LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Deer Tick

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 10, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Most of the acts that we've featured in our Lookback Machine Episodes served a role during the formative years of our kind of music. By definition, they've been around for a long time and their best years are behind them. Deer Tick will never release another record with the impact of their 2011 debut, but their just-released Coin-o-Matic is arguably the strongest thing John J McCauley and co have created at least since 2011's Divine Providence. 

In another world, Deer Tick could have been considered alongside the Replacements, with frontguy McCauley serving as their Paul Westerberg, a better songwriter than he's been credited. Those earlier projects were sloppy in the loveliest way, but like Westerberg McCauley pushed out from those punk roots to define a wider-reaching swath of roots rock and pure pop, his trademark vocals ensuring that Deer Tick continues to betray those origins. We could easily have made this a Lookback at John J McCauley, including his excellent side projects with Middle Brothers and Diamond Rugs, but since his early years in Rhode Island the singer has made it his intention to be part of a group rather than a solo act (the band is presently composed of Dennis Ryan on drums, bassist Christopher Ryan, and Andrew Tobiassen on guitar). We did, however, include one of a couple of Pogues covers that Deer Tick have recorded. 

DEER TiCK: thirty favorites

- "Art Isn't Real (City Of Sin)" War Elephant  (Partisan, Sep 4 2011)

- "Baltimore Blues No 1" 

- "These Old Shoes" 

- "Little White Lies" Born On Flag Day  (Partisan, Jun 23 2009)

- "Smith Hill"

- "Houston TX"

- "Twenty Miles" Black Dirt Sessions  (Partisan, Jun 9 2010)

- "Mange"

- "The Bump" Divine Providence  (Partisan, Oct 5 2011)

- "Let's All Go To the Bar" 

- "Main Street" 

- "The Rock" Negativity  (Partisan, Sep 24 2013)

- "The Curtain" 

- "Dream's In the Ditch"

- "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" Bloodshot Six Pack To Go  (Bloodshot, Aug 2 2016)

- "Sea Of Clouds" Deer Tick Vol 1  (Partisan, Sep 15 2017)

- "Card House" 

- "Jumpstarting" Deer Tick Vol 2  (Partisan, Sep 15 2017)

- "It's a Whale" 

- "Hey! Yeah!" Mayonnaise  (Partisan, Feb 1 2019)

- "If She Could Only See Me Now (Live)" Live From Fort Adams  (Deer Tick, Jul 30 2021)

- "Forgiving Ties" Emotional Contracts  (ATO, Jun 16 2023)

- "A Light Can Go Out In the Heart" 

- "Sacrosanct" Contractual Obligations  (ATO, Jul 12 2024)

- "Big Black Hearse"

- "Light Up Reindeer" single  (ATO, Nov 18 2025)

- "Dog Years" Coin-o-Matic  (ATO, Jun 5 2026)

- "Mary Singletary" 

- "ACI" 

- "Everything Born" 

--------------------------

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: Zoh Amba, Eyes Full (Matador, June 5)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 9, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

For their seventh record, their first for the Matador label, Zoh Amba chose to set aside the saxophone with which they had built their reputation as an improvisational player. Eyes Full (Matador) presents the Tennessee artist as a primitive visionary, a vehicle for the unfiltered light of music. In this sense, even without the sax, singing from a wild and unschooled place, hammering at their acoustic guitar, this is much the same Zoh Amba that we hear wailing away in an Italian church at the end of "Child You'll See". 

In a recent interview, Zoh Amba explains, Everything I was trying to do with the saxophone music is everything I'm trying to do in this. For Eyes Full, they've gathered a small but essential team of apostles, including electric guitarist Kevin Hyland, bassist Lawson Alderson (from MJ Lenderman's band) and visionary drummer Jim White, with whom Amba played as Beings. On "Smile With Your Eyes", the acoustic strings chug like a train straining to gain speed. The trio recorded the songs live in studio, forgoing overdubs or enhancements. "Dead End Street" rages with free-range energy, an engine that also drives the title cut. Like the unrestrained spirit that characterizes their horn playing, Amba's voice is pure expression, a bold and raw delivery that can be shocking, even abrasive. 

