "Weakest Shade Of Blue" Yours Mine & Ours  (2003)

- Pernice Brothers, "Water Ban" 

- Pernice Brothers, "Saddest Quo" Discover a Lovelier You  (2005)

- Pernice Brothers, "Somerville"  Live a Little  (2006)

- Pernice Brothers, "Conscience Clean (I Went To Spain)"

- Pernice Brothers, "Great Despression  Goodbye Killer  (2010)

- Scud Mountain Boys, "Do You Love the Sun" Do You Love the Sun  (2013)

- New Mendicants, "Sarasota" Into the Lime  (2014)

- New Mendicants, "A Very Sorry Christmas" 

- Roger Lion, "Twenty Thousand Times" Roger Lion  (2015)

- Pernice Brothers, "Mint Condition" Spread the Feeling  (2019)

- Pernice Brothers, "Skinny Jeanne" 

- Joe Pernice, "Lonely People" Richard  (2020)

- Joe Pernice, "Who Will You Believe" Who Will You Believe  (2024)

- Joe Pernice, "I Don't Need That Anymore (ft Neko Case)"

- Joe Pernice, "Deep Into the Dawn" Sonny I Was Wrong  (2026)

- Joe Pernice, "Black and the Blue"

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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 (October 27, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 27, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Now that we're at the door of November, let's throw some darts at the wall and share a couple dates for our pending year-end favorites lists:

Nov 29 - Favorite Covers

Dec 6 - State Of the Genre

Dec 13 - Favorite Songs

Dec 16 - Christmas Christmas (Christmas)

Dec 20 - Favorite Albums

Even with that added to our calendar, we're still staring down no fewer than sixty (60) forthcoming releases on A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster. There is still a lot of work to do before we add our tidy bow to the year. 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

In preparation for this week's post, we went back to listen to Michael Nau's back catalog, from his days with Cotton Jones through his solo projects, including this year's smattering of more experimental sessions. Awash in Nau's lo-fi indie folk, it's easy to overlook the skill involved in crafting such a seemingly simple landscape. Produced with recurring collaborator Benny Yurco, Popfly (Suicide Squeeze) offers a masterclass in creative efficiency. 

"Jump Up" features a full band plus horns, but is set in motion with a feather-light touch. Like all of Michael Nau's work, the song arrives via a cloud of soft static in warm grey (to cite his own lyric), a cotton-lined sonic pocket within which instruments (most played by Nau) remain clean and distinct. Even synths and digital effects sound organic - the ambient croaks on "And Welcome Back": Now all the lines on the list are scratched / And all of the words are free. A bass-and-drum groove supports "First Drip", which also includes a shimmering chorus of voices. 

Like Richard Swift, Michael Nau's songs can be minimalist pop masterpieces, sugared with just a touch of soul. Popfly also adds a psychedelic layer. The title track repeats, Something's happened to my body / To my body, my ear won't make a sound. "Lost Station Hideaway" reads like an early Hiss Golden Messenger cut, unhurried but not rambling or indulgent. On "New Slack", he sings, Tossed all the pieces / In the space between / The beat and the drum machine. It's pure Michael Nau - loose-limbed studio candy. 

Popfly features members of the artist's family as accompanists, including wife Whitney McGraw with whom he created such charming music under the Cotton Jones moniker. The record closes with a heartfelt acoustic "Paper and Glue", presenting the voices of Nau and McGraw together again for a simple but sweet number. Michael Nau brings a unique approach to his songwriting and studio work, a creativity and originality that makes his new project a real understated pleasure. 

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ROUTES-cast October 25, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 25, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Every Sunday we answer the question, What's new? Scouring the unseemly corners of the 'net, we coax precisely thirty (30) brand new cuts into a Spotify playlist. In the event of a self-standing single, or the first track of an album release, we'll mark the song with a D, which stands for Debut. Following our ROUTES-cast playlist, you'll find a preview of the thing that will also transport you to the appropriate Spotify page, where you can enjoy it in its entirety. While there, you can also follow the ROUTES & BRANCHES page, and find much, much more, including our weekly Lookback Machine playlists and year-end favorites from the past several years. It's all pretty overwhelming, but it'll be just the thing for those who are looking to be overwhelmed. 

