WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!! (August 14, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

August 14, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

Samantha Crain, "Tvshki cha foha" single  (Crain, 26)

Samantha Crain is quietly amassing quite a nice collection of singles lately. This new one features support vocals from fellow Oklahoma Native American Ken Pomeroy, as well as some solid percussion from Ramsey Thornton. When we looked up the title on our free online Choctaw translator, it came back with Hello friend / I understand / Thank you for your kindness. Crain herself, however, translates it, Lie down and rest / Tired one / You have strength, and we've got to be honest that we trust Crain here. 

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Tallest Man On Earth, "Deliver Me From Trying" Just Beyond Endless Mountain  (Anti, Oct 9)

You enjoy horses? Boy have we got a video for you. Kristian Matsson's new single from the just-announced album features his familiar delivery, as well as his sometimes impenetrable lyrics, though the arrangement updates the TMOE sound a bit. It's like a bonfire blues / To a shivering god ... We don't know what it means, but we like it. And, to be honest, we're just happy to have a video to share. 

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Allison de Groot & Rich Ruth, "Nervion" Allison de Groot & Rich Ruth  (Western Vinyl, Oct 2)

Perhaps you're in the mood for banjo, but maybe clawhammer from another planet? The Canadian player has received all the accolades for her trad work. Rich Ruth is the stage name for multi-instrumentalist Michael Ruth, who was set to produce a record for de Groot until the project went way left. With contributions from Spencer Cullum and Patrick McGonigle, the record promises to take folk, old-timey and bluegrass where it's probably never been. 

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Sadurn, "Never Tell Me" The Underworld  (Run For Cover, Oct 16)

It's not necessary that you have fun in your video. Sometimes it's just enough to chase horses around a field. But we're all about the music here, and we're increasingly eager to hear the rest of Sadurn's October full-length. It's not enough to keep us together / But I'm in love with the sleeve of your dress / I'm in love with your shoulder - this is a lovely, midtempo number with a sweet lyric, even if the video plays like Blair Witch reinterpreted by Sid and Marty Krofft. 

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Panamint, "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (Paramint, 26)

... aaaand, of course, we'll finish things off for the week with a Post Malone cover. This one comes courtesy of singer-songwriter Anna St Louis and Jarvis Taveniere of Woods, performing under the name Panamint. The duo opt for a light-as-foam approach, encouraging Posty's pop in more of a late-night direction. 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (August 13, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

August 13, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Hey, what's new? If you're looking for a literal answer, check out our compulsively updated new release calendar, A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster. Over the past week, we've added new announcements from folks like the Yawpers, whose Teething should reach us on or about September 4 (DTTW). After almost calling it quits, Uncle Lucius are in it to win it. They'll unleash Open Eyes Broken Heart on September 25 (Boo Clap). What we really want is a Gourds project. That said, we're pleased to see Kev Russell's Shinyribs looking to October 9 for the appearance of his Real Alligator (Spaceflight). Nothing wrong with a new Joan Shelley record, even if it's a deluxe edition of something we've already got. Over and Even + Demos includes ... well, demos of songs from those sessions (No Quarter, Oct 16). Finally, we can always count on Caroline Rose for boundary-challenging stuff. See, f'rinstance, Gentling the Horse At Walt Whitman Mall, set for an October 23 release (SUCK). 

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^ Our updates lately have paid frequent attention to the forthcoming record by Nate Amos and This Is Lorelei. NME has shared a good, long profile of Mr Amos. Among other info, the piece notes that next month's The Singer In My Band, gets closer to roots music than Amos has before. We expect this to be one of the more impactful indie-roots releases for the year. 

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This is neat. In conjunction with this week's release of her Bluegrass Women album, Lindsay Lou is releasing a four-part documentary about the creation of the record, which celebrates the female contribution to the history of bluegrass music. Part 1 is on her YouTube page. 

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We love Waylon Payne's recent Wayward LP, and have always felt he would be able to write a great memoir. Short of that happening, we're here for Americana UK's conversation with the songwriter, wherein he talks about the family business, playing with Willie Nelson's beard, and being taken in by a drag queen. 

