Episode 97

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

What is up, friends and neighbors? This is Songs That Don’t Suck. I am Mark, and every week you know I listen to a lot of crap. Hundreds and hundreds of newly released songs just to find a handful that simply don’t suck to me. And to you. Now, before we get into it, we’ve got to talk about the state of the industry, but we’re going to do it through the eyes of Rick Wakeman. Now, if you don’t know who Rick Wakeman is, he is a longtime industry badass, played keyboards for Yes, and was a session musician for a long time.

Anyway, Ultimate Classic Rock did an interview with him, and I got to agree with pretty much everything he says. Very insightful, very passionate, and he was reflecting on the music industry in this year, 2024. And he’s been at it for decades, right? Very prolific. And he has seen the industry evolve in some ways and devolve in others. And he doesn’t romanticize the past. He knows that the music industry has never been perfectly fair to artists. But he says that things have gotten worse, and yeah, I agree. According to him, the problems began when the industry shifted from being run by music lovers to being run by accounts and lawyers.

And I’m going to pause right here, because there was another article that I saw that was put out by– I think it was the CEO of Spotify, who basically said, completely AI-generated music is welcome on the platform. Because if people want to listen to it, we’re going to provide it. And quite frankly, that’s just wrong. He’s not a fan of music. He’s a fan of money. And that is all that is. It’s like, oh, I’m just going to catch this. And I don’t care about artistry. I don’t care about creativity. I’m just going to fucking let whatever is going to pull in the people who don’t really understand what art is. And I’m going to take their money. And it’s going to dilute the pool. Because here’s the thing with AI music. There’s no creativity behind it. There’s no chance of these people who are using AI to produce music. They’re never going to go on tour, because they don’t have the musical chops to do it. And it’s just going to be you watching some dumbass on stage lip-sync. And I’m sorry if that’s what you want to pay for. But then again, nobody listening to this podcast wants that. And I think I can say that with pretty good conviction.

All right, anyway, unpause. Anyway, he says the people running the industry now don’t know crochet from a hatchet. And for them, music is an art. It’s just numbers. And it’s that bottom line mindset that has steered the industry away from what really matters. And one of the biggest mistakes that he says the industry made is their obsession with replacement. First, it was vinyl being replaced by cassettes. And then by CDs. And there was chances of other platforms as well, the mini-disc, which flopped, which I loved, by the way, for recording shows. But I digress. That’s another conversation for another time. But then it shifted to digital downloads and streaming. And instead of presenting these formats as additional choices, the industry marketed them as replacements. And it left a lot of music fans and artists feeling a little bit disconnected. And generations like Gen X, we’re pissed because we’ve had to replace our collections that started on vinyl. Then we bought the tapes. Then we bought the CDs. And now it’s all streaming. And it’s just been a shitty thing because we’ve been unable to replace some things because they just didn’t carry them forward.

But anyway, back to Rick’s thoughts. Streaming, he really hates. He refers to Spotify as shitify, criticizes the meager payouts that artists get. And beyond that, he laments the loss of something deeper, which is the tactile experience of music, which I have talked about in the past too. There is a joy to holding an album and flipping through the artwork and reading the liner notes. And it builds a connection between music fans and the artist. And we’ve lost that in the digital age where music is really just a commodity. And it’s honestly partly why I started rebuying vinyl again because I love that tactile experience of putting the album on and checking out the artwork and reading the lyrics without having to Google anything.

