Episode 100 – The 2nd Annual Don’t Sucky Awards

Welcome to Songs That Don’t Suck and the 2024 Don’t Sucky Awards. To take a look back at 2024, here’s your host, Mark Bradbourne. 

Welcome to a very special season finale of Songs That Don’t Suck. This is episode 100 and the season two finale. (audience applauding) Wow, this is crazy to think about that it’s been two years of the podcast. So let’s take a little look back to see where we’ve come from and where we are.

So back in 2022, my Spotify Wrapped, told me that I listened to 55 genres. I had a thousand artists or more. And my total listening time was about 23,000 minutes with my top genre being rock. At the end of 2022, shortly after the rap came out, was when I came up with the idea to do Songs That Don’t Suck, to try and expose myself to new music so I didn’t become musically dead. 

So in 2023, we did just that. And I listened to 98 different genres. I listened to 43,580 minutes. I had over 2,500 artists, but my top genre was still rock. The interesting note for 2023 was that my top songs were all from the podcast. 

Now, this year, 2024, Spotify failed me. They didn’t give me a genre count. They didn’t give me my most listened to genre, but it is safe to assume that it is still rock. But I had over 42,000 listening minutes and over 3,500 different artists that I am listening to. Top songs, again, mostly from the podcast. So from the data, the podcast continues to pay huge musical dividends for me, both from a discovery standpoint and honestly an enjoyment standpoint, because I am finding new music and I hope that you are too. 

Now, part of that new music enjoyment has also been a resurgence in me going to concerts, mainly because I’ve gotten over the fact that I can just go to a concert alone and that’s fine. So I went to church 16 times this year. And you know, if I’m talking about church, I am talking about the church of live music. This year, I saw a living color with the extreme. I saw the Brite Winter Festival, which is basically probably six or seven different artists. I saw the Bites three times. I saw Spanish love songs, the Struts, Barns Courtney, Crash Test Dummies, Carbon Leaf twice, Wynton Existing twice. I saw the Cleveland Orchestra for the first time. I saw Iron Maiden with The Who. I saw the Wild Feathers and I will finish this year off with my first visit to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For next year, I’ve already got three concerts on the calendar and my eye on a couple more. My goal is to meet or exceed this year’s concert total. 

And while my concert attendance grew, so did the podcast. Followers were up 41%. 74% of listeners were new this year. Songs That Don’t Suck was the top 10 podcasts for almost 90 of you, top five for almost 70 of you, and just over 20 of you have Songs That Don’t Suck as your number one podcast. That means the absolute world to me. So thank you so much for supporting the podcast all this year. 

Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2024 Don’t Sucky Awards. 

 Welcome to Songs That Don’t Suck and the 2024 Don’t Sucky Awards. Now, each week of this year, minus three weeks. One week I did my top 10 first half look back and then there were two other weeks where quite frankly it was just slim pickings. I’ve reviewed thousands and thousands of songs and I’ve shared over 13 hours of music with you. All of that music I deemed to not suck. Some weeks were stronger than others and because of that, the Don’t Sucky Awards were born in 2023. And honestly, I’ve been so excited about this because there is no better way to finish the second season of Songs That Don’t Suck than by reviewing the 217 songs that I shared this year and reward the best of the best with the soon to be globally coveted Don’t Sucky Award. 

So how do we do it? To begin the process, I start moving songs from the main playlist into general genre categories. This was based on two things this year. On the backend in Spotify, there is a genre listed for the artist and I let my ears aid in the final decision. Now, some of the songs that appeared on the podcast this year had 10 individual genres listed. And among the 217 songs, there were 179 individual genres listed. There were actually a great number of songs that didn’t have a genre listed at all. So if that tells you anything about how fractured genres have become, it’s bad. Now, here’s an example. Of genres that contained the word rock, there were 45. For genres that contained the word indie, there were 41. So you can see the challenge in trying to break these into specific genre playlists to do this review. Now, some of the songs, it’s arguable that they belong in multiple genres. So this year, if the song was kind of on the fence for me, I did drop it into two different genres. After I got the genre playlists set up, I went through and reviewed the songs. I listened to them repeatedly, I analyzed them over and over, and I’ll narrowed it down to what I consider the top five in each genre. Now, from there, it was more analyzing, more listening, sleepless nights, arguing with myself, changing my mind, and then I finally came up with this year’s Don’t Sucky Award winners. 

