Episode 5 – We Need Rock and Roll Dentists!
January 30, 2023
Top 5 Songs about Places Playlist
Show Transcript
Welcome to Songs That Don’t Suck, with your host, Mark Bradbourne.
Thanks Zach! Hey everybody, it is your aging Gen Xer and all around music nut Mark, back for episode 5 of Songs That Don’t Suck. Thanks for listening. We’ve got new music this week, obviously. I’ve got some stories and deep thoughts to share, and Jenna is going to join me later in the show with an artist spotlight.
This week, I’m going to try and do something just slightly different with the format. I’m going to sprinkle the new music in throughout the episode. Now if this is the first episode you’re hearing, each week I listen to 300 to 500 new songs that could get put out on Spotify’s new music playlists, and I give each one about 30 seconds to impress me. The ones that I can actually listen to for the full 30 seconds, I let them keep playing. The best of those wind up here each week in Songs That Don’t Suck. Now I had a very draining and busy weekend, a lot of running around, spent about 8 hours in the car, and I think just the busyness affected my mood, and I think that is reflected in the choices this week. So as you listen, you’ll notice that things are a little more chill than they have been in past episodes.
So let’s dive in. The first song that floated to the top of the cesspool this week was The Perfect Pair by beabadooboo. Check it out.
beabadoobee – the perfect pair
That was beabadooboo with The Perfect Pair. She was born in the Philippines and raised in London. She had her first hit five or six years ago with coffee, and the thing that struck me about this song in particular was the rhythmic foundation of it. If my collegiate training serves me well, I believe that was a samba beat that is kind of holding down the rhythm there, and it sets a really nice foundation for this ballad. Her voice is very smooth, and for kind of the melancholy, worn out mood that I’m in, it just, it spoke to me, so I get to share it with you. Now the one interesting thing, as I was doing research and looking up information, it doesn’t look like this song is actually new, but for some reason it is on the new music playlist this week, apparently that 6% layoff that they saw, they probably laid off some of the new music people, because that would at least account for the lack of quality this week.
Anyway, before we get to the second song, I got to tell a funny story. I went to the dentist last week, and I don’t like the dentist. I go, you know, as I’m supposed to, but I’m not a fan, and I’m sitting in the chair having my teeth scraped during the cleaning by the, you know, the big metal hook, and I’m hearing what another podcast that I listened to beyond Yacht Rock described as a divorce core music. This was coming from the Sirius XM channel, The Bridge, and I just start chuckling. And this only magnifies my dislike for the dentist office, because it’s just kind of horrendous to listen to. If you don’t know what divorce core is, think about artists like Billy Joel, Chicago, Michael McDonald, Sting, like those type artists, males who are singing about heartbreak and regret and those types of things. It’s the type of music that a divorced dad would listen to, and he’d try to like connect with his children about how great the music is. Anyway, during one of the breaks in the cleaning, I had this brainstorm, and I share it with my hygienist, and I said, why can’t we have a rock and roll dentist? How great would it be that you’re not being barraged by Rod Stewart while you’re getting your teeth scraped? She laughed, I laughed. The dentist came in, and I pitched this idea, and he said, you know, one time we had the Spectrum on, which is a classic rock through today, and he said that some of the older clientele that come to the dentist complained that it was too heavy. That made me laugh. So if you’re a dentist and you want to change it up and attract a different clientele, rock and roll dentist, that’s the way to go.
All right, the second song this week is from Death Cab for Cutie, and it’s called Pepper.
I normally wouldn’t feature a well-established artist like Death Cab for Cutie, but I don’t know. Again, I was in a mood. This was the song that came on, so check it out. That was Death Cab for Cutie with Pepper. Now for me, that is just classic Death Cab. Really really smart lyrics, really clean music, but really well composed, and I’m just appreciative that they are still putting out quality music. I had to go back and look at the year that Plans came out, which was their debut album. That was 2005. If you’re a longtime Death Cab fan or casual fan, you’ll remember Soul Meets Body, which was kind of the first big hit, and then I Will Possess Your Heart came out shortly after that. And if you’re not familiar, maybe it’s time to go back and check out some Death Cab. Their new album, I’ve heard a couple of tracks off of it at this point, and I like it. So that was Death Cab for Cutie with Pepper.
