BY MIKEY MIGO
Over the past few years it has seemed my musical tastes have not expanded at all. I'll listen to new things and sometimes bring in a new artist into my collection and heart, but at the same time I'll forget about a band like "Gnarls Barkley" because I lose interest, they'll break up or go on "hiatus" like "System of a Down", or just completely fade away like bands like "Tantric". Then will comes bands that are completely out of my spectrum of personal taste. I think a lot of pop and R&B is bland and boring, country music is insulting to my intelligence, and emo is up there with "disco" and "new wave" as one of the worst genres in music history.
Then something will make me think twice. I'll hear a song and for some reason, be it mood, who I'm with, or what's going on in my head, I'll like it. It'll like a song by a band that I'd normally sit around with friends and make fun of. If you're a die hard music fan then odds are you're a music snob. You don't spit in the wind, you don't tug Superman's cape, and you sure as hell don't tell your fellow music snobs you like a track by "Usher".
In this article I'm going to take a look at a few tracks and singles from the past few years that I am a secret fan of. It's not so much a "guilty pleasure", because to me that's just a harmless interest. This is more of a "why the hell do I like this so much?" situation. It gets so bad that I'll like a song so much that I go out and get my hands on their album. Let's take a look and find out why...
SONG: "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park
WHY?!: I hate Linkin Park. I've been to two LP concerts in my life and have STILL yet to see them live. It's not because I'm rowdy and got kicked out, but because I only go to see the other bands playing with them. The first time was to see Korn and Snoop and the second was purely to see Mindless Self Indulgence. Their older stuff annoyed the hell out of me and their new stuff does pretty much the same thing. STILL, the beat and melody of "Bleed It Out" was catchy enough for me to leave it on the radio at least for half of it. This I will admit.
SONG: "Spin" by Lifehouse
WHY?!: These guys are good at what they do. They make light rock songs for a "soft rock" demographic. When I was in high school, they sorta blew up to their biggest level. Their first album was all over and the girls in my class knew the words. I blew it off as pop music garbage. That all changed when I heard "Spin" from their next album. I don't know what it was, but that song was catchy as shit. When I think of the great bridges that come in the middle of songs I of course think about Led Zep, The Doors, Hendrix, and others. Still part of me thinks about the bridge in "Spin". The song title isn't just a witty name, the song DOES makes you feel like you're spinning and I will never turn it off when it's on. In fact, despite the rest being bland, I actually bought the CD. This I will admit.
SONG: "Gone" by NSync
WHY?!: To call this an NSync song is rough. To me this is the first Timberlake song as we have all grown to love and accept. This song is almost the same tone and song as JT's "Cry Me a River", but in my opinion better. The black and white, slow, and dramatic video only complimented this song even more. I will never be a fan of NSync's poppy dance bullshit, but this song was seriously something that came and gone without much appreciation at all. I didn't go out and buy the CD, but I did enjoy this song. This I will admit.
SONG: "Lip Gloss" by Lil' Mama
WHY?!: I couldn't tell you any other song she's record or worked on. I really don't care to find out either. I just know that "Lip Gloss" was so catchy that I ended up knowing all of the words to the chorus. This one can be chalked up as just being really catchy. I am a huge fan of old school hip hop and this one had an old school flow and structure to it. Still, the beat sounded a bit like Cassidy's "I'm A Hustla". Then again, I loved that song for the same reasons. This I will admit.
SONG: "4 Minutes" by Madonna
WHY?!: If you pay attention to the video, the first thirty seconds is just Timberland doing his "this is me talking" wasting time thing. I'm not even sure why I like this song. I hate the standard nonsense pop song that this is. When it comes down to it, this song isn't going to blow up the charts THAT much, but it's going to make a nice dent. It's a really lame song, but the chorus is pretty catchy. At the moment, I can't help but nod my head to it. Give it like 5 minutes and the mindless masses will move on to the next Chris Brown or Soulja Boy track. Until then, I sorta dig it in a sickening way. This I will admit.
SONG: "Phantom Limb" by The Shins
WHY?!: I am not a fan of indie rock. It's normally bland, soft, borderline emo, thift store flannel, black framed glasses, snobbiest of the snob, pretentious bullshit. The Shins are really no different. If they're playing the "Download" or "Pitchfork" festivals, then there's a good chance they're lame in the eyes of those who have had sex or have had drugs in their system. You know, the normal people. I ended up catching this video last summer and it snuck up on me. At first I hated it, but I learned to hate it with a smile. I went out and got my hands on "Wincing the Night Away" and it ended up being a waste of my time. I should have stuck with stealing the single from a download site. None the less, this is the story about why I don't hate The Shins. This I will admit.
Don't judge me. I'm SURE everyone has their collection of songs from bands that aren't their normal cup of tea… but you still enjoy them.
Let loose!
Repent to the Snob Gods above!
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