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Our latest posts
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted” Tracks
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026 Live Reviews
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras Anniversary Cheers
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD AUK Mini-Gigs
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992 Classic Clips
HomeColumnsPolitical Pops

Political Pops

AUK’s Paul Villers has a weekly look at the news with an accompanying Americana song

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Richard Thompson “Keep Your Distance”

April 9, 2020 Paul Villers 0

Well here we (still) are. Here’s hoping that you are keeping well, dear reader, and that you are finding things to keep you occupied if you happen to be self-isolating, social distancing, furloughed or simply keeping […]

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Larry Sparks “The Testing Time”

April 3, 2020 Paul Villers 0

Err… well. This is some bollocks happening right here, right now huh? We truly hope you and yours are ok, that you’re managing OK, hopefully making sense of stuff and staying as safe as you can.

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: “Coronavirus Explained”

March 27, 2020 Paul Villers 0

Obviously this is no time for levity so we are suspending our usual nark-fest of political tirades and piss-taking. Instead we have found this video which is one of the clearest and simplest explanations we have seen […]

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Richard Cheese “Down with The Sickness”

March 20, 2020 Paul Villers 0

So how’s it going? You OK? Got enough supplies to self-isolate? Keeping abreast of developments? How’s the official response working for you? You being treated OK? Got any worries or concerns? How’s your bruised head after […]

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Townes Van Zandt “Waiting Round To Die”

March 13, 2020 Paul Villers 0

This week down in the bunker we have been ruminating on the possibility that we are in some sort of ‘end of days’ scenario. Every time we put on our cathode ray 14” black and white […]

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our latest posts

Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted”

Tracks
February 20, 2026 1

Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026

Live Reviews
February 20, 2026 0
Slim Dunlap at The Mad Riplle Hootenanny 27thNovember 2007

Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras

Anniversary Cheers
February 20, 2026 0

Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD

AUK Mini-Gigs
February 20, 2026 0
Chris Whitley from a 1990s benefit concert in New York City

Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992

Classic Clips
February 20, 2026 1

  • Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted”
  • Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026
  • Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras
  • Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD
  • Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992
  • Rose’s Pawn Shop “American Seams”
  • Charley Crockett makes it a hat trick of albums in a year with “Age of the Ram”
  • The latest AUK podcast is available now featuring Katherine Priddy and Band of Heathens
  • Awolk “Into The Void” – sometimes the void looks back
  • Video: Tenderness “The Salt Flats” – living in the moment of gentle panic
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  • David Walker: "Slug Line" almost made it to my top ten, and IMO opinion it has qualities that are greater than some…
  • Peter Thompson: Hi Matt, Thanks for taking the time to comment. You make some good points and you make them well. I…
  • Matt: Peter, The songs are good, and I respect your opinion, but I really question first, your definition of "Americana" and…

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Mean Mary answers six of one and half a dozen of the other

February 18, 2026 0

The banjo is a glorious instrument that can do a lot of ill in the wrong hands. It’s not easy to proudly, confidently pluck out some hot licks and really hard to play it with the […]

Behind the Songs

Behind the Songs: Polite Company “Please Go Wild”

February 17, 2026 0

Alan Gregg is a native Kiwi transplanted to North London with a spotty resumé to his credit. Not intending to be impolite, but prospective employers might be taken aback, curious as to what he has been […]

Interviews

Interview: Jim White on Trey Blake and the backstory of “Precious Bane”

February 12, 2026 2

If you’ve heard anything about Jim White, you’ve probably heard about the surfing, the modeling, the cab driving, and the unlikely way David Byrne changed his life with a record deal. You’ve heard about the junk […]

You may have missed…

Tracks

Songs for the apocalypse: Woodpigeon “Redbeard”

July 9, 2020 0

Last week in this column I featured the band The Young Republic who were one of the first and only releases on the End of the Road record label. The same year I saw them was […]

Columns

AUK Short Cuts: Sequoia Rose, Everett Wren, Old Lost John, The Red Barn, Rooster Blackspur, Sara Bug, Hollowsage & the Three Mile Islanders, Tessio, The Popravinas! and Gabriel Minnikin

February 3, 2025 0

Our latest Short Cuts, a monthly feature where AUK casts a brief eye and ear on several albums we’ve received recently which just didn’t make the cut for a full review. Like most major music websites […]

News

Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers announce new album

July 18, 2017 0

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers will release “The Long-Awaited Album” on Rounder Records/Decca Records on 22nd September. The record is Martin’s newest collaboration with the Grammy-winning North Carolina-based band the Steep Canyon Rangers, and “full of […]

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