Drive-By Truckers - "Filthy and Fried"

Photo by Danny Clinch

Next week marks the release of the new Drive-By Truckers' album, American Band. The band has released the lyric video for a third song on the album, "Filthy and Fried." Far less political than the previous two songs we've heard from the album ("Surrender Under Protest" and "What It Means"), "Filthy and Fried" and a Mike Cooley sung song more along the lines of your traditional Drive-By Truckers song. What's most interesting about the song is that it sonically follows a verse-chorus-verse format, but lyrically it just goes in it's own direction with only the final line repeated. The only politics it touches on is the right of a woman to go out looking for a sexual conquest the way men always have been able to (which is for some reason a political issue in this country). Maybe it's the organ, but the "chorus" almost has a gospel feel to it. It also includes what is quite possibly one of my favorite Cooley penned line: "Everyone claims that the times are a changing as theirs pass them by."

American Band, the Drive-By Truckers' latest album, will be out September 30 on ATO Records. You can listen to "Filthy and Fried" below. For more information, check out the band's website, and you can pre-order the album on iTunes. 

Jonny Fritz - "Are You Thirsty"

Jonny Fritz feels like he should be a household name. The artist formerly known as Jonny Corndawg (I've typed Corndawg instead of Fritz at least three times already) has played Newport, recorded with Dawes as his backing band, and sang on Middle Brother's "Middle Brother." While he's known, he's not your aunt knows his name famous yet. 

Fritz takes another shot at superstardom with his upcoming album Sweet Creep. It was produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket and he once again enlists Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes to record the album, which they did in three days. The first song, "Are You Thirsty," is just about as laid back and spacey as current country and folk gets. Fritz has this unique ability to sound both retro and futuristic at the same time. 

Sweet Creep will be out October 14 on ATO Records. You can watch the video for "Are You Thirsty" below. For more information on Jonny Fritz, check out his website. 

Drive-By Truckers - "What It Means"

Photo by Danny Clinch

American Band is either going to propel the Drive-By Truckers into superstardom or push them even further into cult band status. They've never shied away from airing their politics, but there's a big difference from "... goddamn Reagan's in the White House..." and their latest song, the Patterson Hood written and sung "What It Means." "What It Means" is about possibly the most sensitive subject in America today: The shootings of unarmed black men. It was written in the wake of the Ferguson decision and the death of Trayvon Martin, but it could be about any of the recent deaths. The most specific it gets is about Trayvon Martin: "And that guy who killed that kid down in Florida standing ground / Is free to beat up on his girlfriend and wave his brand new gun around." The Drive-By Truckers aren't fucking around on this album.

American Band is due out September 30 on ATO Records, and make sure you pre-order the album. You can watch the lyric video for "What It Means" below. For more information on the Drive-By Truckers, check out their website. And make sure you go see them live. I don't think anyone has ever regretted it. 

Drive-By Truckers - "Surrender Under Protest"

Photo by Danny Clinch

Drive-By Truckers have always been a fairly political band. The band just announced their latest album, American Band, which is going to rev the politics up to 11. Co-songwriter Patterson Hood says about the upcoming album: "I don’t want there to be any doubt as to which side of this discussion we fall on. I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding of where we stand. If you don’t like it, you can leave. It’s okay. We’re not trying to be everybody’s favorite band, we’re going to be who we are and do what we do and anyone who’s with us, we’d love to have them join in." Mike Cooley is also pretty direct about the new album: "I wanted this to be a no bones about it, in your face political album," he says. "I wanted to piss off the assholes."

The first single, "Surrender Under Protest," is a perfect example of the Drive-By Truckers' politics. It's about South Carolina finally removing the Confederate flag after the shooting in a Charleston church last summer. With the opening line "From the comfort zone of history," Cooley leaves no possible chance that the listener might misinterpret his lyrics. 

American Band will be out September 30 on ATO Records. You can listen to "Surrender Under Protest" below. For more on the Drive-By Truckers, check out their website.

Margaret Glaspy - "Emotions and Math"

Photo by Ebru Yildiz

While her previous releases were a bit more folk oriented, "Emotions and Math," the newest single from Margaret Glaspy, leans more toward the pop side of Americana that Lucius and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down have mastered. What sets Margaret Glaspy apart from the others is her voice. She has this soulful voice that also has an energetic 90s slacker vibe to it. Think of Susan Tedeschi meets Courtney Barnett. It all creates this element of both the familiar and unique blending together.

Margaret Glaspy's debut album, Emotions and Math, is due out June 17 on ATO Records, and is available for pre-order. For more information on Margaret Glaspy, check out her website, and listen to "Emotions and Math" below.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - "Cricket and the Genie (Movement 1, The Delirium)

You would probably assume that anything that either Les Claypool or Sean Lennon get involved in is going to be weird. Since their debut album is called Monolith of Phobos and the first single is "Cricket and the Genie (Movement 1, The Delirium," you're right. It's weird.

