Uncharted Territory and 5 Songs That Don’t Suck

Welcome back to Songs That Don’t Suck. I’m your host, Mark Bradbourne, and this week we’re doing two things I love:

1. Nerding out over a ridiculous amount of music data.
2. Turning you on to five new tracks that deserve a spot on your next playlist. 🎧

Let’s start with the book that’s been living rent-free in my head for months.

Uncharted Territory: When Music Nerd Meets Data Nerd

If you’ve ever wished a music documentary and a stats-obsessed spreadsheet could have a baby, Chris Dalla Riva’s Uncharted Territory is exactly that.

The premise is simple but insane:

He listened to every single Billboard #1 hit from August 1958 through January 2025, turned them into a dataset, and then dug into what it all means.

We’re talking decades of pop history, mapped, graphed, and explained in a way that hits both sides of the brain.

What the Book Digs Into

📈 Genre waves & format shifts

• The rise and fall of rock, disco, hip-hop, and more.
• How we moved from radio to MTV, then iTunes, Spotify, and now TikTok virality driving chart success.

🧠 Statistical weirdness

• Only about 3% of #1 hits escape the comfort of standard 4/4 time.
• Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You” (1985) rolls in at 12/8, an outlier that still went all the way to the top.

🎥 Media tie-ins that changed the game

• Think Flashdance, The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, Miami Vice—massive sync moments that turned songs into cultural events instead of just singles.

🚫 Explicit history on the charts

• The first #1 with “fuck” in the lyrics? Tupac’s “How Do U Want It” (1996).
• After that, the floodgates don’t fully open, but the line definitely moves.

🤡 Cringe chart moments

• Snow’s “Informer” (1993) gets roasted as “a cheap imitation of a rich genre.”
• It’s a good reminder that just because something hit #1 doesn’t mean it aged well.

The Bigger Questions the Book Asks

Dalla Riva doesn’t just spit out trivia and call it a day. He gets into the messier stuff too:

• Gender roles in songwriting and production, and who gets credited vs who does the work.
• Race, appropriation, and pop music—who builds a sound and who profits from it.
• How different generations define a “hit” when the charts, formats, and attention spans keep shifting.

Is This Book for You?

✅ Yes, absolutely, if:

• You love music history.
• You’re into patterns, trends, and cultural shifts.
• You want a data-first lens on songs you’ve known your whole life.

❌ Maybe not, if:

• You just want band interviews and stories from the studio.
• You’re only here for deep cuts and obscure B-sides.

💾 Bonus for the data nerds:
The full dataset is available on Chris’s site, and it’s worth digging into if you want to explore chart history, build your own visualizations, or just lose a weekend going down the rabbit hole.

And if you’re wondering which #1 track managed to feature both a banjo and an accordion, hang on—we’ll get there.

5 New Songs That Don’t Suck (November Edition) 🔥

Now, onto the new music—five tracks that span indie pop, riff rock, prog, piano-driven alt, and modern grunge.

1. “Shot in the Dark” — The Format

Nate Ruess is back. Technically, he never left, but hearing him again under The Format banner hits different.

From the moment that unmistakable voice cuts in, it’s all go:

• Huge, hooky chorus with a perfectly timed moment of silence before it explodes.
• A bridge that actually earns its existence.
• That classic, melodic songwriting The Format always nailed, wrapped in a fresh indie pop sheen.

The only downside?
They’re playing Grog Shop on my birthday, and it’s already sold out. Rude.

📝 RIYL: Fun., Bleachers, The Shins

2. “Mr Feel Good” — The Boondocks

Straight out of New Zealand, The Boondocks are serving up high-octane riff rock that lands somewhere between indie sleaze and festival main stage.

Expect:

• Thick, distorted guitars that don’t apologize for anything.
• Big, driving drums that feel tailor-made for a sweaty club or a massive field.
• A rough-around-the-edges swagger that dodges the overproduced, playlist-core polish.

This one feels like the kind of track you accidentally put on repeat for an hour.

📝 RIYL: Royal Blood, Kasabian, early Kings of Leon

3. “Gallowine” — Ugly UK

Do not let the intro fool you.

“Gallowine” starts off mellow, almost fragile, then evolves into something that sounds like early Genesis colliding with modern prog.

You get:

• Theatrical piano and dynamic shifts.
• Shifting drum grooves that keep you slightly off balance in a good way.
• Layers of guitar and atmosphere that make this a headphones-required track.

It’s immersive, weird, ambitious—and very easy to fall into.

📝 RIYL: Genesis, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson

4. “Medusa” — The Pale White

The Pale White come in with “Medusa”, a piano-driven rock track that never lifts its foot off the gas.

Why it works:

• The piano pulses keep everything locked into a tight groove.
• Vocal harmonies add just enough color without overdoing it.
• There’s a full-band instrumental break that feels earned, not tacked on.

No filler. No extended fluff. Just smart, dynamic, modern rock.

📝 RIYL: Muse, Nothing But Thieves, White Lies

5. “I’m Not Dead Yet” — Scarhaven

Third appearance on the podcast, third killer track. Scarhaven are quietly (loudly) owning the modern grunge revivallane.

“I’m Not Dead Yet” hits that sweet spot between heavy and haunting:

• Verses that drag you into a slow-burn dirge.
• Choruses that flip into headbanging, cathartic energy.
• A soaring vocal that cuts above the guitars without losing grit.

If you’re into the darker, moodier side of heavy rock, this one’s non-negotiable. I need to see them live—full stop.

📝 RIYL: Alice In Chains, Return to Dust, Soundgarden

Trivia Time: Banjo + Accordion on the Charts 🎯

If you guessed “Squeeze Box” by The Who as the only #1 song (in Dalla Riva’s dataset) to feature both banjo and accordion, congrats—you’re officially dangerous at music trivia night.

That combo is not exactly clogging up the Hot 100.

Want More Songs That Don’t Suck?

If this episode hit your ears right, here’s what to do next over at songsthatdontsuck.net:

• 📨 Sign up for the newsletter for fresh song picks, show notes, and more music nerdery.
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• 👂 Grab discounts on high-quality earplugs—protect your hearing so you can keep doing this for decades.
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