All right, it is my pleasure to welcome Jenna back to the podcast. So let’s dive into a little artist spotlight. And she wanted to come on the podcast today and talk a little bit about Leanna, or Lyanna? I’m not, I don’t… We’re going to go with Leanna Firestone. So Jenna, tell me all about Leanna Firestone. Okay, so she is a, from what I can tell, self-producing unsigned artist. And she’s been releasing music for like three years now, I guess since it’s 2023. She started releasing stuff in 2020. I found her in 2022, so last year through her album, Forward/Slash, can’t tell you where I found her, might have been on Instagram, might have been on a Spotify playlist. But the first song I heard from her was Just Attention/Patterns. And if you’ve noticed that based on last episode with her song Tennessee/I Always Knew, this was kind of a theme for her album, where she had one part of a song, and then she kind of had this smaller interlude of the different song. And I really loved the duality of that, and having, it was really two feelings of whatever she was singing about in the song, because, you know, in life, you have two feelings or multiple feelings about situations. And this was kind of her way of putting it all together into a song, which I really, really liked. So I found Just Attention, which is definitely one of my faves.
Definitely not safe for work.
No, lots of f-bombs, because, you know, teenageing. And yeah, so it was really good. And I started listening to the rest of it, and some of my other faves from the album are Diet Coke / Inside, Gambling Addiction/ eleven elevens, and Smitten / Vulnerable. The whole album is great. I loved truly every song. But I particularly like these ones, I think, because they were just a little bit more upbeat, and then they had kind of the softer side in the epilogue part. And in general, I just appreciated her lyric, lyricist, I don’t know, Englishing is hard.
Lyrical content?
Sure, we’ll go with that. And just kind of her storytelling, and it really spoke to me being a regretful teenager in just, like, how dating is hard, and people are dumb, and boys are rude, and we have to date through the internet, which should not be a thing, but it is. And also, she speaks a lot about kind of her issues with body image, which is something that I cope with. And I think a lot of people in my generation cope with because of social media. And so it was just really nice to hear something truly authentic. And so she’s, yeah, she’s just, she’s a really, really excellent artist.
Let’s pause for a moment and listen to Leanna Firestone’s Gambling Addiction / eleven elevens. Check it out.
So you introduced her to me on our trip to Pittsburgh when we went and saw Johnny swim. And the first track you played for me was Diet Coke, and I was like, oh, this is really interesting. And I found the whole forward slash concept fascinating because I like that kind of little afterthought about you when you finish a song, kind of reflecting on what the song was. But when you played Just Detention, I immediately drew a comparison to Ani DeFranco. So if you are an Ani DiFranco fan, I would check out Just Attention and see if you draw the same correlation that I do, because it honestly, it kind of hooked me just because I had a reference point.
And I too have enjoyed the entire album. Like I’ve actually listened to it probably once a week, just kind of in my regular rotation if I need something little, not down, but just different, I’ll throw that on.
So let’s let’s jump into the new EP that she put out last week.
Yeah. So she, last week, put out a EP with five songs on it, four new ones, called Public Dispays of Affection. And the first song on it is the one that she had previously released, and it’s called You Just Didn’t Like Me That Much. So we moved away from the forward slash, which honestly, there’s a part of me that’s really sad about that, but I know.
You don’t want to milk a concept.
Yeah, I know. But I really liked having the little bit extra. I did too. But this EP is definitely a mood change for her. Yeah. Because girl’s in love. And ma’am, I’m happy for her, but I’m sad for me because I like the angry music and the sad music, like, because that’s just not where I’m at. And yeah, it’s definitely a different vibe. Obviously the first one, she’s still grumpy and sad. But it’s kind of like a realization of moving on. And then she, it’s definitely her thought process through this new relationship. I love that. I love when artists put it in order and don’t make me guess. And thank you to Spotify for finally fixing that Shuffle and Album thing.
And I guess I should thank Adele, because Adele was the one that said, you need to fix this because I put these things in order for a reason.
So yeah, it definitely, it’s definitely like a concept album, you know, or an EP, I guess. Because the second track is reincarnation, right? Yep. That’s the one that you like. Yeah. I dig that one. I just think it’s fun kind of thinking about karma in relationships.
And yeah, it’s just, I don’t know, the only thing that bugs me a little bit, and I compare it to the prior production for the album, is there’s a little bit of auto-tune in her voice. And I think she has such a beautiful voice, it’s unnecessary, and she’s got talent. And there’s just certain notes where you can feel it, like, you know, they really pulled it down, but it was intentional, it wasn’t like she was off pitch. It was for the effect.
