Somehow we’re at the end of August, somehow I have reconstituted into a human being, somehow my grad school classes have started. But also, there’s so much wonderful music out there — a daily miracle, truly. This playlist is a roundup of some of my favorite releases from August. If you think there’s something I’m missing, let me know — I can’t listen to everything; especially when I’m already armpit-deep in textbooks!
1. F Scott and the Nighthawks — “Outlaws” (Hold On To Your Heart) — Fun and funky muscular 80s-inspired country rock; Mike and the Moonpies meets John Mellencamp; stadium rock that needs to be experienced live
2. Ashley Virginia — “She’s So Tired” (And Life Just Goes on Livin’) — As I wrote on Country Queer, Virginia has a knack for combining ’60s psychedelia and ’90s freak folk. Her words cut through the shimmery music, creating some gutting — but funky — music to dance and heal to.
3. Joey Cape — “We Might Be Wrong” (A Good Year to Forget) — Joey had quite the 2020: he lost his father, his marriage, his livelihood, and contracted COVID. But A Good Year to Forget is anything but a downer: it’s a gentle, if somber, album that plumbs the depths of the illusions that tie us down.
4. Brother Earl and the Cousins — “Fishin’” (Down With My Ship) — Twisted humor and pain a la The Refreshments; Brother Earl broke it all down on his interview with us. He and the band have been through some things, but that doesn’t get them down. Songs like “Fishin'” remind us that country music doesn’t have to be goofy or tragic; it can sit somewhere in between.
5. Summer Dean — “Blue Jean Country Queen” (Bad Romantic) — Bad Romantic is a bad-ass romp through 70s-style country. Summer Dean brings the attitude — and the charm — on this one.
6. EG Vines — “Good Enough” (Through the Mirror) — If Weezer made a politically-minded Americana album, it wouldn’t be able to touch EG Vines’ Through the Mirror. With big, arena-worthy hooks, Vines uses his 10 tracks to try to understand how the denial of our parents and grandparents got us to where we are today. The album ends on a beautiful, uplifting note, though. It’s worth staying for the whole thing.
7. Connie Smith — “Three Sides” (The Cry of the Heart) — Connie Smith is a country music survivor, a contemporary of Dolly and Merle’s. Listening to this album, it’s like the last 50 years never happened to country music — and that’s a great thing. Amidst all the heartbreak Smith chronicles, the album is pulsing with energy, inventiveness, and the joy of creating music together. Smith’s voice brings new dimensions to your classic country fare — bringing a lifetime of experience, woe, and perseverance to each 3-minute novella.
8. Joe Troop — “Hermano Migrante” (Borrowed Time) — More so than the album, I’m just impressed with Joe Troop. I had the honor of interviewing him for Country Queer Spotlight and the guy is remarkable. In the interview, he spoke to the song “Hermano Migrante,” which is sung in Spanish with one very pointed line in English. The song originally had less teeth, but one of his good friends held him accountable, and he returned with this.
9. Tim Easton — “Festival Song” (You Didn’t Really Know Me) — Easton’s album is an earthy meditation on evolution and finding peace with yourself. Throughout the album, I couldn’t figure out quite what it was reminding me of. Then I realized You Didn’t Really Know Me is simply what it would sound like if John Moreland and Joey Kneiser got together for a jam session.
10. Suzanne Santo — “Mercy” (Yard Sale) — Santo’s got an incredible voice and a singular writing style. On Yard Sale, she exorcises all her demons. I loved the album, but “Mercy” is the song that distills Yard Sale‘s sonic and lyrical themes to their sharpest punch.
11. AJ Lee and the Blue Summit — “Faithful” (I’ll Come Back) — The Bay Area bluegrass band goes back to basics on I’ll Come Back, a modern bluegrass romp with love songs, breakup songs, and everything in between — plus plenty of pride in doing bluegrass the old-fashioned way.
I think that following me on Spotify is a thing you can do to make sure you get a new playlist from me every Friday! You can also follow Tuesday Teardrops, a playlist of new and exciting songs that refreshes every — you guessed it — Tuesday! As always, buy music and/or merch directly from the artists because Spotify is a horrible and exploitative platform!
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