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We've been sharing new Chaparelle singles as they're released, eager for the duo of Zella Day and Jesse Woods to declare their plan for a full-length. While we're biding our time, Grateful Web tells of Bleeding Hearts, a documentary about the act that will be debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

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Here's a concerning update to the store we shared a few weeks ago about the suspension of activity at Levon Helm Studios. It's being alleged that Amy Helm's reported mismanagement might have included a degree of financial impropriety. Stereogum has more info. Unless it's disappeared behind their cruel and imposing paywall. You might want to check if Pitchfork's account is available. Otherwise you'll just have to search for yourself. 

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Thee Sacred Souls are presently on tour with LA Lom and the Womack Sisters. Glide Magazine catches up with the bass player, Sal Salmano, to chat about how the tour came together. 

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Eric Bachman was at Wuxtry Records in Athens, Georgia. A new video reveals his haul following a  crate diving session.  It should be noted that Bachman's Crooked Fingers produced Swet Deth in February. 

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Last week we bemoaned the shuttering of Brooklyn Vegan, among our most valued music blogs. Andrew Sacher, one of the site's longtime writers, has introduced Unhappy Place, a Substack where he'll be publishing his reflections on new music for the time being. You might considering subscribing as a strategy for upping your flow of email. Yesterday's post highlighted a handful of great new alt.country tracks!

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Saving Country Music unveils info about Hello Honky Tonk, a new collection by Kaitlin Butts. It certainly didn't hurt her cause that Butts carried a key role in the video for the unrivaled Song Of the Summer, Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas". 

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LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Handsome Family

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

August 12, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Handsome Family have only become odder the more they have played it straight. Brett and Rennie Sparks have remained true to their outsider vision, even when their "Far From Any Road" became one of popular music's most unlikely hits as the theme song for the opening season of True Detective in 2014. While Brett's sturdy, sober delivery makes any Handsome Family song immediately recognizable, Rennie's lyrics make them exceptional. Dark, hallucinatory, concerning. Answering the question of how it might sound if the Brothers Grimm were products of our own age, turning to roots music rather than written fables. 

"Far From Any Road" aside, Handsome Family have never been embraced by the mainstream of our kind of music, though any playlist of gothic americana would be incomplete without their contribution. The Sparks have pre-announced a Spring 2027 tour, which kindles hope for their first new stuff in a couple years. We would make a case for In the Air, Singing Bones, and Last Days Of Wonder as the height of Handsome Family's dark arts, even as more recent projects continue to sound great. 

We include here a few covers, including the duo's take on a Bottle Rockets tune, and another reinterpreting Wilco's "Capitol City". Both Smothered and Covered and Scattered offer some strong trad work, as well as their requisite run through Dylan's catalogue. But Handsome Family succeed on their own terms, checking the novelty box simply by following their own bent, sincere muse. 

 

HANDSOME FAMiLY: thirty favorites

- "Arlene" Odessa  (1995)

- "Everything That Rises Must Converge" 

- "Drunk By Noon" Milk & Scissors  (1996)

- "Lake Geneva"

- "Weightless Again" Through the Trees  (1998)

- "My Sister's Tiny Hands"

- "Stalled"

- "Giant Of Illinois"

- "So Much Wine" In the Air  (2000)

- "Don't Be Scared" 

- "All the TVs In Town"

- "Cold Cold Cold"

- "Natalie Wood" Smothered and Covered  (2002)

- "24-Hour Store" Singing Bones  (2003)

- "Bottomless Hole"

- "Far From Any Road"

- "Fallen Peaches"

- "Your Great Journey" Last Days Of Wonder  (2006)

- "Flapping Your Broken Wings" 

- "Little Sparrows" Honey Moon  (2009)

- "A Thousand Diamond Rings"

- "Drinking Beer On the Road" Scattered  (2010)

- "Caterpillars" Wilderness  (2013)

- "1000 Dollar Car" While No One Was Looking: Toasting 20 Years Of Bloodshot Records  (2014)

- "Gold" Unseen  (2016)

- "Back In My Day" 

- "Capitol City" single  (2019)

- "Joseph" Hollow  (2023)

- "King Of Everything" 

- "To the Oaks" 

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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 (August 11, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

