Category: Episode Recaps

From a “totally fucking acoustic” songs with folk legend Ellis Paul to swampy crooner covers by Barns Courtney, Mark breaks down this week’s top tracks and shares a “kismet” encounter with an old friend.

Dive into the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations with host Mark Bradbourne and returning guest Seymour. They break down the fan vote math, the 17 nominees, who’s a lock (and who isn’t), plus why the Rock Hall keeps lighting the internet on fire every single year.

Is music still capable of being “unavoidable” in the streaming era? From Michael Jackson’s MTV dominance to Taylor Swift’s algorithm-powered empire, we explore how monoculture died—and what replaced it. Plus, new music from Cardinals, Evermore, Highland Cinema, Alan Doyle, and The Sophs.

Can a city engineer a music scene? This week on Songs That Don’t Suck, Mark dives into Huntsville’s music strategy, questions whether scenes can be optimized, and spotlights killer new tracks from Hollerado, Leith, Big Big Train, Crooked Fingers, and The Other End.

Rock isn’t dead it’s just exhausted. In this episode of Songs That Don’t Suck, Mark reflects on the brutal reality of band life, the slow fade of rock on the charts, and four killer new tracks that prove the genre still has a pulse.

From Dirty Dancing to Barbie, we break down why iconic movie soundtrack hits have disappeared—and spotlight 5 new indie songs that absolutely don’t suck. A deep dive into music, movies, culture, and discovery in the streaming age.

Why modern music sounds “perfect” (and why that’s boring). This week on Songs That Don’t Suck, we explore quantization, imperfect tempos, and five standout new songs from The Brook & The Bluff, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, The BAND LIGHT, Lime Garden, and Silversun Pickups.

Bandcamp takes a bold stand against AI music as Luminate’s 2025 data reveals streaming slowdowns, vinyl’s rise, and rock’s resurgence—plus five killer new songs that definitely don’t suck.

A fiery Songs That Don’t Suck episode takes on monoculture, streaming 2.0, and the myth of the music industry’s “golden age,” before spotlighting five standout new tracks from Ellur, Dark Sun, Telander, Puscifier, and The Steel Wheels.

Season 4 of Songs That Don’t Suck kicks off with host Mark resetting the mission, dunking on media “best of” lists, and spotlighting five killer new tracks—from Dicey Hollow to Tom Morello—that prove great new music is still out there if you know where to look.