Yet that's the beauty of Zoh Amba's new session, the confidence and unadultered place that make songs like "Southern Soil" almost devotional. Those who need to classify Eyes Full could point to the record's most direct moment as a folksong, rooted like many of their new tunes in the sometimes harsh realities of their native Tennessee. Reportedly the survivor of a rough and uncertain upbringing, Amba counsels their mother and father, You ain't gotta keep those secrets. There is a definite sweetness and light on "Another Time", as the singer reaches toward God in and through people on the street: Saw you on the street / You were playing guitar / You were looking at all the eyes that passed / You were looking for god. 

Zoh Amba selected their current name as an expression of their monastic Hinduism, and this pervasive openness to God and spirit shines throughout their music and interviews. Loose comparisons could be made to Adrianne Lenker's work with Big Thief, or even to Karly Hartzman's savage expression with Wednesday. But Eyes Full captures a specific moment in the restless artistic journey of a genuine original. I hope that people can come and give the music a chance, they have said, and let it sit in their heart. If they give it a chance, the music will grow a flower in the heart. I promise. 

--------------------------

ROUTES-cast June 7, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 7, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Per Friday's message, we're throwing reason to the wind and upending/expanding our blogging schedule. Tuesday will feature If You Only Listen To One Album This Week, the record review that used to accompany our regular Sunday ROUTES-cast. This week's Episode includes our inaugural glimpse at new projects from Dogwood Tales, Taylor Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Cook, and more. We also feature artists that are new to us, such as the Dreggs, True Mountain Laurel, and Max Subar. 

ROUTES-cast June 7, 2026

- Zoh Amba, "Dead End Street" Eyes Full  (Matador, 26)

- Keenan O'Meara, "Halley's Comet" Bathe In the Everlasting Light  (Belting Bronco, Jun 28)

- Anna McClellan, "Twirl" Space You Big Cloud  (Father/Daughter, 26)  D

^ Widowspeak, "Roses" Roses  (Captured Tracks, 26)

- Deer Tick, "Dog Years" Coin-o-Matic  (ATO, 26)

- Taylor Hollingsworth, "Shady People" Folk N' Roll  (Dial Back Sound, Aug 21)  D

- Futurebirds, "Ghost Moon" Far Out Country  (Dualtone, 26)

- Dogwood Tales, "McMemories" Every Star In Rockingham County  (Born Losers, Aug 28)  D

- Dreggs, "Golden Lights" single  (Dreggs, 26)  D

- Haylie Davis, "Young Man" Wandering Star  (Fire, 26)

- Vandoliers, "Compass Rose" Afterglow EP  (Break Maiden, 26)  D

- Hannah Juanita, "Wild and Blue" Magnolia Sessions  (Anti Corp, Jul 3)  D

- Brent Cobb, "Live a Song Write a Memory" Live a Song Write a Memory Vol 1  (Ol' Buddy, 26)  D

- River Shook, "Lost Without Your Love" River Shook  (Blackberry River, Jun 26)

- Red Clay Strays, "Walking Away" Grateful  (RCA, 26)

- Old Crow Medicine Show, "Revolution Now (ft Evan Felker)" Union Made  (Hartland, 26)

- Elizabeth Cook, "Razorwire Wall (ft Evan Felker)" Great Television  (Agent Love, Aug 14)  D

- Jason Eady, "Mean Spirits" Tulsa Turnaround  (Old Guitar, 26)

- Sad Daddy, "Bootlegger" Ozark Shine  (Free Dirt, Jun 26)  D

- John R Miller, "Don't Bet On Me" Great Unknowing  (Rounder, Jul 17)

- Bella White, "Stuff" A Sign In the Weather  (Rounder, 26)

- Caleb Caudle, "Heavy Thrill" Heavy Thrill  (Handplow, 26)

- True Mountain Laurel, "Angel So Bad" Angel So Bad  (Birthday Cake, Aug 28)  D

- Max Subar, "See Saw" Anything Could Be  (Merge, Jul 17)  D

- JW Francis, "Radio Tower" Magic River  (Francis, Jun 26)  D

- Beth Orton, "Otherside" The Ground Above  (Partisan, Jun 26)