August 11, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

NYC songwriter/guitarist Margaret Glaspy has ranged across a good amount of stylistic territory for an artist who has just released their fourth full-length. Glaspy's aptly-titled Emotions and Math (2016) introduced her as a confident performer, a purveyor of songs with teeth and sophistication. While 2020's Devotion has been dismissed as Glaspy's foray into synth-pop, the project is successful in its ability to package her songs in a more major key, in addition to acknowledging her diverse vocal ability. Co-produced by partner Julian Lage, Echo the Diamond (2023) brought back Glaspy's electric guitar, and delivered some of her edgiest sounds to date. An EP of covers, last year's Golden Heart Protector spoke to some of her stylistic influences, from Wilco to Lucinda. Margaret Glaspy's new I Am Both (ATO) positions itself smartly at the intersection of these varied expressions. 

For her new sessions, Glaspy turned to Joe Henry for production. A veteran singer-songwriter, Henry has earned a reputation for his austere economy of sound, both as a producer and a performer. For I Am Both, he brings some frequent collaborators to support Glaspy, including drummer Jay Bellerose, Patrick Warren on keys, and bassist Ross Gallagher. The result is a first-take immediacy, an artfully light touch that belies the teeth of Margaret Glaspy's lyrics. While she has always tended towards more skeletal arrangements, these new sessions are almost entirely acoustic, presenting the songs in as close to folk settings as we've heard from Glaspy. The singer opts for a conversational sung/spoken delivery for songs like the title track and "I Thought She Was a Song". 

Many of the pieces on I Am Both highlight the practice of carrying contradiction, both in terms of identity and in our interpersonal connections. One of the record's rare electric guitar sightings, "Petty" begins, Can't you read my mind / I thought telepathy was a requirement for love. "James and Marie" is a sketch of a relationship set to a drum shuffle. Glaspy observes, She once thought he was a god / Now he's a boy that's flowed. The narrator of "I Thought She Was a Song" recalls their admiration for a free-spirited high school classmate. Glaspy has spoken of taking a reset approach to her writing, resulting in a consistent sophistication and thoughtfulness that is by turns artful and direct. 

Like Anna Tivel or Tamara Lindeman of Weather Station, Margaret Glaspy exercises a keen eye for moments in time that speak to a more abiding truth. On the album watermark, "Michigan", she asks, You said you didn't need me / Well who's standing in whose driveway.  The song plays like a familiar Greenwich folk number. Among the collection's fullest cuts, "That Rose" finds Glaspy exercising her poetic pen: I dreamt you looked into the clouds like they were my eyes / You made them blush - the clouds got shy / And made a red sky. She addresses the value in simply showing up on "Reminder": Doing nothing is something I do too well. 

Working with Joe Henry to retool her sound has served to bring her vocal and lyrical gifts to the forefront. Always a skilled if restrained guitarist, Glaspy's instrumental gifts are complimented as well, especially in light of Bellerose's expressive percussion. I Am Both is quite a percussive record, in terms of vocal flow and guitar. Margaret Glaspy's exercise in restraint actually speaks to her boldness and artistic courage, her singing both fragile and confidently wielded. On the title cut, her spoken/sung recitation echoes Gil Scott-Heron: He said I lived too close to the train tracks / Well if you ask me I'm just a little too far back / I like a little whistle in my life. 

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ROUTES-cast August 9, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

August 9, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

ROUTES-cast August 9, 2026

^ Mama's Broke, "Old-Fashioned Love Song" Reunion  (Free Dirt, Aug 28)

- Ocie Elliott, "Her Eyes Dart Round" Felice County Fair (Celebration Of the Felice Brothers)  (Sony, Oct 16)

- Low Gap, "Amtrak Train" single  (Cloverdale, 26)

- Bonnie Prince Billy, "London May (Live In the City Of Ghosts)" Ghosts Of American Psychonauts  (No Quarter, Sep 18)  D

- Muireann Bradley, "True Love Will Find You In the End" Blackwood Pew EP  (Verve, Oct 23)  D

- Riley Downing, "Helen & Gene" Landfill Poetry  (Oh Boy, Aug 28)

- Kacy Lee Anderson, "Giving In" Hello I'm Irrelevant  (Earth Libraries, Oct 23)  D

- Palmyra, "Pick Me Up" Cheap Beer EP  (Oh Boy, Sep 18)

