Absolved! The Quietus Writers’ 50 Favourite Guilt-Free Pleasures

By | August 16, 2014

The Quietus

Why exactly should the enjoyment of a great piece of music be marred by guilt? Following last week’s Black Sky Thinking about the problems (and positives) of the concept of the ‘guilty pleasure’, the Quietus writers declare their undying, entirely non-ironic love for their favourite uncool songs. Introduction by Jimmy Martin

Hanson – ‘MMMbop’
(1996)

It’s around 2am in the Walled Garden at the Green Man festival when those arpeggiated notes, shuffling beats and strolling basslines come tumbling out of the PA system. In seconds I’m on my feet, and dancing with an unrestrained sense of joy. By the end of the first chorus a trestle table has become my own personal stage, and I’m grinning like a loon. Some of my friends give me bemused looks, shake their heads and return to their beer, but I don’t care. I might well be in an, ahem, advanced state of refreshment, but that’s not the reason. This is pop at its very best: hooks so big they could catch a swordfish, unabashed lyrical positivity and a chorus that doesn’t so much ignite as explode. Like all the finest bubblegum pop, ‘MMMBop’ is a wonderfully jarring sugar rush designed to thrill rather than nourish. Funnily enough, if you switch the speed from 45rpm to 33rpm, it sounds remarkably like Eels. Julian Marszalek

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