Yeah. Which is something that you hate and despise.
I do.
But here’s the thing. This is the music that I have to listen to, like… I’ve raised you better than that. But I have to stay relevant. Like, I can’t just become a grandma hobbit. Like, people already think I’m old at heart. I don’t need to, like, turn into dust. So, yeah, I definitely, I definitely get that more. And in you saying that, I went back and revisited her, like, early stuff that she released in 2020, and she’s definitely evolved as an artist, because I listened to those first couple songs that she released, and it’s fully just her and a mic and maybe some type of program that layered her vocal twice, maybe, and a guitar. And like, I love that. She’s definitely developed more as a lyricist, so I’m not a huge fan of those songs. They’re still great. But…
Yeah. I mean, if you want to hear pure talent, find her videos on TikTok, like the early ones where she, like, right when she started writing music and, like, really putting it out there. Because just the pure talent in her voice is amazing.
So… Totally. But anyway, back to the EP. Sorry. But yeah, so Dad really likes reincarnation. That’s not a one that really stood out to me personally. My favorite is God and the Government. That one’s just cute lyrically. Right. Because it’s really funny. So the concept is that she doesn’t necessarily want to get married, but she… She’d do it for him. She’d do it for him. And while that is nauseating, the way that she presents it with this cool, like, kind of alternative beat behind it really puts me in her shoes. And I enjoy that. So… Yeah. And my favorite part is when she does, like… I love when artists do this. Totally got it from Taylor Swift. It’s totally her thing first. But, like, putting in, like, a speaking part in the middle of their song and she says something along the lines of, I take you to meet my lawfully wedded husband for tax purposes and or true love until death do us part or we break up. I’m in. And I cackle every time. Like, it’s just so good. And that frame of mind is just, like, so my generation, so it speaks to me. But yeah, in general, like, it’s a good album. It’s definitely more lovey-dovey. So I mean, I hope she’s happy, but I hope that she kind of takes a turn and starts writing about not necessarily her own experience and, like, just, like, gives me more angry, sad. But I don’t know. The one thing I know about relationships is they ebb and flow. So you might… I don’t know. Am I getting an angry element? I was just saying, we don’t… We don’t… Leanna, we don’t wish that you’d break up with Dude, because it sounds like you’re truly happy and we want that for you. I hope you’re happy forever. I just love your music too much. Right. You’ve got a gift for sadness. But we love you. It’s all love. I promise. Yeah. Awesome. So when Leanna tours, do you think we want to go see you down? I’m down. Yeah, especially because she, like, released a little bit more music enough for, like, a full concert. Because I saw…she did, like, a mini tour in 2022 for Forward Slash, but it was, like, in Columbus and I think the dates were weird and I was already dragging you to Johnny Swim, so I was not going to indulge you more. She is currently on tour with Newfound Glory, but I don’t think they’re coming anywhere close to us. And I don’t know if I’d want to go see Newfound Glory anyway. I don’t know what that is. So I’m just… Yeah. Yeah.
So, awesome. Anything else to add before we wrap up?
No, I don’t think so. I mean, I think we’re going to play a song or two from her for this podcast. I don’t know which one yet because, honestly, I cannot choose, so surprise. We’re playing one to two songs. Hope you enjoy them. And definitely go check out Leanna Firestone. All right. Thanks, Jenna. Thank you.
Here is Liana Firestone’s Reincarnation off her new EP, Public Displays of Affection. Check it out.
The next song for this episode is one that I debated with myself whether or not to include it. I generally want to feature artists that people haven’t heard of or haven’t heard from in a long time, but I couldn’t help myself here. This is Dave Matthews’ band with the new single off their forthcoming album. The song is called Madman’s Eyes. Check it out.
Madman’s Eyes – Dave Matthews Band
That was Dave Matthews’ band with Mad Man’s Eyes. Now, I struggled whether or not to put that song in the podcast because I like to feature new artists and new songs, not necessarily huge artists who have been around for 30 years, but it was a great song and it was a slow week as far as new music that actually came out. Now, I have been a Dave Matthews band fan for a very long time since freshman year of college, basically. And this song reminded me of some very early Dave Matthews music, particularly minarets with its Middle Eastern chord progression. There’s Arabic chord progressions. There’s Persian, Turkish chord progressions that have a very distinct step as they go up and down the scale. And this is a really cool example of that. So I thought that since I had some space this week that I’d share that tune. Looking forward to the new album, sometimes their albums are hit and miss for me. After every day and the whole busted stuff got canceled thing. If you’re not a Dave Matthews band fan for a long time, you might not know what I’m talking about. But sometimes the production kind of gets away from me. Like they completely lost me with American Baby. But anyway, I digress. But Dave Matthews band actually helps me transition into the next thing that I really wanted to talk about.
