Songs That Don’t Suck: Carbon Leaf Live + 5 Fresh Tracks You Need to Hear This Week

Welcome, music lovers! I’m Mark Bradbourne, your opinionated music sherpa, digging through hundreds of new releases every week to bring you the ones that don’t suck. If you’re a longtime listener — thank you! And if you’re new — hey, glad you’re here! Stick around, you’re gonna find some jams for your playlist.

Before diving into this week’s discoveries, let’s chat about a live show that blew my mind (again): Carbon Leaf at the Kent Stage.

Carbon Leaf: A Masterclass in Live Music

Thursday night, my lovely wife and I hit up the Kent Stage (an old theater gem in Kent, Ohio) to see Carbon Leaf — and wow, these guys never disappoint.

Why Carbon Leaf Shows Are Special:

✨ New setlist every night — no cookie-cutter shows here.
✨ Incredible musicianship — they could play any song shouted from the audience.
✨ Intimate vibe — even with a lighter crowd (thanks NFL Draft + Journey playing nearby), the energy was ✨.

Barry, their lead singer, talked about deliberately mixing things up show-to-show. And it shows — they pulled out “Wandering Around” (2001’s Echo Echo 💜) and “Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat” (2004) — songs I hadn’t heard live in forever!

Big props to Carbon Leaf for keeping the rock and roll spirit alive: spontaneous, real, and deeply musical. 🎶

Pro Tip: If you’re near Kent, Ohio, catch a show at Kent Stage — the sound quality is top-notch.

New Music You Need to Hear This Week

Alright, let’s get into the fresh tracks that made the cut this week. 🌟

1. “Solstice” — Funeral Lakes

This beauty was a listener recommendation (thank you, Insta DMs!). “Solstice” hits that sweet spot between Of Monsters and Men and folk-rock stomp anthems.

🌍 Canadian folk-rock duo from Ontario
🎉 Off their 2021 album Solstice
🚨 Check out their 2024 album North American Murders if you dig it

Vibe: Moody, melodic, a sprinkle of post-punk and shoegaze.

If you’re a sucker for Canadian folk-rock (like me), this is your jam.

2. “Everything Must Go” — Goose

I’ve been flirting with Goose tracks for a while, and their new album finally hooked me. “Everything Must Go” is a delicious blend of musicianship and studio wizardry.

🔊 Tasty syncopation
🎵 Gorgeous piano runs and lush vocals
🤿 Touches of auto-tune and sampling done right

Vibe: If Dave Matthews Band met Radiohead for brunch.

3. “Shine” — Return to Dust

Return to Dust is back and “Shine” is 🔥 pure grunge bliss. Think Alice In Chains but with a modern polish.

🎸 Big guitars, bigger drums
💥 Modern, mature production compared to earlier releases
💪 For fans of heavy, melodic rock

Vibe: Grungy but refined — perfect for air-drumming in your car.

4. “Things” — After Cooking with Blue Man Group

Yes, you read that right. EDM on the podcast — and it’s a banger.

🔧 After Cooking started as a street drummer on buckets — how rad is that?
🔵 Collaborated with my dream gig, Blue Man Group (somebody hire me already)
🎶 Live shows played on literal garbage instruments

Vibe: Experimental, percussive EDM that somehow feels homemade and heart-driven.

5. “Money Now” — Motherfolk

Motherfolk’s “Money Now” caught me off guard in the best way.

🍀 Quirky alt-indie vibes (think Modest Mouse but with fiddles)
🎹 Playful, unexpected instrumentation
🌟 Aggressive and introspective vocals mixed perfectly

Vibe: Fun, offbeat indie folk-rock that sticks with you.

Want More?

You can find all the songs from Season 1, 2, and 3 neatly tucked away in Spotify playlists linked in the show notes or at songsdontsuck.net ✨.

Other cool things you can do on the website:

📬 Sign up for the newsletter
💼 Buy some merch
🖋️ Send me feedback or recommendations

And remember: liking, subscribing, and reviewing helps this little podcast reach more ears — and more ears means more passionate fans for the amazing bands we talk about.

Until next time:

Keep searching for, and listening to, songs that don’t suck. ✨🎵

Meta Description: Discover the best new music this week on “Songs That Don’t Suck” — including Carbon Leaf’s epic live show recap and fresh tracks from Funeral Lakes, Goose, Return to Dust, After Cooking x Blue Man Group, and Motherfolk. Fresh playlists and concert insights await!

Episode 117 – Recap