Mogwai, courtesy Steve Gullick.

This week on Tuesday Tracks, we bring you post-rock from Mogwai, Americana from Frank Viele and Gold Star, blues from Joanne Shaw Taylor, pop from Leigh Nash and shoegaze from Wisp.

Frank Viele, “Trainwreck” – This rousing Americana rocker is about those reckless relationships that burn too bright and too hot: “Train wreck, what’s next? Running off the rails, what did you expect?” Viele sings over blazing guitar lines. Viele calls his sound New England blues, but this song was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and you can definitely hear the swamp-rock influence. Viele’s new album, The Trouble With Desire, is out in February.

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Leigh Nash featuring Villiers, “Cry” – You’ll recognize Leigh Nash’s iconic voice the minute you hear it. She’s the vocalist from Sixpence None the Richer, famous for their hit “Kiss Me” (among many others). Nash has recorded a new album that features a different collaborator on every song. On “Cry,” she duets with newcomer singer-songwriter Villiers (who co-wrote the song). The Tide, Vol. 2 is out in February.

Joanne Shaw Taylor, “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now” – English singer-guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor’s tune about grief and loss is striking in its forthrightness: “I’ve called your name in every room in this house/ Until my tears dried up and my breath gave out,” she sings. Although she is renown as a blues guitarist, Taylor’s guitar is a subtle backdrop here, letting the words and sentiments carry the song. Her Heavy Soul Tour will stop at the Uptown Theatre in Napa on Friday.

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Gold Star, “Fentanyl” – Marlon Rabenreither, who performs as Gold Star, is an L.A.-based singer-songwriter whose influences include Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt. “Fentanyl” is Gold Star’s commentary on the opioid crisis in America, specifically the title drug that kills thousands every year. Over both lap steel and pedal steel, as well as fingerpicked guitar, Rabenreither sings, “We did what we were bound to do/ And in this way we were born to lose.” Gold Star’s new LP, How To Shoot the Moon, is produced by The National collaborator Sean O’Brien and is out Nov. 15.

Mogwai, “Lion Rumpus” – Glasgow rock band Mogwai is back with a new burst of energizing noise rock. “Lion Rumpus” is, like much of their work, wordless but full of feeling. A little proggy and a little punk, this one even features a rare guitar solo. The video, which follows a dog walker in his adventures around NYC, echoes the positive vibes of the song. Mogwai’s 11th album, The Bad Fire, is out in January.

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Wisp, “I remember how your hands felt on mine” – Natalie R. Lu, who records and performs as Wisp, is influenced by Whirr and Slowdive. The San Franciscan blew up on TikTok last year with “your face” and her ethereal voice, over hard, driving guitars has made her the new goddess of shoegaze. She’s currently supporting Slowdive in the U.S. before heading out on her own tour to Asia.

Rachel’s pick: No one brings emotion to a lyric-less rock song like Mogwai. I felt truly uplifted while listening to “Lion Rumpus,” and the video with adorable dogs probably helped, too!

Follow Rachel Alm on Twitter at @thouzenfold, on Instagram at @thousandfold, and on Bluesky at @thousandfold.bsky.social.