But, it's easy to forget that both Lennon and Claypool have some serious pop sensibilities. Primus have had some moderate hits, and Sean Lennon's Into the Sun was one of the most underrated albums of the late 90s. The song is pretty bouncy, with a killer grooved out bass line (of course,) and while it is trippy, it's trippy in a pretty normal way. If there was still a thing as modern rock radio in 2016, this would be a candidate for song of the summer. So it's weird, but it's not that weird. Except for the flute solos. Flute solos are pretty much always weird.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium's debut album (which also features Money Mark on keyboards,) Monolith of Phobos, is due out June 3 on ATO Records. You can listen to "Cricket and the Genie (Movement 1, The Delirium)" below. For more information on The Claypool Lennon Delirium, check out their website or Facebook.

Rayland Baxter - "Mr. Rodriguez (SOHO EP)"

"Mr. Rodriguez" isn't exactly a new song, seeing as we first heard it on last year's exceedingly great Imaginary Man. Rayland Baxter is set to release SOHO EP next Friday, which revisits some of the tracks on Imaginary Man in a more stripped down version. If this new version of "Mr. Rodriguez" is any indication, this isn't just a collection of acoustic versions of songs you have already heard. The SOHO EP version is stripped down to bare bones, consisting mainly of Baxter's vocals and minimal guitar layered with a background of reverb. I truly can't say either version is the best version, but instead each lives in its own universe that you owe it to yourself to check out.

SOHO EP will be available at Rayland Baxter's current tour dates. If you can't make it, you can also purchase one at the ATO Records webstore. For current tour dates, be sure to check out his website.

Rayland Baxter - "Mr. Rodriguez"

I owe Rayland Baxter an apology. Back when I reviewed "Yellow Eyes," another song off his upcoming release Imaginary Man, I mentioned that I had dismissed his previous album. After hearing a second song off of Imaginary Man, I was damn wrong to do so.

"Mr. Rodriguez" was inspired by Sixto Rodriguez, the now legendary Detroit folk artist and the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary Searching for Sugarman. "Mr. Rodriguez" is everything I want in a modern country/folk song. While mainstream country isn't even recognizable as country, and alt-country tends to co-opt an old fashioned sound that borders on novelty, "Mr. Rodriguez" takes elements of both to bring you the rare modern folk/country sound. Baxter is a fantastic storyteller in this song, which is going to bring obvious comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. It's a lush sound that is laid back without ever being boring. This has all the makings of a career-defining album.

Imaginary Man is due out August 14 on ATO Records. You can listen to "Mr. Rodriguez" below. You can keep track of what Rayland Baxter is up to on his website, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Rayland Baxter - "Yellow Eyes"

I first became aware of Rayland Baxter back when he was playing Newport Folk Festival in 2013, and I just couldn't get into him. I kept trying and trying to get into his album, but I just couldn't. It just didn't speak to me, and somehow seemed almost like a novelty record.

With the release of the first song off his upcoming album, everything has changed. "Yellow Eyes" is fantastic. It's indie folk/country at its absolute apex. Fragile and catchy vocals, laid back instrumentation with a beautiful guitar riff along with the chorus, the perfect amount of polish on the production... this song would be the hit of the summer if there was any justice in the world. With one song, Rayland Baxter has turned me into dismissing him to a raving fan.

Imaginary Man will be out August 14 on ATO Records. You can listen to "Yellow Eyes" below. For more information on Rayland Baxter, check out his website and Facebook or Twitter. His current tour dates are also included below.

June 23—Bergen, Norway—Ole Bull Teater*
June 24—Oslo, Norway—Vulkan Arena*
June 25—Trondheim, Norway—Byscenen*
June 26—Ostersund, Sweden—Gamla Teatern*
June 27—Uppsala, Sweden—Katalin*
June 28—Stockholm, Sweden—Mosebacke Establissement*
June 30—Falkenberg, Sweden—Hwitan*
July 3—Berlin, Germany—Monarch Berlin
July 8--London--Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
July 24 & 25—Floyd, VA—Floydfest
August 6—Boulder, CO—Triple A Radio Conference
August 25—Sparta, KY—Nifi Festival
October 2-4— Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 9-11—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival

Gill Landry featuring Laura Marling - "Take This Body"

Gill Landry of Old Crow Medicine Show has his third solo album coming out next month, and he's enlisted some friends to help him out on it. The self-titled album was recorded in “... a ramshackle, shanty-ass apartment on the south side of Nashville.” "Take This Body" features Laura Marling on vocals. The track is quiet and laid back folk, with Marling's vocals creating a haunting effect behind the song. It's beautiful and eerie at the same time. 

Gill Landry's self-titled album will be out June 22 on ATO Records. It will also feature Robert Ellis, Nick Etwell of Mumford & Sons, and Odessa Jorgensen on various tracks. You can listen to "Take This Body" below, and head on over to Gill Landry's website for pre-ordering and more information.