Listened To Some Music, Wrote Some Stuff (496 hits)
Category: Sound & MusicRating: 1 on 20 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Progr3ss (View user info) at 2007-03-27 23:39:38 EDT
So basically this is a track by track breakdown by me for all of you to read. I'm not an accredited music critic, so don't take what I think as fact. For those that don't know, Triple J is a govt. funded youth radio network that runs a ballot for all of the songs released the previous year. As they are a govt. funded radio station they have a free run on what they play and do not play crap like Christina Agurella or Bowling for Soup. The link below is for the entire 100 songs that made it in.
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/
Disc 2
21. Lady Sovereign - Love Me Or Hate Me
This track is cool. I don't know why but I have a thing for UK hip hop, slightly pushing the genre forward, like the streets started doing but then Mike fell into a rut. It might have predictable lyrics but damn if it isn't catchy.
20. Josh Pyke - Memories & Dust
Josh Pyke has this unnerving way of writing lyrics that make you finalise thoughts in your head before they've formed properly. Intoxicating is not the right word but it's close. Folk music is on the up baby!
19. Placebo - Meds
The thing with Placebo is that they consistently perform at a level that most bands only achieve through one song in their whole career. Brian Molko might be a lot of things but for dreary indie rock, he is one of the kings.
18. The Herd - Unpredictable
A nice little slice of Australian hip hop that copies the formula of so many ethnic songs by starting out slow, and finishing in a crescendo that leaves you heaving on the dance floor. Not every bodies cup of tea, but neither is Vegemite.
17. Blue King Brown - Come Check Your Head
I liked this track. It may be blues/roots but something about it sits in your head for the rest of the day. Conversely it drives you insane when your mind repeats it a thousand times when you're sick or can't sleep.
16. The GOSSIP - Standing In The Way Of Control
Not really a huge fan of this songs structure, but its message is solid so it passes.
15. Eagles Of Death Metal - I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
Being a fan of QOTSA the transition to this band was fairly easy, but this really is a fun song to dance to. And get naked.
14. Freestylers/Pendulum - Painkiller
Reminds me of Basment Jaxx. But still a good song to get funky to on the dance floor. Great pace, easy lyrics, everybody wins.
13. Angus & Julia Stone - Paper Aeroplane
I wonder if being siblings makes it easier to come up with such great music. Another example of folk music being resurrected in the Australian music scene. They have another song called Private Lawns, and the chorus contains those words but I thought she was saying private loans. Even though it's called Private Lawns. What a jackass. This is great recovery music if you happened to have had a dozen Heinekens the night before.
12. Regina Spektor - Fidelity
Here's a great example of Anti-Folk music. Apparently Regina tries to make every one of her songs have a distinct sound signature to separate them.
11. Something With Numbers - Apple of The Eye
A great indie/rock band that hopefully won't be raped to death like Wolfmother were. Good song to drive to when your heading out on a road trip.
10. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me
To be honest I expected more. I kept waiting for the hook but it never arrived. I got the feeling this band is waiting for something, and when it arrives it'll be huge.
9. Karnivool - Roquefort
I didn't like this one. I know in my heart of hearts I should because it's rock, and the strangle hold of rap must be relinquished, but it was like a drink of water from a glass with dishwashing liquid residue.
8. Basement Jaxx - Take me Back To Your House
Speak of the devil and the devil appears. I wanted more from this track. It got too repetitive. "take me back to your house, your house" I know Painkiller is repetitive too but, it's not annoying like this is.
7. Camille - Ta Douleur
Part of the French invasion that's happening right now. I like this track not for it's words (I can't speak French) but for the whole sexy ambience of the song. It just makes you feel good. Like beating a snowman with a coconut.
6. Bob Evans - Nowhere Without You
Originally the singer for Jebediah, Kevin Mitchell currently works under this name. The song is forgettable. Not in a bad way. But it's nothing to make you say, "Yeah, I'll have this song at my wedding".
5. Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks
Runner up for this years most annoying piece of crap. Whistling in a song is not cool. It's uninspiring. It's boring. It triggers conditioning. Ok, some whistling is good. Like in Patience. But this is annoying whistling. But people love this song. Why?
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
An excellent slice of indie rock/post punk. A great way to start a picnic with the family.
3. Wolfmother - Love Train
Ok. When Wolfmother first broke out, I didn't mind them. Their music is kind of retro, and it sounded good when cut against the constant rap music on the radio. But for the love of beer, enough already!!! Yeah they have talent, but so did Jeff Buckley. I guess maybe if Jeff had of sold himself to the corporate machine then more people would've supported him initially. All I can say is their second album better have fireworks shooting out of it, and a discount coupon for starbucks because expectations are going to be waaaaaay high.
2. AFI - Miss Murder
Score for the emo kids. AFI have been around for so long now that eventually they would have become popular. I'm not going to say much about the song. Everyone's heard it a thousand times.
1. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
Seriously. I've heard coffee machines that sound better. Enough said.
Disc 1
20. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars (live)
The live version of this song wasn't in the actual vote, so depending on your view of the band, it's either a bonus or a disappointment. The song is catchy. It makes girls go all wistful. It makes guys look stupid after they've had a few too many drinks. I'm guessing in two years time it'll start to pop up on those cheesy compilation albums for weddings and couples.
19. Sarah Blasko - Explain
I can't believe the quality of music this girl is creating. It blows my mind that someone this talented waited until their mid-thirties to express themselves. Not that being in your thirties is a bad thing.
18. Hot Chip - Over & Over
TTOM should like this song. Contains monkeys. Really good song for twelve year olds to play in their rooms and annoy the crap out of everybody. I'm not twelve, but I do like it. And I'm not saying TTOM is twelve either.
17. The Butterfly Effect - Gone
One of the few hard rock/metal acts to make it in, TBE have really improved from their last album. This song is great at first but loses it lustre after a while. That just goes to show how bad these guys were before this album. Melodies are great though.
16. The Cops - Call Me Anytime
Not much to say about this one. Generic rock music. NEXT!
15. Little Birdy - Come On Come On
Ahhhh Katy Steele. Her vocals are so fitting to this music that anyone else would have murdered this song. Expectations were high after their first album and they delivered one hot steaming pile of audio wonderment. I strongly urge all fans of light rock to buy the album Hollywood now. (and if anyone likes weird ass rock, her brothers band The Sleepy Jackson are the ticket your looking for)
14. Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push
Lupe Fiasco is one the only rappers that actually tries to push the genre forward. Using a story telling technique in this song sprinkles some freshness on a dying genre. Great song to drive to work listening to. And good to see a Muslim doing something other then exploding.
13. Beck - Nausea
Just like the name suggests, it's nauseating. Beck tries to push forward and transcend genres but he continually finds himself back at the same spot. Don't get me wrong, some of the work he's done is spectacular and has helped me expand my mind to no end, but I get the feeling he's confused as to where he should go next. Maybe I expect too much from him.
12. Ok Go - Here It Goes Again
Just for the film clip this song rocks. If you haven't seen it check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/v/pv5zWaTEVkI
Never has tread mill acrobatics been so well displayed.
11. Lily Allen - Smile
Great break-up song. Perfect for that hatred stage. Lily Allen's music is so refreshing that if she wrote a song about paperclips it would still be entertaining. Plus she's nice to look at. Yeah.
10. John Butler Trio - Funky Tonight
At first I was ready to write this one off because of 'Zebra'. But as a guitarist myself his rolling picking skills and slide action are sublime. As the name suggests, this track is funky. Their music is slightly political to say the least but the groove factor is huge. If your into blues/roots this is the shot, but even if your into rock or pop you'll still enjoy it.
9. Gotye - Hearts A Mess
Mmmmm dreamy. Like Massive Attack I guess. The kind of song that will trigger memory flash backs every time you hear it. WARNING: Small amount of whistling involved.
8. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
I'm going to admit that I like this song. But only when I'm cleaning the house drunk. I really can't understand why. