🎧 Songs That Don’t Suck – Episode 12: When Fictional Bands Make Better Music Than Real Ones

Welcome to Episode 12 of Songs That Don’t Suck, where your host Mark Bradbourne (aka your Gen-X Moses) parts the sea of overproduced pop and algorithmic noise to guide you to the Promised Land—music that actually moves you. 🎶

In this episode, Mark spotlights five standout tracks and kicks things off with a deep dive into one of the most bizarrely brilliant albums of the year: Aurora—a chart-topping LP from a band that doesn’t exist.

🌟 Album of the Week: Aurora by Daisy Jones & The Six

Yep, it’s the fictional band from the Amazon Prime series Daisy Jones & The Six, but don’t let that fool you—Aurora is a legitimate musical masterpiece.

🚀 Why It Matters:

• #1 on the Emerging Artist Chart (March 18)
• Top 10 on Vinyl, Americana/Folk, and Album Sales Charts
• Produced by Blake Mills (Sound City), with contributions from Phoebe Bridgers, Marcus Mumford, Jackson Browne, and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes)
• Vocals by Riley Keough (Elvis Presley’s granddaughter) and Sam Claflin

Mark’s take? It’s Fleetwood Mac–inspired, emotionally rich, and frustratingly good for a band that will never tour.

“It’s weird that I’m conflicted about a band that doesn’t exist putting out a phenomenal album… but I wanna see them live!”

🔥 New Music Picks This Week

1️⃣ The Wans – “Magical Touch”

• 🎸 Hometown: Nashville
• 🕰️ First album since 2014
• 🔊 RIYL: The Black Keys (but with polish)

Mark compares their gritty, blues-infused sound to early Black Keys records—just a touch more refined. The band’s back and planning a “Magical Touch” tour. Bookmark this one.

2️⃣ The Revivalists – “The Long Con”

• 📍 From: New Orleans
• 💿 Known for: “I Wish I Knew You” (Double Platinum)
• ⚡️ Anthem energy + crunchy guitar = Monday motivation

Not the lead single off their upcoming album, but Mark calls it the track to set your alarm to. Pumped-up guitar, singalong chorus, and enough vibe to carry your week.

3️⃣ The Lags – “Get a Grip”

• 🎤 From: Liverpool
• 🔍 Virtually unknown (200 Facebook followers!)
• 🎯 Sound: Fun, punchy, hard to define

With no bio and barely a digital footprint, The Lags are the underdog find of the week. Their latest track has a fun, infectious energy that Mark can’t quite categorize—but that’s what makes it special.

4️⃣ Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – “Show Been Worse”

• 🤘 From: Nashville via Texas
• 🎸 Touring cred: Opened for Guns N’ Roses in 2017
• 🚗 Soundtrack to a late-night drive

Classic blues rock with monster Texas guitar energy. This one screams “windows down, volume up.” Mark calls it “tasty guitar work” and a must for fans of modern Southern rock.

5️⃣ Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan – “We’re All Going to Die” 🌈

• 📝 Theme: Happy-sad existential folk
• 🎤 Touring together in 2023
• 💬 Mark: “The happiest depressing lyric I’ve heard in quite a while.”

If you love brutally honest, lyrically smart, emotionally uplifting (yet existential) songs, this is your anthem. Perfect closer for the episode and a likely fan-favorite.

🎟️ Catch them live—Joy and Noah are touring together right now!

🤖 BONUS: AI DJ Made Me Feel Old

In a funny detour, Mark recounts how Spotify’s new AI DJ announced it was going “back a couple decades” to rock… and then queued up Pearl Jam. Cue Gen X existential crisis. 😩

🧼 Listener To-Do List:

✅ Review & Share: Help the pod climb those charts. Every click counts.

🧠 Final Thought

“If I hear a good album and I hear a good song, I wanna see it live. I feel like that’s part of the game.”

Until next time, keep digging, keep listening, and most importantly—keep searching for songs that don’t suck. 🤘