We all have ‘em: songs or sometimes entire albums that we know we shouldn’t like, but… we just can’t help ourselves. To that end, we present our new column Guilty Pleasure Playlists, in which we readily admit: we really should know better.

MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, “SHARK ETHIC”

This is pretty typical, and not especially memorable, hardcore (or metalcore or post hardcore or whatever the fuck they’re calling it these days). But it opens with a sweet, stuck-in-your-head riff and has a very nice, pummeling breakdown in the middle. I have to listen to this song at least once every few months, generally because it’s the only way I know of to make myself stop humming that goddamned riff.

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SCARLET, “THE SEPARATION OF”

Holy poo on a stick. Talk about “screamo by numbers.” Band name that sounds like it should belong to some fruity emo group? Check. Screamed verses and whined (uh, “cleanly sung”) choruses? Check. Pseudo-poetic song title? Check. Lyrics that don’t make any sense to anyone with pubes and half a brain? Check. Fashion sense so ridiculous it makes you think they really should just bring back glam? Check. So why the fuck do I like this song? I honestly have no fuckin’ clue.

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BURY YOUR DEAD, “HOUSE OF STRAW”

Bury Your Dead write breakdowns. Nothing but breakdowns. Fuck, their Jason Suecof-produced album is even called Beauty and the Breakdown (and, yes, it is a metalcore fairy tale concept album – make of that what you will). Their songs, in other words, go almost nowhere; if they were even half as clever songwriters as they are song-titlers, they might really be onto something. Still, the riff that opens this song is simply awesome. So awesome, I almost never listen to everything that comes after it.

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-AR