Episode 44 “I don’t want to blow my brains out to Hotel California”

Welcome to Songs That Don’t Suck, with your host, Mark Bradbourne.

Welcome to episode 44 of Songs That Don’t Suck. Thank you for checking out the episode as always.

A little over a year ago, I dreamed up the idea of this podcast. And honestly, the whole idea was around how I felt musically stagnant, and I was listening to the same songs over and over again. I was bored, and I needed to challenge myself to try and discover new music. So the podcast is for me as much as it is for anybody who happens to find it and enjoy it. I was looking at the demographics of the podcast, and over 80% of the audience is over the age of 45. So it was kind of nice to know that I’m not alone in Gen X as someone who wants to find new music.

And this brings me to an article that I was reading on Medium. com. It was by Pavel Marnukovic, and he was talking about the idea of musical paralysis, or basically this phenomenon that people past the age of 30 are stuck in their listening habits, and they’re just not branching out. The article references two surveys. The first was done by Deezer, which is a musical streaming platform that I had not heard of, but they surveyed a thousand Brits, and it was around their musical preferences. And there was honestly some pretty sad results, right? So 60% of those surveyed basically listened to the same songs on an endless loop, and 25% wouldn’t touch today’s music if it was kind of outside of their comfort zone genres. And I was like, damn, like, I thought we had more of an open mind, but I guess, you know, if you’re stuck in your ways, you’re stuck in your ways. The survey did show that kind of the golden age of musical discovery is around 24, and people around that age are discovering 10 new songs and five new artists a month, which is kind of incredible. But then I question, like, how in-depth do they go with that artist? Like, you discover an artist great, but are you listening to anything other than the single or two that they pushed out? But that’s another survey, I’m sure. The survey did go on to ask some reasons around the lack of new music. Some of them blamed the overwhelming abundance of musical choices, around 20% of those, and I’ve talked about that on the podcast before, about how there are 100,000 new songs a day being published to streaming platforms, which is ridiculous. About 15% talked about the demands of their job, and 10% talked about the responsibilities of parenting. But 47% wish they had more time to find new music, so it’s not a lack of interest, but it’s a lack of time. Kind of a bummer, honestly, but I’ve been there. I mean, I’m 47, and I am now really on this mission to find new music, so I get it.

The article referenced another study that was done by a blog called Skynet and Ebert, and they looked at Spotify US listening habits, and they found some interesting things as far as how listeners mature with age. This is not groundbreaking, but they found teenagers preferred popular music, mainstream hits, and songs kind of on the charts, duh. And then they found as we go into our 20s, mainstream music fades away and our tastes guide us towards lesser known genres, which makes perfect sense if you’re familiar with college radio, like you always found like these great indie alternative bands. They found that men obviously are more rebellious in their teens generally, and they diverge from the mainstream listening sooner than women do. And there is a musical tax when it comes to parenthood. People in their 30s find themselves serenaded by children’s music, and that led to a dip in kind of mainstream listening. And that last bullet point is probably where I think I made some wise choices when my girls were babies. When they were little, I found this series of CDs called Rockabye Baby, and it was basically full lullaby versions of music by bands like Metallica, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Ramones, Nirvana, and The Beatles. And my wife and I mixed these in with classical music, and I felt like I was keeping my musical spirit alive. And while I still had some paralysis, obviously, I was able to snap myself out of it now, and maybe that’s a stretch. Maybe it’s just my personality, but that’s kind of how I felt, because as the girls got older, I was able to introduce them to the real versions of those songs. And I don’t know, it was kind of building a connection, right? Because here’s the interesting thing. The music that we grow up with is the music that we’ve tied our memories of our youth, right? Like, when we hear that stuff, we were reminded of when we were young, and as we get older, we long for those youthful days. And you know this. If you’re listening to this, you’re nodding, going, yes, Mark, of course, you’re right. It’s honestly why you’ve heard me say things on the podcast about how songs can transport me back to an event, or a time period, or just kind of a feeling. So, dear listeners, I’m glad that you’re on this journey with me to prove to ourselves that we can enjoy our glory days just as much as we can enjoy our golden years as we head towards them with a bunch of new music that doesn’t suck.

In other news that I care about deeply and you might not, Mike Portnoy is back behind the drums for Dream Theater. Much respect to Mike Mangini, who has been on the drum throne for Dream Theater for the last 13 years. When Mike Portnoy left the band, I knew that those would be really hard shoes to fill, to the point where I actually avoided going to Dream Theater shows, because I didn’t want anyone behind the drums other than Mr. Portnoy. I did relent eventually, and I did catch them on the view from the top of the world tour, and it was an incredible show. Mike Mangini is a technical beast. Like, he can drum like no other. And I appreciate what he did by keeping the band going, because honestly, if he hadn’t come along, the band probably would have sputtered and probably just kind of stopped. But for me, the heart of the band has arrived and returned, and they’re heading into the studio, they’re going to record a new album, and I personally cannot wait to hear what comes out of that recording session, because it’s going to be incredible, because there’s something about Mike Portnoy and the rest of the band that it’s just magical.

And just to kind of tie everything back together, Dream Theater, and in particular their second album, Images and Words, was one of those musical moments that I can never forget. I was blown away when I heard it. I remember where I was, and I remember who I was with. I was parked in a car on the town square in Kenton, Ohio. My buddy Toby was there, and we were sitting in Matt’s car. Our friend Darren ran across the street with a cassette. He jumped in the car, threw it in the tape deck, smiled at us, and said, listen to this. And we sat on the square and listened to that entire cassette, and our mouths were just kind of open the whole time. It was that mind-blowing. And that album continues to be one of my favorites.