The first category tonight is the Don’t Sucky Award for rock. Now, if someone were to ask me, “Hey Mark, what’s your favorite genre of music?” It’s a safe bet that I’d say rock. And to me, rock is not dead, but it is very long overdue for a resurgence, for a return to the top of the charts. The problem with the genres is that it is more and more fluid. So trying to define what rock truly is continues to be a difficult task. I noted a couple of times that as I was reviewing rock playlists for new music, a lot of the stuff I was hearing just wasn’t rock to me. For me, rock is high spirited, it’s high energy, it’s got really strong back beats, and it’s got a stage full of musicians. Rock does not come out of a computer, rock comes out of the soul. This year, I had 72 songs in the rock genre category, and as always, it’s difficult to pick five nominees and even tougher to choose a winner, but here we go. 

– And now the rock Don’t Sucky nominees. – 

And that I am, Wynton Existing. 

Can you hear me, Kid Capic.

 National Treasure, Barns Courtney. 

Give me a reason, swim school. 

We owe you nothing, ROLLA. 

 And the winner of the 2024 Don’t Sucky award for rock is, and that I am, Wynton Existing. 

 I first discovered Wynton Existing at the Bright Winter Music Festival. After that show, I did share a song from them called Juicy Prevalence, but in episode 81, I shared “Am That I Am.” And I can say honestly that when I saw them live, I really fell in love with them. They sweat and bleed rock and roll. They are true rock artists. This is going to be, I guess it is the first song from their upcoming album, which will be released next year. And it’s truly fantastic. I love the song. I love it live. If you ever get a chance to see it live, it’s fantastic. So big congratulations to the guys in Wynton Existing for winning their first don’t Sucky award for rock. (audience applauding) Our next category is folk. There were only 12 songs that I classed as folk this year. The songs in this category tend to have really powerful lyrics. It evokes strong emotions for the listener. And like as I went through this list, I can remember the first time I heard these songs and how it affected me, how it moved me. And it’s something special that great music can do when it can tap into an emotion like that. All of these songwriters paint really, really vivid mental pictures with their lyrics. And every one of these songs is fantastic. 

And now the folk Don’t Sucky nominees. 

All in good time, Iron and Wine with Fiona Apple. 

Once upon a time at Texaco, part one, Amigo the Devil. 

Don’t let me down again, Andrew Byrd and Madison Cunningham. 

That golden time, villagers, 

no doubt, Odie Leigh. 

And the winner of the 2024 Don’t Sucky Award for Folk is Once Upon a Time at Texaco, part one, Amigo the Devil. 

This song from Amigo the Devil, which was shared with you on episode 56, frustrates me to no end. Why you ask? Because I am still waiting for the resolution. I need part two of this song. I need to know how this story ends. Now, it is important to note that this song did show up in the mid-year review, and it has held strong all year. When I talk about folk music, when I talk about singer-songwriters, this is truly what I mean. This is a great story that hooks you. It’s fiction, but it doesn’t matter. Musically, this song is perfect. I mean, how can you deny this banjo? It is so good. You can’t, you really can’t. So congratulations to Amigo the Devil for winning the Folk Don’t Sucky Award. 

Our next category is indie alternative. Now, indie alternative, it’s a constantly evolving genre. It is a place where innovation happens. It is where artists experiment with sounds and styles, and they blend diverse elements, and they create new and exciting music. Indie alternative is the breeding ground, where today’s alternative becomes tomorrow’s mainstream. Now, some people argue that some of these songs might classify as rock, and quite frankly, they probably do in some respects, but yeah, you know what? This is where I landed them, so that’s my choice. There were 53 songs that landed in the indie alternative genre this year, so let’s hear the nominees. 

– And now, the alternative indie Don’t Sucky nominees. – 

Sorry I’m late. I didn’t wanna come, the wombats. 

She plays the theremin, balancing act. 

Dark side of the silver spoon, Palaye Royale. 

Bills, LEVUFO. 

The end, chime school. 

And the winner for the 2024 Don’t Sucky Award for Indie Alternative is, Sorry I’m late, I didn’t wanna come, the wombats. 