- Horsefeathers, "Finch On Saturday (demo)" Words Are Dead (Deluxe Edition)  (Kill Rock Stars, Aug 28)  D

- Fenne Lily, "Uh Huh" Win Win  (Nettwerk, Oct 23)  D

- Margaret Glaspy, "Michigan" I Am Both  (ATO, Aug 7)  D

- Slow Accordion, "71" Slow Accordion  (Royal Potato Family, Jul 17)  D

--------------------------

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 5, 2026)

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 5, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Following an adjustment to our proper work schedule, we've found ourselves with plenty of free time to re-inflate our blog with all this daily hoopla! Until our availability is once again compromised we're considering the following:

Sunday: Our Greatest Hit, the weekly Spotify ROUTES-cast

Tuesday: a Review (previously featured alongside Sunday's playlist)

Wednesday: the Lookback Machine: thirty (30) favorite songs from an artist we enjoy

Thursday: Guide To Feeding Your Monster: a weekly roundup of good news about good noise

Friday: What's So Great About This Week?!! Our five (5) favorite songs for the week, with videos!

WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!

Elizabeth Cook, "Razorwire Wall (ft Evan Felker)"  Great Television  (Agent Love, Aug 14)

Ask yourself what more you could want from the first new Elizabeth Cook song in ages? Cat-titude? Hard guitar? A cameo from Turnpike Troubadour Evan Felker (one of two this week)? For everything that could've gone astray, "Razorwire" is a promising intro to her first record since 2020. Produced by Shooter Jennings? 

--------------------------

Fenne Lily, "Uh Huh" Win Win  (Nettwerk, Oct 23)

Consider this the most effective use of uh huh in any recent song. Especially when considering the effectiveness of wordier alternatives such as you bet, no doubt, or definitely. Proves that you can cast a spell with a banjo. 

--------------------------

Margaret Glaspy, "Michigan" I Am Both  (ATO, Aug 7)

Margaret Glaspy is in Michigan, but by all reports she is doing just fine. We're sharing an unadorned acoustic guitar and harmonica take of the first single from her August record, though the studio recording isn't much more adorned. 

--------------------------

Dogwood Tales, "McMemories" Every Star In Rockingham County  (Born Losers, Aug 28)

One of our favorite records from the year-to-date is Dogwood Tales' January 7 collaboration with Euphoria Again. Consider us pleased to see that the Virginia quartet has even more to offer in the form of this buzzy alt number: Saw your name on a toothbrush / I couldn't throw it away. Virginia isn't far from North Carolina: Current Home Of Alt.Country, but you can see it from there. 

--------------------------

Zoh Amba, "Dead End Street" Eyes Full  (Matador, Jun 5)

Just when Zoh Amba had us convinced they were a free-jazz sax player, they pick up a guitar and share one of the year's most impactful alt.country records. We're still not convinced they can sing or play guitar properly, but what a wonderful racket. 

--------------------------

A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster (June 4, 2026)

A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER

good news about good noise

June 4, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Remember when we used to do this? When every week we'd lay out ten (or nine) pretty interesting stories from elsewhere on the internet? Us too. Let's do that again. 

--------------------------

Let's enjoy this longform write-up about guitarist Ron Steele and his essential role in Chicago music at Chicago Reader . It's part of Mike Stephen's Secret History of Chicago Music radio program. Heck, long as you're there, read this piece about Andrew Sa's very promising June 26 album on Bloodshot. 

--------------------------

We'll be taking a stab at our favorite records for the first half of 2026 near the end of June. No spoilers, but you can rest assured that we're feeling pretty fond of Ratboys' February release, Singin' To An Empty Chair. You can catch a nice live set from KEXP's live sessions. 

--------------------------

Big Thief sat in some tall grass in Ireland and played four songs, a couple of them brand new. Of course, they sound terrific, even if all we can think of is all the bugs that must be crawling and flying around them. Adrianne Lenker and co are approaching Maximum Groove. 

--------------------------

Ray Wylie Hubbard has found his way back to the studio to record a new project. Saving Country Music shares a bit of the story behind Reel 2 Reel 4 Real, set for an August 21 release. 

--------------------------

Our kind of music is so hot these days. Kevin Morby has followed his lady friend Katie Crutchfield down dusty roads and unmown fields for his very good Little Wide Open. Under the Radar interviews Morby in a field of sunflowers. 