- Margo Cilker, "Little White Cross" Little White Cross  (Fossil, Oct 9)  D

- Sierra Ferrell, "Trying To Love You" single  (Rounder, 26)  D

- Sam Burton, "I'm a Stranger" Fairweather Friend  (Captured Tracks, Oct 29)  D

- Silverada, "Second Hand" Living Proof  (Edgewater, 26)

- Star Room Boys, "Why Do Lonely Men and Women Break Each Other's Hearts" Why Do Lonely Men and Women Break Each Other's Hearts  (Strolling Bones, Sep 25)  D

- Shaun Couture, "Scratch Off Ticket" single  (General Store, 26)  D

- Futurebirds, "Pretty Eyes" Far Out Country  (Dualtone, Sep 4)

- Left Arm Tan, "Rolling Under the Stars" When Tigers Smoked  (LAT, Oct 9)  D

- Steve Earle & Los Lobos, "Volver a Celaya" single  (New West, 26)  D

- Tre Burt, "Hold Me Slowly Till I Float" single  (Oh Boy, 26)  D

- Lucy Dacus, "Clay Pigeons" Sittin' With Blaze: Tribute To Blaze Foley  (Lost Art, 26)

- Danielle Ponder, "Sun and Moon" Everything Has Changed  (Dead Oceans, Oct 9)  D

- Margaret Glaspy, "Reminder" I Am Both  (ATO, 26)

- Deloyd Elze, "Drive Like I Never Been Hurt" Nellene (Extended)  (Concord, 26)  D

- This Is Lorelei, "Oh No Now My" Singer In My Band  (Matador, Sep 11)  

- Fort Frances, "Parliament Lights" Fort Frances EP  (Roadblock, 26)  D

- Hollow Hand, "Heavy Metal T-Shirt" Wish Road South  (Loose, Sep 4)

- Lake Street Dive, "You're Never Around" single  (Dive Not Drive, 26)  D

- Alabama Shakes, "Garden" I Must Be Dreaming  (Island, Aug 28)  

- Westside Cowboy, "Dobro" It Goes On  (Island, Aug 21)  D

- Way Dynamic, "Officially" Massive Shoe (Reissue)  (Jagjaguwar, Oct 2)

- @, "Punish My Mind" Autosmile  (4AD, Oct 15)  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?!! (August 7, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

August 7, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

As we've stated, there is no shortage of good new singles on an average week. We can disappear down a deep dark hole mining for just the right songs. We also appreciate a fun video, though we have absolutely none of those this week. Good stuff, though, so just close your eyes and make up your own visuals. 

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Futurebirds, "Pretty Eyes" Far Out Country  (Dualtone, Sep 4)

All of the sudden Futurebirds strike gold. At this point we've heard about half of their forthcoming double LP, Far Out Country, and it's been fine. Over the years we've had no problem representing their slightly sticky alt.country to our playlists, but nothing has hit like this pretty, simple ballad: We're gonna learn to fight it, like it or not / So come on give in to me, dust to divinity. 

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Left Arm Tan, "Rolling Under the Stars" When Tigers Smoked  (LAT, Oct 9)

There's a great story behind Left Arm Tan's return, and we're hoping they'll tell it as the release date approaches. For now, we're happy to share the initial single from When Tigers Smoked. So much to like here, from the insistent low-end pulse to the watercolored pedal steel, and those border-adjacent horns. While we wait for more, we'd recommend you all listen to the band's superb three-album run from 2013-2018: Alticana, Lorene, El Camino ...

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Kacy Lee Anderson, "Giving In" Hello I'm Irrelevant  (Earth Libraries, Oct 23)

Known for her work as one-half of Kacy & Clayton, Canada's Kacy Lee Anderson returns with one of the best LP titles of the year. Where her duo tended towards trad and pastoral, this debut single offers a more updated profile. From her publicity: she's writing the songs she wants to hear, whether anyone else cares or not. Not always the most advisable move, it seems to be working just fine here. 

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Odyssey Cult, Vol 3  (Silver Current, Aug 21)

Here is the only song we've ever represented that has been likened to Lemmy-era Hawkwind. The project of guitarist Ethan Miller, there is certainly a heavy-osity to this one. The evolving outfit's third project includes contributions from an impressively diverse range of friends, from legendary drummer Steve Shelley and squaky sax-player Zoh Amba to long-lost vocalist Paula Frazer. 