I’ve been reading a lot of blogs about music and a lot of them are talking about the state of music and kind of what’s happening. And I touched on this last week with the discussion around AI and its effect on the music. The other thing that you’re seeing is that when these artists get big, all of a sudden they’re expected to go play live and they just don’t have it. They aren’t good on stage. With bands like the Dave Matthews band, before they got their first major record deal, they put out an independent album and they were touring in every club and frat house that would let them set up their gear. And by the time they got the major label and they got their hit satellite, they had played hundreds if not a thousand shows. So when they got to the big stage, they knew how to perform. And artists today, they’re hoping to go viral and the music industry is supporting that because there’s a quick buck to be made and they don’t have to spend money developing these artists. If they put out a second hit, great. But quite frankly, I think the way they see it is that there’ll be another one that comes along that’ll just take their place and they’ll have a viral hit and that’ll be the end of it. So I don’t know, it was just kind of a moment as I was thinking about the blogs I’ve been reading and the state of music today. It’s probably something I’m going to complain about regularly. So I guess I should just apologize ahead of time.
So the next song I’m going to share that is actually new music is from Edie BenS and the song is Head Over Heels.
That was Head Over Heels by Edie Bens. She’s only 23 from Wales originally, but has moved to London. And there is just something very pure about her vocal, and I obviously appreciate the vocal acoustic guitar, live drums, like it’s just a very well put together song. And the one thing that really stuck out to me about this track was it reminded me of a time I was in a band and we had submitted music for feedback from kind of professional producers and this, that and the other. And the one comment they made was that we needed to add a pre-chorus to the songs, kind of a hook before the hook, if you will. And this song has a really nice pre-chorus that brings you into a really hooky chorus. So definitely appreciated the songwriting here and looking forward to hearing more from her quite frankly. It was a really, really nice find to kind of finish out the week.
I don’t have a featured track this week because I’ve got the top five from you, the listeners. We actually have a top five, we actually had enough overlap in songs about places, about geography to warrant a top five. And we have a top one, a number one song, which I’m going to play for you. But before I play the number one song, let’s talk about the first four songs.
So coming in at number five was Wichita Lineman from Glen Campbell. Number four was New York State of Mind by Billy Joel. Number three was London Calling by the Clash. And number two was Omaha by Counting Crows. And the number one song voted on by you, the listeners of songs that don’t suck, is Country Roads by John Denver. So here it is, you voted for it. Here is Country Roads by John Denver.
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve been in Morgantown, West Virginia, when West Virginia wins a basketball game or a football game, and you hear the entire state of West Virginia sing Country Roads. It’s something to witness, and I highly recommend it. But that was the number one song as voted on by you. So thank you to everybody who voted, super happy at the turnout. And I have the next top five. So in preparation for March, the month of February, we are going to collect the greatest drinking songs of all time. So I need you to think about what songs are great to drink to that talk about drinking. They might mention alcohol. Give me your top five drinking songs. To do that, you’re going to go to the website, songsthatdon’tsuck.net. You’re going to go to the forum for top five, and you’re going to send me those songs. And at the end of February, beginning of March, I will present the top five, and I will present a playlist of all those drinking songs that will get you ready for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s going to be awesome. All right, the rest of housekeeping before I let you go. So please follow, share, like the podcast. Mondays you get the full version, Wednesdays you get the Cliff Notes version, and I just realized that I don’t think people know what Cliff Notes might be for any younger listeners. The Cliff Notes was a very condensed copy, or you kind of hit the summary of a long piece of literature. So it’s the short version. But thank you for listening to both, appreciate it. Social media, I’m everywhere. If you pick one, pick Twitter, that’s where I’m most active, it’s where I’m posting songs throughout the week if I find them. But I’m also on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. So with that, I’m curious what you thought of the new structure. Let me know, send me a Twitter message, send me something through the website, whatever. But I’m curious to know what you thought of having the music sprinkled through the episode versus having them all stacked together. So with that, Zach, please take us on home.
Thanks for listening, and until next week, keep searching for and listening to songs that don’t suck.