ROUTES-cast October 25, 2026

^ JP Harris, "Sweet Talk" Shaving a Dead Man  (Bloodshot, 26)

-  Shovel Dance Collective, "Jowl Jowl and Listen Lads" Everything In Readiness  (Glibberbeat, 26)

- Giant Drag, "Song For My Funeral" single  (Full Psycho, 26)  D

- Chaparelle, "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" single  (Chaparelle, 26)  D

- Dowsers, "Dogwood" single  (Gar Hole, 26)  D

- Pug Johnson, "Tucson" From a Beaumont Bar  (Break Maiden, 26)

- Hunter Watts, "Not Anymore" I'm Lost Without You EP  (Valentine, 26)

- Kacey Musgraves, "Weekend In Texas" Middle Of Nowhere Vol 2: Tex Mex Tapes  (Lost Highway, Jan 15)  D

- Marfa, "Waco" We'll All Be Okay EP  (Big Machine, 26)

- Jay Farrar & Kelly Willis, "Turn It Around" The Other Bob: Tribute To Bob Neuwirth  (Transmit Sound, 26)

- Foot Ox, "Rubberband" Topanga Canyon  (Lauren, 26)

- Jeffrey Silverstein, "Drop Of a Dime" Doggone  (Full Time Hobby, 26)

- Michaela Anne, "Maybe I'm the Toxic One" single  (Georgia June, 26)  D

- Lake Street Dive, "What About Flamingos" What About Flamingos  (Dive Not Drive, Feb 19)  D

- Michael Nau, "Lost Station Hideaway" Popfly  (Suicide Squeeze, 26)

- Alex Izenberg, "Bon Voyage" Everybody's Got a Song To Sing  (Mexican Summer, 26)  D

- My Wonderful Boyfriend, "Chip City" single  (New West, 26)  D

- Grumpy, "Last Of Your Kind" Unfindable Ring  (Bayonet, 26)

- Small Pond, "Background Noise" Soft Burn  (Small Pond, 26)

- Lamplight, "Ring Stains" Lick the Spoon Let It Soften  (Western Vinyl, 26)

- Caroline Rose, "Valery (Please Don't Be Mad At Me)" Gentling the Horse At the Walt Whitman Mall  (SUCK, 26)

- Dead Gowns, "Hardcore Or Wellness" Vegas  (Mtn Laurel, 26)

- James Felice, "Midflight" Homeworld Blue  (Million Stars, Nov 13)

- Hannah Frances, "Circadian Heart" single  (Fire Talk, 26)  D

- Whait, "Falling Down" Sympathy At Home  (Night School, Feb 12)  D

- Muireann Bradley, "I Want You" Blackwood Pew EP  (Verve, 26)

- Donovan Woods, "Happy Belated (ft Charlotte Cornfield)" single  (Meant Well, 26)  D

- Arlo McKinley, "All Night Long" Untitled  (Oh Boy, Nov 20)  D

- Adeem the Artist, "Hard To Get" Christians For Goliath  (Four Quarters, Dec 11)  D

- Ags Connolly, "Come Back Around" Yesterady's Man  (SofaBurn, Oct 30) 

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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?!! (October 23, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 23, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

^Dowsers, "Dogwood" single  (Gar Hole, 26)

Gar Hole's signing of this sorta alt.folk supergroup cements the label's right to our Best Label Ever award for 2026. Dowsers assembles members of acts like Magic Tuber Stringband, Fust, Weirs, and Sluice for such a lovely, deep-grained trad that circles back to become alt: Once we gave too much love to a dogwood tree / And not enough love to ourselves. Evokes the feel of kicking through fall leaves, and is that weed that we smell?

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Adeem the Artist, "Hard To Get"  Christians For Goliath  (Four Quarters, Dec 11)

Adeem has mentioned this project that they've had in the can for many months, a faith-themed album produced by John Darnielle of Mountain Goats. Now seeing the light of day with label support, the collection promises the Artist's trademark mix of genuine sentiment and insightful, challenging lyrics. Adeem has few real peers. Having said that, this initial single is actually a cover of a song by contemporary Christian songwriter Rich Mullins. 

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Whait, "Falling Down" Sympathy At Home  (Night School, Feb 12)

Whait is the team of Wendy Eisenberg and more eaze (Mari Rubio). The debut single from their project starts with acoustic guitar and shared vocal. Then the little animal noises kick in. Even as the song allows for a bit of synth, the critters never get out of hand. Which might be the oddest thing about the track. 

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Caroline Rose, "Valery (Please Don't Be Mad At Me)" Gentling the Horse At the Walt Whitman Mall  (SUCK, 26)

For every Caroline Rose song we love, there are at least a few that we're okay leaving behind. That said, their talent and unabashed gall means we'll give anything a try. At least Rose cares enough to record a video for this final single from their superbly titled new collection. And nothing says care like a melodica solo. 