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Margo Cilker, "Little White Crosses" Little White Crosses  (Fossil, Oct 9)

The Washington State songwriter turned to Bruce Robison to co-produce her third full-length, following Pohorylle and Valley Of Heart's Delight. Comments Cilker, You could definitely call it a concept record. If that concept is that I got really sad and went to Texas. "Little White Crosses" covers a 2022 song by Christy Hays, a writer who also deserves to be discovered (have you heard "Don't Let Me Die In California"?). 

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A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER (August 6, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

August 6, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Here's where we provide readers with a quick and incomplete survey of some of the more engaging stories and sights we've collected this week during our regular jaunts across the 'net. While we strive to populate our own site with as much original content as possible, we're eternally grateful for our fellow bloggers, many of whom are listen among our Good Place To Start links. One of our favorite stops has been Brooklyn Vegan, especially valuable for information regarding new singles. Unfortunately, BV was effectively gutted this week, the operation seemingly shuttered by the site's parent group. With other conglomerators crouching behind a paywall or shutting down altogether, the voices of independent music writers are increasingly valuable. 

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^ Sam & Louise Sullivan perform under one of the least sexy names in all of popular music. Perhaps this is not a surprise, their excellent new Love & Devotion project recorded by a pair of Quaker school teachers from Philadelphia. We hope Stereogum's recent interview hasn't disappeared behind a paywall, but give it a try anyway. 

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Wow. Has it really been since 2019 that we were gifted a new LP from Pieta Brown? We share Twangville's enthusiasm about Dreamin' Of, due later this month. The singer-songwriter spills the details in an interview addressing borrowing her mother-in-law Iris Dement's touring van. And more. 

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Jon Spencer has been an essential force in the continuing fight to land the sound of punk-blues music in every garage in the country. He speaks freely to Retrofuturista on the heels of June's Songs Of Personal Loss and Protest, holding court about overwhelming municipal sewers, the importance of Little Richard in light of the current administration, and Devo's great drummer. 

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We fell in love with Mary In the Junkyard's recent debut, Role Model Hermit. DIY offers a nice interview with the trio, who liken the process of readying their project to giving birth to a horse. 

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As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Racing Mount Pleasant's self-titled debut, the outfit visits KEXP for a wonderful thirty-minute set. They've brought along a violin, a sax, and a pocketful of ambitious progressive folk. 

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While we're enjoying some video content, Paste has cornered Case Oats for a short acoustic set during Wilco's Solid Sound festival. 

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We'll be featuring a new single from This Is Lorelei's forthcoming album very soon. As an apertif, please enjoy this week's long-form interview with the project's ringleader, Nate Amos. Also a member of Water From Your Eyes, the indie rock rascal (their words) chats about growing up the son of bluegrass legend Bob Amos, being banned from Distrokid for uploading too many epic drone dirges, and mainlining Blink 182's All the Small Things on repeat. 

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NYT Popcast offers a nice, long conversation with Conor Oberst, who has been creating music in one form or another since his mid-teens. 

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The talented members of the talented trio, Magic Tuber Stringband wander through the extensive library of Thrill Jockey Records to pull and share some of their favorite and most influential albums from their archives. Thank goodness they are talented, since Magic Tuber Stringband is a phenomenally bad name for a music act. 

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A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster is our way of keeping track of all the year's new and forthcoming releases. This week we added news of Down & Dirty, the down & dirty new LP from David Quinn, awaiting an August 28 street date. Valerie June has announced the pending arrival of Brighter Blue, a new EP courtesy of the Concord label (Sep 11). We're looking forward to hearing some live stuff from Bonnie Prince Billy. No Quarter will release Ghosts Of American Psychonauts come September 18. Ian Noe has (finally) set a date for his long (long)-awaited new record. Canyon Falls Trailer Band will appear wherever music matters on September 25 (Leo13). Finally, Kacy Lee Anderson (one-half of Kacy & Clayton) is looking to October 23 for the unleashing of a solo project, Hello I'm Irrelevant via Earth Libraries. 

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