🎧 Songs That Don’t Suck – Episode 14 Recap: 100,000 Songs a Day, Genre Chaos & a Killer Cover from T-Pain
Welcome back to Songs That Don’t Suck, the only podcast cutting through a tidal wave of streaming noise to deliver five songs a week that are actually worth your time 🎯. In Episode 14, host Mark Bradbourne dives into the ever-growing avalanche of daily music releases, the absurdity of genre over-labeling, and kicks off a brand-new feature highlighting unexpected cover songs—starting with none other than T-Pain covering War Pigs. Yeah, you read that right.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 Music Overload: 100,000 Songs a Day Is… a Problem
Mark opens this episode with a stat that should terrify every artist trying to break through: an estimated 100,000 songs are released to streaming platforms every single day. 😳
“It’s easier to post a song than to breathe some days.”
With that much content flooding the system, originality, discovery, and even copyright protection are becoming nearly impossible. Mass appeal? Practically divine intervention at this point.
🧠 Genre Labeling Has Officially Jumped the Shark
Mark, ever the data guy, dug into Spotify’s genre database—and what he found is wild:
- 🎵 41 sub-genres of pop
- 🎸 25 sub-genres of rock
- 🧐 Examples:
- Baroque Pop (Panic! at the Disco, The Beach Boys)
- Classic Canadian Rock (sole representative: Alannah Myles)
- Irish Singer-Songwriter (hello Hozier)
- Hip Pop (Alicia Keys?)
“Maybe just release good music instead of trying to come up with a smart label that might have some SEO potential.”
Mic. Drop. 🎤
👋 Farewell to the Top 5 🎶
It’s the first episode of April, which usually means a new Top 5 themed list… but this time, Mark is calling it quits.
Why?
“If you’ve heard Prince’s Purple Rain, you don’t need me to tell you it’s a great song.”
The final Top 3:
- 🎤 Purple Rain – Prince
- 💛 Yellow – Coldplay
- ☁️ Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
The Top 5 served its purpose, but it’s time to shift focus back to undiscovered, surprising, and meaningful tracks—and the new segment promises just that.
🎸 New Segment Debut: Unexpected Covers
Mark’s new obsession? Covers you wouldn’t expect from artists you wouldn’t expect.
Kicking things off: T-Pain’s cover of “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath 🤯
It’s off his new record On Top of the Covers—a wild genre-jumping collection from a man best known for autotune, now proving he’s got serious pipes.
“That man can sing. Like, really sing.”
🎧 Check it out: T-Pain – On Top of the Covers
💌 Got a favorite cover to share? Submit it: songsthatdontsuck.net
🆕 This Week’s Five Songs That Don’t Suck
🎶 1. The Beths – “Watching the Credits”
- 📍 Hometown: New Zealand
- 🎧 Album: Expert in a Dying Field
- 🗝️ Vibe: Smart, catchy indie with a rare modern key change (!)
Mark digs the composition, the musicianship, and how that subtle Kiwi accent sneaks through the vocals. It’s rich, layered, and one of the most listenable tracks of the week.
🥁 2. The Gospel Youth – “Good Days”
- 📍 Hometown: UK
- 🎶 Style: Anthemic alt-rock with punchy drums and huge hooks
- 🔄 Backstory: Breakups, hiatuses, and a 2014 catalog worth revisiting
Mark especially shouts out the drummer—tight, expressive, and tasteful. This band deserves another look.
🌾 3. Hannah Eid – “Shrapnel”
- 📍 Hometown: Nashville
- 🎙️ Status: Unsigned and self-produced
- 🌱 Vibe: Raw indie charm with endearing vulnerability
Her Facebook link still goes to a personal page. She’s early in the journey, but already turning heads with heartfelt, well-crafted songs. Mark’s all in on this one.
🖋️ 4. Cara Jackson – “Pawn Shop”
- 📍 Hometown: Illinois
- 🏆 2019–2020 National Youth Poet Laureate
- 🎨 Lyric: “Shiny like a new tattoo” — yeah, that hits
Mark’s been sitting on this track for weeks, but it finally earned its spot. Cara’s smoky voice and poetic sensibility make this a haunting, beautiful listen.
🌟 5. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – “Find Your People”
- 📍 Hometown: Nashville
- ✨ Featured Track of the Week
- 💬 Mark’s Take: “This hit harder after visiting D.C. museums about persecuted communities… They found their people.”
Heartfelt, uplifting, and the perfect closer for this week’s episode.
🧼 Housekeeping + How to Connect
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Until next time…
Keep listening, keep digging, and always keep searching for songs that don’t suck. 🤘