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My Wonderful Boyfriend, "Chip City"  single  (New West, 26)

Couple days ago the New West label proudly announced its newest signing. From Brooklyn, My Wonderful Boyfriend plays indie pop with an appealing slacker sensibility. In this video, the light makes them seem bruised and it makes us feel claustrophobic. Says front Boyfriend PJ McCormick: It's a love song from a guy who is a little drunker than he thinks he is. 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (October 22, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

October 22, 2026 

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster is our new release calendar, updated with terrifying frequency. We're thrilled to see a December 11 release date for Adeem the Artist's long-awaited project. Christians For Goliath is produced by John Darnielle (Four Quarters). On her Instagram, Kacey Musgraves set expectations for the January 15 appearance of something called Middle Of Nowhere Vol 2: Tex Mex Tapes. Consider us curious about the Lost Highway collection. Whait is the duo of Wendy Eisenberg and more eaze (Mari Rubio). They've reserved February 12 for the unleashing of Sympathy At Home (Night School). After dropping plenty of hints, Lake Street Dive have introduced What About Flamingos. February 19 will serve as the release date on their cleverly-named Dive Not Drive label. 

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^ As we mentioned above, Adeem the Artist will be debuting their John Darnielle-produced Christians For Goliath in time for stocking stuffers. Hypebot have published a piece by Adeem documenting the evolution of their relationship with label support. Seems it hasn't been an easy year for the terrific songwriter - This is among the most important essays you could read this month. That is where I am placing my faith now: Not in the institution that might finally let me in, but in the people who hear the noise and choose to gather around it. Amen. 

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Last week Sadurn released one of our favorite recent albums. Our Culture seems to agree. They have shared a profile of the Philadelphia act, where some of the comments of frontperson G DeGroot fold in nicely with Adeem's thoughts - ... if you're curious or excited about something, that is your destiny. If you are curious about it, if you're excited about it, if you feel genuine desire to do something - it doesn't matter if it'll make you money, or if it'll earn you anything, or if anyone will look at it or like it at all - none of that matters. Amen, also. 

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KEXP offered a really good studio set and interview with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The duo, joined here by bassist Paul Kowert, chat about their approach to Grateful Dead covers. We genuinely subscribe to the opinion that the world doesn't need more Dead covers, but even drummer Bill Kreutzmann chimed in to praise Welch and Rawlings' work. So we've been outvoted. 

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We love REM, and even devoted an Episode of our Lookback Machine to our thirty favorite tracks. This week, New Music Express shared a clip of Michael Stipe joining members of The National for a spirited run through "E-Bow the Letter". While the embedded video no longer works, by the grace of God, the YouTube link continues to be functional. 

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We mentioned last week that Lee Bains has published a collection of poetry called Work Lunch. This week NPR's Scott Simon chatted with Bains about the importance of lunch breaks, sharing those meals with immigrant coworkers, and a place called Manuel's Tavern. 

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Look how we've managed to include a(nother) story about Twisted Teens in our weekly wrap-up. This week's appreciation comes courtesy of Pitchfork, so it must be true. Therein, we meet Caspian Hollywell's loveable dog, Betty, a diagram of the cockatiel's embryonic development, and the accusation that Twisted Teens are an industry plant. Spoiler: No. We stand behind our statement that these are some of the most likeable figures in our kind of music, a quality that drills all the way through this lengthy but worthwhile profile. Really. This is some fine writing, and it sheds some much needed light on a band that, to date, has been shrouded in ... shrouding stuff.

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Our first of two (2) quality stories from the Guardian arrives on the occasion of the release of You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story. The piece features a trailer for the doc, or you could visit the official site, which offers dates and locations for forthcoming screenings. 

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Our second Guardian link transports you to an interview with Richard Thompson, who has just released Hippies Thugs and Heroes. The British legends admits, I've never ridden a Vincent Black Lightning, and spills some gossip about Sandy Denny's lifelong difficulty with transportation. The article includes several engaging nuggets, including the fact that Thompson was asked to join the Eagles, the Band, Linda Ronstadt's band, and the Animals. 

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Lots of good stuff we could include this week, but we'll close with something from Seattle Times about Damien Jurado's influence on Phoebe Bridgers' recent smash album. Jurado confesses, I'm kind of an older musician who lives under a rock, so he thought very little when Bridgers reached out for a meeting. Of course, the result is what the article terms the Bridgers bump, which has driven countless fans to discover Jurado for themselves. 

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LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Charlie Parr

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 21, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

We mentioned a few weeks ago that we'd had the opportunity back in our Radio Days to interview Charlie Parr. This was for an hour-long live broadcast that featured some chat and a good deal of live music. At the time, Parr was touring behind his excellent Stumpjumper record. While that 2015 project focused on original writing, the Minnesota musician has served his time playing classic blues, traditional folk and gospel. We're especially fond of his work with Black Twig Pickers and Low.

It occurred to us to feature Charlie Parr this week as a recognition of his brand new Rooming House record for Smithsonian Folkways. The label labels this a conceptual folk opera, so we'll add that to Parr's list of accomplishments. 

During our Radio Days, we interviewed everyone from a young and bleary-eyed Nathaniel Rateliff to a profoundly sun-burnt Robert Earl Keen (it hurt just to look at him). We spent an hour in a too-small studio with John Moreland, Lucero, and Todd Snider. More than any of those luminaries, Charlie Parr struck us as Just A Guy. Granted, he could play his guitar and his banjo better than most, but he struck us as grounded and grateful. 