But Wakeman’s critique isn’t really just about nostalgia. It is about human interaction, which I’ve also brought up on the podcast in the past. And he said it’s been gutted by the decline of record stores. And in this article, he’s reminiscing about the days when fans would gather in these shops. And heck, even before, like in the shops, like if you were at a midnight release, like you’re in the line and you’re hanging out and talking about music. But as you’re thumbing through records, like you’ll have conversations with strangers who are looking at the bin next to you. You know, it’s like, oh, have you seen this album? You know, and there was a social exchange that happened in these record stores. And it helped spread the magic of music in the way that no algorithm will ever be able to replace. Because, you know, everything’s online. And there is a loss of the serendipity of discovering something unexpected. And I don’t know that we’ll ever regain that. Rick has a vision, and I don’t know if I’m completely sold on it. He’s got this idea of a modern twist on a classic record store. So it’s a space where all platforms exist. So vinyl CDs, digital downloads. And you can trade in your old records, which I think you can do that with most vinyl stores right now. You can discover rarities and then just enjoy the atmosphere. He wants to bring back listening booths, which were really big back in the day. And then, you know, maybe a coffee shop. In that coffee shop, I would add, you know, local artists playing, but that’s just me. But he basically wants a community hub for music lovers.

It’s all about interaction for Rick. Because music at its heart should be a shared experience. And he believes that it wouldn’t take much for record companies to see the potential of bringing that back. At the moment, the industry isn’t the music industry. But he believes that it is salvageable. His ideas are a little ambitious, but I think they’re rooted in truth. Music isn’t just about what you hear. It’s about what you feel and how you connect with it. Whether it’s the physical album or a conversation with a stranger or a shared moment, you know, at a stoplight when you both have the same radio station on. Magic in the music exists in those small human moments. And it’s something that Rick and I both hope that we can rediscover.

It’s funny because I’ve been reflecting, you know, on the past year as I’m coming to the end of the year. And thinking about the concerts that I went to this year. Most of the concerts I went to, I went solo. And it’s just the extrovert in me who will start up conversations with random people in the line or between acts or whatever. And we’re just kind of sharing the experience. And there’s this kinship of sitting in a room, you know, and having that experience that when you’re sitting alone in your bedroom streaming, you just can’t achieve that. And it really is magical.

So with that, let’s get into some new music.

The first song this week is Seasons of Charade by Birdtalker. If you know me and my musical tastes, once you hear this song, you will understand why I fell in love with it very quickly. You can draw a musical DNA line from some of my favorite artists. Most recently, they remind me of the band, the Lycrish Quartet, which is made up of members of Jellyfish, who were strongly influenced by the Beatles. But it also has similar elements to another band that I’ve had on the podcast, the Paper Kites. Musically, it’s very rich vocals, acoustic rhythm guitars with some electric guitar flourishes. And a few other elements kind of sprinkled in to create this really tasty cornucopia of musical morsels. This song, Seasons of Shared, it’s coming off their most recent release. It’s called All Means No End, which I love that title. And if you’re into kind of the alt country indie vibe, this is probably one you want to put in your rotation. The album is really good. And I started to check on some of their older stuff. They’ve got albums dating back to 2018. So they’ve got a bit of a catalog. So here is a little taste of Seasons of Charade from Birdtalker.

The second song this week is Use Me Too from Social Animals. As I’m listening to this song, it is like for real driving me crazy. But there is a feel to this song that is really familiar to me and I cannot put my finger on it for the life of me. If you know what song I’m thinking of, which is an impossibility, please send me the message because until I figure it out, it’s going to drive me insane. I think it’s a guitar tone and the way the main riff is being played and the reverb that’s happening in that kind of baritone electric. Yeah, it is tormenting me. Anyway, cool track, obviously it’s here on the list this week. I love the groove. I think the vocal is really gritty and I love the delivery of it. I love the the wetness of the reverb and the musicians among you will know exactly what I’m talking about. And then in the chorus, there’s this really nice falsetto, which I like the little separation between verse and chorus. Just some really solid alternative indie. So here I’m not even going to waste any time. Here’s a bit of use me to from social animals.

The third song this week is “Sunlight” from FlipTurn. It was a good week for indie releases, apparently, because here’s the third one. And I can’t definitively say that Flip Turn reminds me of an artist in particular, which, quite frankly, is always good, because usually I can say, oh, it sounds like Oasis, or it sounds like this band or that band. But when I hit something that I am sonically unfamiliar with and it piques my attention, it tells me that I’m not quite dead, which is always a good sign. This is just kind of smart indie pop rock. It’s well produced. It’s got some clever lyrics. Musically, it’s super solid, great distinctive vocals. And from an instrumentation perspective, nothing’s being overplayed. Everyone kind of is in their own pocket and complimenting kind of the rest of the band’s parts, which it’s stupid to say that, but sometimes bands have one member that just– they overplay a little bit. And the other band members won’t say anything to them. And it happens. I’ve highlighted songs that have done that. And I’ve never really pointed it out. But everything on this one feels really good. It’s a really, really nice listen. And I think you should check out “Sunlight” from FlipTurn.

The fourth song this week is “Point of View” from Robert Jon and the Wreck. Do you need more dirty, southern-tinged blues rock? I got you, except these guys are from Southern California. If you like bands like “Dirty Honey,” “The Commoners,” “Rival Sons,” “The Band Feel,” add Robert John and the Rec to that list, because they are another one of those bands who– I like to say, quote unquote, are doing it right. They’ve got that classic, just almost anthemic ’70s and ’80s rock sound, which just feels really good. Another band that you can throw on that list, Black Crows. Like, if you like Black Crows, it’s just meaty rock. Fantastic vocals. And it’s just so cool to find new bands who are, quote unquote, carrying the banner for classic rock. But giving it that updated modern feel, it’s hard to explain. But when you hear it, you’re like, yes, this is all the things that I like about all those classic ’70s and ’80s anthemic albums updated for today. So here’s a bit of “Point of View” from Robert Jon and the Wreck.

The fifth song this week is “Damn Rat Bastards” from J Solomon. If you are a longtime listener to the podcast, you may remember the name J Solomon from season one, episode four. I featured a song of his called “Home.” And that was a fantastic song, still in what I would call heavy rotation for me. But anyway, this one is very much in the same vein. Obviously, it’s just great indie rock. There’s something about his production style, and I don’t know if it’s him doing the producing or somebody else doing the producing, whatever the case. I really like the production. And it’s probably because it’s not overproduced. I think sonically, it has just a little bit of an edge to it, some rawness, which appeals to my old ears. Yeah, nothing I can say about this. The song structure, I will say, is a little bit weird. But after a couple of listens, it kind of starts to feel comfortable. And you’ll be OK, I promise. So anyway, here is a little sample of “Damrat Bastards” from J Solomon.

And that is it for this week, five songs. I don’t know how many episodes it’s been, since I’ve been able to say I found five songs this week. But I was very, very excited that I got there. As always, thank you so much for listening. Whether you are a longtime listener, or this is your first time, I really appreciate you taking the time. Please take the moment to review, subscribe, follow, whatever it is on your platform of choice. It helps you to understand the meaning of your song. It helps the podcast out immensely as far as discoverability. And I just appreciate that effort. You can hit me up on social media, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and Blue Sky. And because I love a good community, I decided to experiment with Discord. So if you are a Discord user and you want to build a little community of songs that don’t suck people, we can chat music there. You can find the link on the website. Now, speaking of the website, SongsThatDon’tSuck.net, you can find all the links to all the songs going to the seven major streaming platforms. And you can also find a place to send me feedback and recommendations through a form on the website. Or you can just email me, Mark @ SongsThatDon’tSuck.net. All emails are answered. Also on the website, there’s a newsletter in the works. That’s going to start next year. Don’t know what’s going to be there yet, but I promise I won’t spam you. There’s also merch on the site by request. So if you want a SongsThatDon’tSuck t-shirt, you can do that. Man, there’s a lot of admin stuff at the end of this episode. Anyway, again, thanks so much for listening. And as always, go out and support these artists. Thanks for listening. And until next week, keep searching for and listening to SongsThatDon’tSuck.