Mixtapes, Not Algorithms: Sequencing Songs That Don’t Suck
Welcome back to Songs That Don’t Suck, where Mark Bradbourne (yes, that’s with a “bourne”, not “born”) filters through a mountain of new music releases each week—so you don’t have to. But before getting into this week’s tracks, Mark drops a nostalgic and brutally accurate sermon on the death of the mixtape and the soul-sucking ease of the modern playlist. Let’s get into it.
🎙 The Mixtape Manifesto
Remember mixtapes? Those 60-minute emotional rollercoasters you painstakingly curated on a TDK 90? Yeah, those weren’t just playlists—they were statements. They weren’t about putting on background noise; they were about confessing your soul, track by track.
Mixtapes had structure, purpose, and rules. Ask High Fidelity’s Rob Gordon—you start strong, you build, you don’t climax early. Side A was the teaser. Side B was the therapy session. A good mixtape had narrative arc, emotional precision, and scarcity that demanded discipline.
Contrast that with today’s playlists. Infinite scroll. Skip buttons. Shuffle mode. The magic’s gone. Playlists are fast food. Mixtapes were home-cooked meals. Back then, you weren’t just tossing tracks into a Spotify folder—you were composing personal mythology.
🔥 This Week’s Songs That Actually Don’t Suck
🎵 1. Fool Me Once (Folk Edition) – Robert Delong
Robert Delong, known for his alt-electro vibes, takes a total left turn with an acoustic folk version of “Fool Me Once”—and it works. First discovered at a Vegas tech conference back in 2015, Mark’s had an ear on Delong for years. This stripped-back version proves that genre isn’t a boundary, it’s a palette. It’s a reminder: real artists pivot.
🔗 Check out both the Folk and Original versions of “Fool Me Once” for the full picture.
🎵 2. Time – Tors ft. Jade Bird
What do you get when two Songs That Don’t Suck alumni link up? Magic. Tors are Mark’s go-to for feel-good anthems in an otherwise emotionally drab indie landscape. Throw Jade Bird’s voice into the mix and you’ve got a harmony-laced hug in sonic form. “Time” is uplifting, hopeful, and the kind of track you play when you need a reset.
🎧 Perfect for: road trips, reboots, or restoring your faith in people.
🎵 3. The Labyrinth – Black Orchid Empire
Finally, a metal band that gets it: heavy riffs, progressive vibes, and vocals you can actually understand. “The Labyrinth” is the next chapter in Black Orchid Empire’s journey, following their recent EP featuring “Blood God.” Mark loves their refusal to dumb it down with growls and tech-noodling. This is real progressive metal—complex, intense, but listenable.
🤘 For fans of Tool, Karnivool, or anyone tired of genre dilution.
🎵 4. My Cologne – Howl Owl Howl
Wait, is that Darius Rucker? Yes. And Mike Mills from R.E.M.? Yes again. And Steve Dorman from The Black Crowes? You better believe it. Howl Owl Howl is a roots rock supergroup with DNA from three major ’90s juggernauts. “My Cologne” hits with a retro punch—think Traveling Wilburys, but with Southern grit and a modern sheen.
🧼 Smells like a hit. Vintage rock vibes. First track from a new group you didn’t know you needed.
🎧 That’s a Wrap
Want more music that doesn’t suck? Head over to songsthatdontsuck.net. Sign up for the newsletter to get access to the Live Music Archive, grab some merch, or score deals on pro-level earplugs.
Like the pod? Leave a review, hit that subscribe button, and tell a friend. Better yet—make them a mixtape.
And remember: skip the shuffle. Curate like you give a damn.
🖤 Support the artists. Always.