We could name names ...

Anyhow, here are thirty favorites from a decent fellow. 

CHARLiE PARR: thirty favorites

- "1922 Blues" 1922  (2002)

- "To a Scrapyard Bus Stop"

- "Lowdown" Criminals and Sinners  (2002)

- "Possessed By the Devil" King Earl  (2004)

- "King Earl"

- "Dead Cat On the Line" 

- "Cheap Wine"

- "Jubilee" Jubilee  (2007)

- "Just Like Today" 

- "Bonneville"

- "Don't Send Your Child To War" Roustabout  (2008)

- "God Moves On the Water" 

- "I Dreamed I Saw Jesse James Last Night" When the Devil Goes Blind  (2010)

- "Mastodon" 

- "Death's a Black Train" Glory In the Meeting House  (2010)

- "There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down"

- "Poor Lazarus (ft Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker)"  Keep Your Hands On the Plow  (2011)

- "Motorcycle Blues" Barnswallow  (2013)

- "Jesus Is a Hobo" 

- "Falcon" Stumpjumper  (2015)

- "Remember Me If I Forget"

- "Over the Red Cedar"

- "Stumpjumper"

- "Jaybird" I Ain't Dead Yet EP  (2016)

- "Dog" Dog  (2017)

- "Last Of the Better Days Ahead" Last Of the Better Days Ahead  (2021)

- "817 Oakland Avenue"

- "Portland Avenue" Little Sun  (2024)

- "Boombox" 

- "Rooming House" Rooming House  (2026)

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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 (October 20, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

October 20, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

This week's prime releases included new stuff from Sadurn, Arborist and @, each of which we considered reviewing at some point. We peeked at next Friday's torrent of albums and entertained a fleeting moment of gratitude for this week's relatively gentle onslaught. So we're fine. 

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

The byline for Birmingham's Cornelius Chapel Records is We've never heard of you either. We like that. Over the years, the label has distributed some great artists like the Dexateens, Will Stewart, and Janet Simpson, stuff that might otherwise fall (further) between the cushions. Cornelius Chapel also released Kyle Kimbrell's 2024 Easy Truths collection. In our review, we were drawn to the Birminghamian's championing of novelists like Brad Watson, Harry Crews, Larry Brown and Ron Rash. Songs like "Interstate Living" and "Shape I'm In" were indicative of Kimbrell's early promise. 

Cornelius Chapel has released a follow-up to that record, Lonesome In the Sky. Once again alongside producer/instrumentalist Brad Lyons, Kyle Kimbrell delivers a collection of tracks steeped in the sounds and stories of the Southeast. "Paperbacks" serves as a reminder of where we've been, a resolute electric guitar line burning from one end to the other: Could it be just an old story / Written through life / They claim God gold and glory / Look how that worked out. Kimbrell's muscular delivery recalls the heyday of Jay Farrar and Son Volt, and on the opening cut he is firmly in that pocket. While not a pop writer, his commitment to accessible melody makes songs like "Helmet Head" sticky. A rolling bass drives that number forward into Southern rock territory, 

Like Lee Bains, Kyle Kimbrell's work drops push-pins in real places and tangible things. On the midtempo "Grocery Cart Ordeal", he surveys a hazy cityscape: I summon up some courage / To not hate my hometown ... I hear its call. The pedal steel and barroom piano of "Maker" lend the piece a decidedly country flair, the singer drawling,  I can't explain why the world went insane / Outside my bedroom window. Kimbrell constructs his songs from swept-together moments and fleeting observations, his lyrics as conversational as an overheard aside between coworkers. 

Especially across the second half of Lonesome, Kimbrell gives rein to the blues colors on his palette, from the sidewinding electric guitar on "Demagogue" to the sly slide acoustic of "Bad Apple". Like Kelly Joe Phelps, he glides naturally between influences. "She Feels Like Home" is a sweetly loose expression of love and longing, whether for a person or place: She's piece of a puzzle / Keeps me out of trouble / And always on my knees. "No That's Not Me" provides a signpost for where Kyle Kimbrell might be headed, cloaked in the echo of free-floating guitar and never quite stepping beyond a minor key haze. It's not that short of a rope / I'm hanging on by my neck / My feet so close to the ground / I just can't put my toes down, he sings, closing the project on a curiously dark note. 

At the end of his rope, or crossing a threshold into an uncertain future, it's increasingly worth keeping an ear trained to Kyle Kimbrell. Lonesome In the Sky isn't always a feel-good album, but like the novelists he admires he doesn't mislead us for the sake of making party music or pretty noise. From his vantage, through the haze, the world can be an uncertain place. Kimbrell's truths aren't always easy. 

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