ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
November 6, 2026
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
WHAT's SO GREAT ABOUT THiS WEEK?!!
^Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co., "The Dark Don't Hide It" Texas Four Step (Keeled Scales, Feb 12)
Short of Jason Molina pulling out of his illness, this is the very best of all possible outcomes. We've featured the handful of singles that Will Johnson and the surviving members of Magnolia Electric Co have released to date, and couldn't be more impressed with Keeled Scales' announcement of this forthcoming double live document. Here we'll quote from Erin Osmon's notes: ... they are not a tribute act. Not a cover band. They are a new, very gifted band of players who happened to have intimate relationships with the music they're playing and the man who wrote it. We've heard the entire thing, and the results are transcendent.
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Tomgirls, "Run" Sissy (Skull & Bow, Feb 12)
Jenni Rose is the singer and songwriter for the Vandoliers. "Run" is the stirring debut song from her new project as Tomgirls. It was released a few weeks ago, but we decided to feature it here because it's a terrific song and a great video. This is the first day that she feels alive / Jenni told me I just have to try / Might not be good at this, but I still want it / I want to see her in the mirror.
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Hudson Freeman, "Texas In Flaming Tongues" Doom Country (Mom+Pop, 26)
Yesterday we shared a link to a Consequence of Sound piece where Hudson Freeman addressed how his new project was influenced in part by his evangelical upbringing, a dark fascination with the apocalypse and a genuine fear of the rapture. You'll hear some of that in this final single, in addition to electric guitars seemingly dragged behind a train. In a good way.
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River Shook, "California Dreaming" single (Blackberry River, 26)
Back in June, River Shook released their excellent self-titled album. This standalone single arrives as Shook embarks on their California Dreaming Tour. In the writer's own words: It's about possibility and potential. It's about taking stock of your life and making sure it's going in the direction you want. It's about reaching for your dreams at any age, at any time, and working your ass off to make them come true.
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Will Hasell, "Knuckle" single (Suddenly, 26)
We're glad Will Hasell released this single, partly so that we can talk about Roadkill Heart, the exceptional full-length he released back in August. We didn't notice the record until it had already passed us by, and have since decided it's among the best of the year. There. Now we feel a little better.
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