All right. Let’s get into this week’s Brain Bending Cover. This week, I have an accidentally Halloween-themed choice, and it’s I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me by Sasquatch and Here Come the Mummies.

Dean Mitchell, better known as Sasquatch, made a name for himself by dressing up as Bigfoot and playing saxophone covers of popular songs. He is a monster sax player. Here Come the Mummies. It’s a band that my friend Kirk turned me on to back in 2021 or 2022. I can’t remember which. And they are a completely anonymous funk rock band, horn section, the whole nine yards, and they perform and appear dressed as mummies, so nobody knows who they are. And to me, in my brain, it makes 100% sense that Sasquatch and the mummies would team up to make a classic 80s tune that is somewhat Halloween-themed and paranoid. And quite frankly, I like this one better than the original. The sax solo at the end, as expected, is killer. The guy just shreds. And I love when I find things like this where two artists that I’m familiar with do a collaboration that I don’t really expect, but makes perfect sense. So, fantastic.

All right, let’s get into the new music for this week. If you are listening for the first time, welcome. I appreciate you being here. The long and short of it, I listen to anywhere from two to 500 songs a week. Most of them are crap. I find the ones that I like. I continue to listen to them until I whittle it down to usually five songs this week. Again, I’m only at four. It’s been a rough couple of weeks when it comes to new music. But hopefully, I turn you on to something good. And we have this really cool symbiotic relationship.

The first song this week is The American Dream is Killing Me from Green Day. I know I am not introducing Green Day to anybody, but I probably stopped listening to Green Day after Nimrod in 1997. So, it’s been a minute. I’ve heard their singles over the years. And honestly, every one of them has been good. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s not like I would turn it off. I’m like, ugh, Green Day. Never, never my reaction. But it just wasn’t what I was like really into at the time. And I guess when I heard this song, it just hit me right. I don’t know. I love the riff. I love the lyrical content. And Green Day has always been one of those bands that challenged kind of the status quo and questioned the American dream and the American psyche. And it’s nice, honestly, that they continue to do so because I think more people should. And while they aren’t playing in any kind of odd time signatures, Billy Jo Armstrong does some really cool things as he is phrasing the lyrics, as he’s singing it. And it gives the song a little bit of extra life and musical interest to me as a listener. So, really good one. And you know, I will probably listen to this album once it is out in full.

The second song this week is History from TALK. I’ve been flirting with this song for a couple of weeks now, to be honest. And it nearly made the cut, at least an episode or two ago. But my internal jury was really conflicted. But as I was listening to it again this week, I got it, like I dig it. There are a lot of influences at play here. I hear Queen, I hear Elton John. Through Proxy of Queen, I hear a little bit of Jellyfish, especially in kind of the more subtle verses. Vocally, though, TALK is a powerhouse. Like I said, the verses are really subtle, they’re really introspective. But the chorus is just big and bold and brassy. Talk is a one-person artist, I guess. I don’t know if there’s a better way to phrase that, but they play all the instruments on the recordings. But they do tour as a band. So, and interestingly, Talk has been on tour with Shania Twain, which honestly feels like a really odd pairing considering Shania Twain’s kind of country backgrounds and Talk does not even come close to country. But the only common denominator between the two, as far as I know, is that they’re both Canadian. So, either way, I have a feeling it’s a phenomenal show and it’s opening up Shania’s audience to this whole other idea, which honestly, I think they dig it.

The third song this week is Cannibal Within from Amigo the Devil. This is some dark, alternative folk music. And there are actually moments in here where I feel like it could be musical theater. Like, you could do a whole musical around the concept or at least a character that this artist is talking about. Musically, Banjo and Vibraphone is a pairing that I never would have dreamed up. And then you get these sprinkles of these other percussive elements that are not traditional percussive elements. They sound like keys dropping. And I know there is like a cast in that that I’m hearing in there. But I just, I eat that stuff up. I love when I hear that stuff. Just lyrically, there’s some really strong storytelling. And I absolutely love the way that this song feels from start to finish. I found myself kind of closing my eyes and listening to it. And my mind just draws the picture of what they’re singing about. And it’s just, it’s such a gift when a songwriter can do that. And this just feels so effortless in the way that it is written. I absolutely need to check out more from Amigo the Devil, because I feel like if I’m in the right mood, this is going to scratch that itch in a major way.

The fourth song this week is 23 from Lawrence. This marks the second time I’ve had Lawrence on the podcast. And, you know, I’m not a huge proponent of repetition when it comes to artists, but this song is killer. This song is everything I want out of a pop song. After the first song I had on the podcast, which was I’m Confident, I’m Insecure, I questioned why they were opening for the Jonas Brothers. Like, I just didn’t get that pairing. But after I heard this song, I get it more. It’s pop. They are pop, but they’ve got, you know, DNA of Indie, and alternative. But, uh, man, her vocals, I talked about them last time, but they are unmatched in anything that I’ve heard in not just recent memory, but it’s just, her vocals are exquisite. They are distinctive. They are emotive. The hook of this song is undeniable, and it is unfathomable to me how this band is not just blowing the roof off of everything right now. I feel like this is what, this is what I want to listen to. And I feel like everybody should be listening to it. Because with every new song that I’ve heard, I just want more of it. And for a pop artist to do that for me, let’s just say that wasn’t on my songs that don’t suck bingo card for 2023. All right.

That is it for this episode. As always, spread the word to your fellow music fans. If you’ve got people who are looking for new music, this is a great way to do it. Follow us on social media, check out the website, songsthatdon’tsuck. net. You can send me recommendations of artists that you’ve found and thanks for listening. And until next week, keep searching for and listening to songs that don’t suck.