Seattle, WA’s Shook Ones provided a list of songs they band said we “guilty pleasures that we don’t really feel guilty about,” and you can check it out below.
Proving pop-punk doesn’t have to be about getting dumped, hardcore doesn’t have to be about betrayal and taking cues from predecessors Jawbreaker and Kid Dynamite, Shook Ones strives for innovation and familiarity in a largely predictable landscape within genres. You can here the band’s music through their Bandcamp.
Ludacris – Cry Babies (oh no)
Appearing on the highly entertaining record “Word of Mouf”. I legitimately enjoy this whole record, but saying that always gets me laughed at, so it must be a guilty pleasure ( I just haven’t realized it yet). The man has a way with words and no one can convince me otherwise. I think he’s exceedingly creative and highly entertaining – sure the subject matter can be silly sometimes (which I enjoy) but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a god damn musical wizard. (Scott)
Sufjan Stevens – Come on! Feel the Illinoise!
This song pretty much captures the entirety of the Sufjan vibe. I dont know why, but I love this song/record and so does every obnoxious person on the planet. Its filled with whimsy, its hyper dramatic, its overly clever and I can’t help but to fully enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, the musicianship is very good, the songwriting is great – I mean no one should feel guilty for liking this, but I do. I think if it had just a bit more alienating weirdness like a Joanna Newsom, maybe I’d feel better about it. I think its just too palatable though, and I fear it inspired a lot of cringe-worthy, ding-dongs to pick up guitars who wanted to write artsy songs with castanets and what not. I’m clearly torn. (Scott)
(Honorable mention:) Dimension Zero – Silent Night Fever
Not being available on Spotify almost makes this less of a guilty pleasure. Its undeniably ripping, crushing, shredful, blah, blah…… The truth is, until I foolishly decided to try and scope live footage on youtube, I never realized I was enjoying such a guilty pleasure. The first 6 songs on the record of the same name are arguably the most powerful 1,2,3,4,5,6 punch ever assembled and thus I feel if I had to defend enjoying this song (or record) in a cage match I could, but alas, the visuals of this band are disturbing and not in a “bite the head off a bat” kind of way. Here are thoughts that ran through my head when watching footage: “is that the singer of prodigy?” “are those clam-digger pants?” I don’t like that any sort of visual component has made me feel less stoked about a song ( or band), so I am going to blame the internet. Stupid internet. This song rips. period. (Scott)
TLC – No Scrubs / Omarion – Ice Box
I don’t actually feel guilty about either of these, but I think they fit. Scrubs is always a party starter and Ice Box is god damn classic Timbaland production. (Bo)
Blink 182 – Feeling This
I love this whole record, but it’s one that I never listen to in front of other people for fear of reproach. The drumming is great and the lyrics are actually not bad on this record. What I can say? My ear just find it pleasing. (Aaron)
Social Distortion – Don’t Take Me For Granted
People who say they don’t like Social Distortion are usually just confused. Yes, the band’s fans are stereotypically absurd rockabillies, but the records are actually really good! The Misfits aren’t a “guilty pleasure” even if Hot Topic mall goths wear Crimson Ghost bucket hats, so you should give this a fair listen. (Phil)
The Rocking Horse Winner – Miss You
I’m comfortable liking music that isn’t universally considered “good”, so I’m rarely feeling guilty unless it’s obvious that I should know better (i.e. S.O.D.). This song is right on cusp of being way too cheesy, but it’s really good in spite of that. (Phil)
Atom and His Package – If You Own the Washington Redskins, You’re a Cock
When I want to listen to Atom and His Package around other people, it’s not always well received. It’s so catchy and entertaining, my brain doesn’t pick up on the stuff people don’t like. This song is awesome, the lyrical content is pretty clever, and it semi-subtly references someone else’s music. Plus Atom was years ahead of the mainstream attention this issue now receives. (Phil)
Kesha – The Harold Song
The only real guilt I feel about this song is that it was written by a scumbag (Fuck you, Dr. Luke). Nonetheless, the song remains a banger. It’s sort of Kesha’s version of a power ballad, which somehow works even better than I would have imagined. It’s totally melodramatic but still a heartbreaker – if you can listen to this song and not feel something, you should probably holler at Omarion cause there’s a goddamn icebox where your heart used to be. #FreeKesha (Kelly)
The Used – Taste of Ink
Despite being responsible for more bad t-shirt designs than even us, I always felt like the Used has really strong songwriting, especially relative to their peers in the genre. The instrumentation is always on point and most of the time I can’t understand the lyrics so the cheesiness doesn’t bother me. Not all of their catalog holds up that well with age, but this song is basically a Journey anthem in disguise. (Kelly)
