Whenever I ask someone what they listen to, I always seem to get the same response: "Oh, a bit of everything." This kills the conversation – where do I go from there? See, on the off chance someone extends the politeness to ask me what I like, I prefer to give a more direct, specific answer: ‘Jangly Guitar Pop with Male and Female Vocals’. This stuff is the best. It’s the perfect spot between alternative and pop and is, as a genre, uniquely buoyant. I love the harmonies, the lyrics, the garage-y sound ... At times, I do feel like a bit of a loser admitting that, no, my favourite song from that über-cool alt-rock band with no fans is not, in fact, their 13-minute wall-of-noise magnum opus, but this one silly pop song they did on an EP. I thought, therefore, it would be fun for this edition of ‘Things Nic Likes’ to compose an internet-friendly top five list of my most-liked songs of this sub-genre. 5. Nothing to Be Done, The Pastels I’m not going to act like I know much at all about this act – I don’t – but this is a stellar little ditty. Some critic wrote that they were “spearheading a movement towards a renewed sense of wistful musical primitivism and wilful naivety”, so I guess there’s that! I like that it’s not the sort of song that requires all that much thinking, though – it is simple, and, like literally everything else on this list, is about a needlessly complicated relationship. It sounds just amateur enough to be enjoyable and relaxed but is clearly put together professionally (I love how the hi-hat and the acoustic guitar interact in the mix). The melody is just immaculate – like a spot of accidental genius – and invites you to care about the lyrics and production. It’s so adorably haphazard and almost comically simple but is grounded, therefore, in an endearing authenticity. 4. Moon Like a Pearl, Pia Fraus OK, firstly, I apologise I haven’t got to a recognisable song by even a moderately popular band yet. It’ll come, but in the meantime I’m going to rave about this six-piece Estonian act. Specifically, they’re from ‘Harju Maakond’ (Harju County), which, after a quick Google, I can reveal is very pretty! This is the noisiest song on this list. It sounds a bit like if you played a Slowdive record at 45 RPM. It’s also the only song on here to use a synthesiser! I like it because, like everything else in the mix, it’s saccharine to the point of whistle-ability. They manage to pack an unreal number of hooks into two minutes and six seconds, which feels like half that. Do I really understand the lyrics? No, but they seem to be just emotionally ambiguous enough to be interesting. (Before I finish this section, I seriously can’t recommend this band enough – even if, selfishly, it’s just so I can have someone else to talk to about them.) 3. Everything With You, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Right. Now we’re coming up to a few of my very favourite songs from a few of my very favourite acts. This New York-based band’s first album is everything I like about this genre, scientifically distilled into 35 minutes of pop perfection. It’s noisy, jangly and catchy – like The Smiths, The Strokes and The Jesus and Mary Chain put together. This is a band that lives in this sub-genre and are total pros. The song sounds perfect, down to the way the vocals are panned away from each other in the pre-chorus and the immaculate solo at the end of the track. Once again, the lyrics are vaguely romantically themed and feature vocalist, guitarist and band leader Kip Berman pining for something nonspecific, but with enough melancholy to never let the mood of the song quite settle. 2. Sometimes Always, The Jesus and Mary Chain featuring Hope Sandoval Now this is my worst opinion. JAMC are known for these fuzzy messes of songs. They’re acclaimed for their first album specifically, which is inventive, unique and intense, and, as such, considered one of the definitive albums of the ’80s, said to have inspired virtually every alt-rock act to this day. And yet – my favourite song of theirs is this two-minute pop song featuring Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. She and Jim Reid trade verses about (you’ll never guess) a complicated relationship! A major appeal of this type of music for me is the differing perspectives that are often sung about, and this song is a shining example of that. It’s childishly simple, both lyrically and musically, with a repeating solo and a grand total of two chords. They never outstay their welcome though, as its hopelessly catchy melody glues the song together. There is something to be said for the way their voices sound next to each other too – the smoothness of Sandoval and the gruff breathlessness of Reid just sound fantastic. It grounds the song marvellously. I can’t talk about this song without bringing up its best moment. As the solo finishes for the first time, a droning note is left in the mix when the next verse starts (at “oh, you’re a lucky son”), and it’s just heavenly. 1. Strawberry Wine, My Bloody Valentine As arguably the definitive noise rock/shoegaze band, one may be surprised that My Bloody Valentine started their career writing The Mamas and the Papas-inspired pop music. In fact, their first few releases are in this style, with vocal harmonies and cutesy lyrics that have more in common with The Kinks or The Beach Boys than Sonic Youth or Slowdive. I reckon this is one of their very best songs (their second, to be specific – ‘Sometimes’ is No. 1), not just because it sounds like nothing else they’ve ever made, but simply because it sounds like nothing else. Like their later work, it whisks you away to another world, but unlike their later work, it whisks you away to a place you actually want to be. You know those studies about how music is one of the fastest ways to improve someone’s mood? Well, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if those were based solely on people’s reactions to this one song. It’s a uniquely sweet song, both lyrically and sonically: the mix is like 90% jangle. I do feel like I’ve reached some point within the ‘alternative music fan canon’ by adoring a song that isn’t on streaming services, and this song compounds that problem by being so uniquely interesting that nothing else quite fills its void. For a song so roughly produced, it sounds remarkably timeless – it feels as though it could be from either 1970 or 2070.