This song is so good. I shared with this one with you back in episode 92. And this is one of those songs that I continually find myself singing when I’m walking around the house, or it randomly will just drop into my head and I will start humming the melody. This song has a very distinctive pop sound, but honestly the production is probably where it landed for me in the indie alternative genre. Vocally it’s very poppy, the falsetto and the chorus almost feels like the Bee Gees, but yeah, despite all that, I mean, it’s indie, it’s indie rock, it’s indie pop, it’s indie alternative, it’s all of those things. It’s really catchy, it’s just a well crafted, very enjoyable song. So congratulations to the wombats for winning the indie alternative Don’t Sucky Award for 2024. 

The next category is metal and hard rock. Now, I have always loved the raw power of metal. If I think about the first metal band that I got into, it was Iron Maiden, I was in elementary school, it was actually the first money I spent on a music purchase. I bought Iron Maiden’s Live After Death on a double cassette while I was in England visiting my family. My cousin had introduced me to Iron Maiden and the rest is history. Angst filled youth still inside me to this present day. I still enjoy going to a metal show, throwing up devil horns and just going nuts. And the cool thing about metal is there’s a ton of different subgenres, thrash, progressive, I mean, even punk can bleed into the metal side of things. Now, this year, the playlist for metal, a little short, is only 15 songs. 

– And now, the metal hard rock Don’t Sucky nominees. – 

Glitching Prisms, Night Verses. featuring Brandon Boyd. 

Schadenfreude, Attendant. 

Solid Gold, Nuns of the Tundra. 

Cave Paintings, Himalayas. 

Ceremonia, blanket. 

And the winner of the 2024 Don’t Sucky Awards for metal and hard rock is Glitching Prisms, Night Verses featuring Brandon Boyd. 

I have a love for progressive rock. And when I discovered Night Verses, I was a very happy camper. Then, for this track, you include one of the best vocalists of the 90s, in my opinion, in the way of Brandon Boyd from Incubus. And this is a formula to win a Don’t Sucky Award. If you are a progressive rock fan and you happen to miss this one the first time around, be sure and go check out Glitching Prisms. Most of their stuff is instrumental, at least the stuff that I found, but every now and then they toss a vocalist in there. Now, if you aren’t a progressive rock fan, I think there’s some very accessible things here. It’s not so mathy that you get lost in it. This song also made an appearance on the mid-year songs that don’t suck review. It’s amazing how well the first half of the year has held up compared to last year. So, hey, big congratulations to Glitching Prisms for winning the 2024 Don’t Sucky Award for Metal and Hard Rock. 

Our next category is Country and Americana. Now, I’ve mentioned previously that in my college days, I was deeply, deeply into country music. I owned multiple cowboy hats, multiple pairs of boots. I had big rodeo-style buckles that I would wear when I would go out. It was kind of the look. And to me, the ’90s were the golden era for country. And today’s scene, it just ain’t it. It is dominated by dip hop, bro country, and drum loops. And honestly, I feel like it lacks the genuine musicianship from when country artists would write their own stuff. There’s still a few out there, but a lot of the singers and the lyrics all blend together and it makes it tough to find standouts. This year, there were only nine songs that even made the cut for Country and Americana. 

– And now, the Country Americana Don’t Sucky nominees. – 

Midnight to Vice, The Bridge City Sinners. 

Matches, Jonah Kagan, 

Love of a Girl, The Avett Brothers. 

Bernadette, Jason Scott in the High Heat. 

Can’t Stand the Mourning American Authors.

 And the winner of the 2024 Don’t Sucky Awards for Country Americana is… Midnight to Vice, The Bridge City Sinners. 

I shared this song on episode 87, and this was an artist that was sent to me by one of our podcast’s long-time listeners, Deb. And I was so happy to get this recommendation. I mentioned that it’s hard to deny a banjo, and the banjo on this track is undeniable. I love the vocals, I love the vibe, I love it all. And I love everything that I’ve heard from this band. They are one of the bands that I am targeting to see next year. Gonna make that happen for sure. So congratulations to The Bridge City Sinners for winning the Country Americana Don’t Sucky Award. (audience applauding) 

Our next category is pop. Now, while I do enjoy pop music on occasion, it’s generally not my go-to, but every now and then a pop song hits me, and maybe it becomes a guilty pleasure, except for the fact I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you enjoy a certain style of music, just enjoy it. Go listen to it. There’s nothing wrong with it. You know, whatever scratches that part of your brain that makes you feel happy, scratch it. So, let’s get into the pop category. 