--------------------------

So so many bloggers are doing the Best Of the Year So Far ... thing. Do we pay attention to them? Yeah, sure we do. Especially when they're from tasteful tastemakers like No Expectations' Josh Terry, aka some guy in Chicago. You should subscribe to his newsletter. 

--------------------------

Sharp-eyed followers might have noticed that this week's Routes-cast included something from Australian Way Dynamic's Massive Shoe. The project of Dylan Young, the under-the-radar LP will be reissued by Jagjaguwar in October. If the R&B rec isn't enough, the project has been touted by names as diverse as Waxahatchee and Elton John. 

--------------------------

For those who feel our blog doesn't adequately represent Andean music, Hermanos Gutierrez have announced that their September 25 album, Los Ojos Del Condor (Easy Eye) will be a love letter to South America. The brothers' bloodline runs through Ecuador and Peru. And Sweden. 

--------------------------

Justin Ringle and Kill Rock Stars have announced a twentieth anniversary reissue of Horse Feathers' debut full-length, Words Are Dead. A US tour featuring members of Blind Pilot and River Whyless is scheduled to begin in August. Can a new project be far behind? We're not asking this rhetorically. 

--------------------------

LOOKBACK MACHiNE: Freakwater

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

June 3, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Yes, we're returning to our weekly survey of thirty (30) songs by one important artist. This Episode we're focusing on Freakwater, the ensemble surrounding the otherworldly harmonies of vocalist/songwriters Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Irwin. There are few if any acts that are simultaneously as deeply rooted in tradition and as likely to depart from trad. To quote Irwin, Freakwater is the sound of hope being destroyed, at least when we're doing it right. 

We'd strongly encourage you to dip into Bean's other Chicago institution, Eleventh Dream Day, as well as Irwin's solo records. But for today we're focusing on the Freakwater projects that remain available for streaming, from 1991's debut to their 2016 Scheherazade. We've also added a pair of tunes from their 2022 collab with the Mekons beneath the Freakons moniker. While the duo's harmonies are essential to their indelible sound, the consistentcy of their writing and musicianship should not be overlooked. Their originals hold their own beside the earlier covers. Once again quoting the band, In all honesty there is not another band like we are, and that is a great thing because there is no one to take our place. 

FREAKWATER: thirty favorites

- "A Song You Could Cry For" Dancing Under Water  (Thrill Jockey, 91)

- "Rank Strangers" 

- "Wild and Blue" 

- "You're Still On My Mind"

- "My Old Drunk Friend" Feels Like the Third Time (Thrill Jockey, Sep 1 93)

- "Forgettable Song" 

- "Crazy Man"

- "You've Never Been This Far Before"

- "Gravity" Old Paint  (Thrill Jockey, Oct 10 95)

- "My One Desire" 

- "Smoking Daddy"

- "Waitress Song" 

- "Picture In My Mind" Springtime  (Thrill Jockey, Jan 20 98)

- "Louisville Lip" 

- "Twisted Wire" 

- "Binding Twine" 

- "Good For Nothing" End Time  (Thrill Jockey, Sep 7 99)

- "Cloak Of Frogs"

- "Cheap Watch"

- "Queen Bee"

- "Right Brothers" Thinking Of You  (Thrill Jockey, Sep 13, 05)

- "So Strange"

- "Loserville"

- "Hi Ho Silver"

- "What the People Want" Scheherazade  (Fluff & Gravy, Feb 15 16)

- "Asp and the Albatross"

- "Velveteen Matador"

- "Number One With a Bullet"

- "Chestnut Blight" Freakons  (Fluff & Gravy, Mar 25, 22)

- "Blackleg Miner" 

--------------------------

To enjoy any Spotify ROUTES-cast, just open Spotify and search for "routesandbranches" to access this most recent playlist, as well as many others from past months.  Or click here for a preview:

ROUTES-cast May 31, 2026

ROUTES & BRANCHES

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

May 31, 2026

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

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

IF YOU ONLY LiSTEN to ONE RECORD THiS WEEK

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

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

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

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

ROUTES-cast May 31, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--------------------------

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: