🎙️ Songs That Don’t Suck — Episode 63
Toronto vinyl hauls, live rock revival with The Bites, Spotify’s weird playlists, and a full lineup of six emotionally powerful tracks you shouldn’t miss.
🎸 From Canada with Vinyl (and a Border Crossing Prayer)
This week, Mark kicks things off with a record store tour through Toronto. Shops like Sonic Boom and COPS were fertile ground for some epic finds:
- Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast ⚔️
- Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction 🌹
- Pink Floyd – The Wall 🧱
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers – Caravan & Moanin’ 🥁
- Holst’s The Planets 🌌
- Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment 🎛️
These treasures made it home safely… thanks to the mercy of border guards who didn’t search the car. 🇨🇦🕵️♂️
🌀 Spotify’s Weird Playlist Names: Part II
Mark followed through on his promise to test out Spotify’s chaos-core algorithm, diving deep into playlists like:
- Mood Music — Down-tempo, sensual, date-night vibes
- Angry Happy — Think Taylor Swift’s The Man meets cathartic rebellion
- Goblin Core and Princess Core — Still a mystery. Coming soon… a full breakdown?
The verdict: ✅ Great discovery tool. Some of these mixes actually slap.
🎤 Live Show Highlight: The Bites in Cleveland
If you’ve followed the pod for any length of time, you know:
The Bites = Mark’s favorite new rock band.
This week, he caught their Cleveland show at The Winchester, and it was next-level:
- 🔥 Full band on stage this time (no backing track bass!)
- 🥁 Drummer Mark’s classic Ludwig kit once belonged to Billy Squier’s drummer
- 🎸 Wild solos, stage antics, mugging for the camera, full rock energy
- 🎤 Jordy’s vocals + showmanship = unstoppable
- 🖊️ Got the setlist signed. Bought the vinyl. Zero regrets.
If The Bites are anywhere near your town:
🎟️ Go. See. Them. Period.
🎶 This Week’s Songs That Don’t Suck
1. Like a Lesson – Pillow Queens
🇮🇪 Irish indie-folk pop with harmony and heart.
- Powerful lead vocal with uniquely emotional tone
- Group harmonies shine—especially in the haunting bridge
- RIYL: The Last Dinner Party (but more accessible)
🎧 Start with their album “In Waiting” if you’re new.
2. My Last Dime – American Authors
🪕 Stripped-down stomp-folk from anthemic pros.
- Acoustic and bluegrass instrumentation
- Gone are the over-produced gang vocals; this one’s raw and real
- A back-porch anthem for your next road trip
3. Adam Bomb – Bully
💔 Grunge-folk piano ballad that will ruin you (in a good way).
- Vocals brimming with emotional tension
- Sparse instrumentation (piano, cello) builds into an aching crescendo
- Perfectly devastating
4. Keep Going – Guster
🌿 Polished indie pop with roots in hand percussion.
- Boston’s indie darlings keep evolving
- Smooth production but still shows flashes of their early rawness
- If you miss the Parachute days, you’ll appreciate the growth
5. Too Sweet – Hozier
☕ The earworm you didn’t know you needed.
- Soaring, soulful vocals meet a dangerously catchy chorus
- Already hit 42M+ Spotify streams
- Recommended by Jenna. Approved by Mark. 🧠🎶
🎁 Bonus Track:
All In Good Time – Iron & Wine with Fiona Apple
🕊️ A smoky, gospel-tinged duet you didn’t know you needed.
- Fiona Apple’s voice = eternal velvet
- Evokes Elvis-in-Vegas gospel meets Southern slow burn
- Lyrics are thoughtful and evocative. Rick Beato would be proud.
- Highlight: the strings and swelling piano in the final build 🔥
🖼️ …and I quote…
“Go see The Bites. Doesn’t matter if they’re headlining or opening—just go. They are what rock and roll is all about.”
—Mark Bradbourne, Ep. 63
🎸 Discover more songs that don’t suck at SongsThatDontSuck.net
📲 Follow Mark on all socials.
🎶 Got suggestions or a band to promote? Slide into the DMs or email the show!
Until next week… keep searching for and listening to songs that don’t suck. 🎵