– And now, the pop Don’t Sucky nominees. – 

Drama, Spencer Sutherland. 

Don’t Forget Me, Maggie Rogers. 

Anger, Nina Nesbitt. 

Vampire Disco, Friday Pilots Club. 

I wish I was a robot, Lolo. 

The winner of the 2024 Don’t Sucky Awards for pop is… Vampire Disco, Friday Pilots Club. 

This song is from episode 54. Very hard for me to deny this one. This was in my top five tracks in my Spotify Wrapped. If it gives you any indication how much I listened to it. It was a very, very regular song in my rotation all year. Super catchy hook, really fantastic. The one thing about Friday Pilots Club is that they tend to hop around genres a bit. Last year, I believe they were in the rock category as a nominee. This year, this song is pop for me. This song was also featured in the mid-year review. So again, very strong first half of the year. Congratulations to Friday Pilots Club for winning the Pop Don’t Sucky Award. 

 Our final category tonight is the Unicorn Award. The Unicorn Award was something I kind of dreamed up because I needed a place to catch all of those songs that were just very niche. There weren’t peers, there weren’t a lot of music from that particular genre. Not enough to dedicate a whole award to at least. Some of these just kind of transcend categorization altogether. Throughout the year, some of these songs just particularly resonated due to their distinctive qualities. They span folk music, but very, very specific folk music. Baroque pop and the rest of it honestly defies categorization. I mean, you could say it’s lounge music, you could say it’s white boy reggae. There’s a lot of interesting stuff in that unicorn category. There were 17 songs in the unicorns. 

And now the unicorn Don’t Sucky nominees. 

In Montreal, Kaia Kater, 

Rule 36, Long Way From Home, Fish in a Bird Cage. 

Symptom of Life, Willow. 

I wish for the rain, Leanna Flores, 

Unbreakable, The Chase. 

And the winner of the 2024 Don’t Sucky Unicorn Award is… Rule 36, Long Way From Home, Fish in a Bird Cage. 

This is another one that was really hard for me to deny this year. I discovered Fish and a Bird Cage around episode 84. And that was the end of August. From August until November, when they ended kind of the wrapped data collection, it ended up in my wrapped as I think my fifth artist. I became a huge fan very quickly, as you could tell. And it’s not just this song, it’s all of them. This could fall in the Indie category very easily, but honestly with the very cello forward, you know, in this song and the whole catalog, it does feel like a bit of a unicorn. So huge, huge congratulations to Fish and a Bird Cage for winning the Unicorn Don’t Sucky Award. That is it for the Don’t Sucky Awards 2024 and for the second season of Songs That Don’t Suck. Now, as a matter of comparison, last year we shared 231 songs with the podcast. This year seems to be a bit more of a struggle having only 217 songs. I know there was some weeks where I only had two or three, but despite that, I still think there’s great music to be found out there in the world, and the key is figuring out where it is and then sharing it among the community. Now, to hear all the nominees and frankly, all of the songs that were found during 2024, there is a huge playlist with every single song. You can find that link in the show notes of the podcast, and there will be a link on SongsThatDon’tSuck.net. 

Now, before I wrap for the year, I want to take a moment and thank some folks. First to my family for putting up with me and supporting this crazy idea of me hosting a weekly podcast. 

Thank you. I truly do love you all. Next, everyone who has liked, shared, reviewed, commented, told people about the podcast, asked me about the podcast when I walked through airports wearing my Songs That Don’t Suck t-shirt. I appreciate it. I appreciate all of you. It’s awesome. 

Next, I would be remiss if I did not thank the official voice of the Songs That Don’t Suck podcast, my friend and podcast brother in Zach Bowders. Go check out his podcast, Data Plus Love. 

Lastly, the others in the music podcast community that I have gotten to know through interaction or just listening to your podcasts over the years, including Scott and Rico from Rock and Roll Autopsy, Brian Colburn from My Weekly Mix Tape, and Big Brick from Rock Talk Studio. Season three of Songs That Don’t Suck will start on January 7th. So until then, as always, go out and support these artists. 

Thanks for listening to Songs That Don’t Suck season two. It’s been yet another amazing year and lots of great music. Mark will be back in January of 2025 with even more Songs That Don’t Suck. In the meantime, be sure to follow the show on social media and check out SongsThatDon’tSuck.net for updates. As always, keep searching for and listening to Songs That Don’t Suck.