Thursday, January 27, 2011

Triple J's Hottest 100

Triple J is the national radio station here in Australia and every year they do a "Hottest 100" countdown of the top 100 songs of the year based on listener votes.  It's a pretty big deal as they countdown the list on Australia Day every year, and a few days ago I had the opportunity to going to my first authentic Australia Day/Triple J Hottest 100 pool party/barbecue.  I won't bore you with the details (hint: lots of food and lots of booze), but I will share with you my thoughts on the Hottest 100 countdown.
  • Even though everyone at the party adamantly denied it, I thought that since Australians primarily vote in the Hottest 100 countdown, they would be naturally biased to Australian artists.  I don't know the exact figures but there were a lot of Australian bands (including the #1 song, which was anti-climatic to say the least), just take a look at the breakdown of the list from last year and decide for yourself.
  • The top ten was, in a word, controversial.  I didn't agree with it, and most of the people I have talked to didn't agree with it.  But people voted, so it is what it is.
  • There was quite a debate as to whether or not cover songs should be allowed in the countdown...I was a bit on the fence myself, but since this was a countdown where people voted on their favorites, how can you say a cover can't be one of the most loved songs of the past year?
Anyway, if you didn't have the chance to listen to it live, you can check out the full list here and see what you think.

Some mp3 highlights:

#31 - The National Bloodbuzz Ohio (I thought this would've ranked higher)
#36 - Chiddy Bang Opposite of Adults
#38 - The Naked and Famous Young Blood
#51 - Yeasayer Ambling Alp

...and the #1 song of the year according to Triple J's Hottest 100...

Angus and Julia Stone Big Jet Plane (click to view official music video)

If you have any thoughts/opinions, be sure to put them down in the comments below.

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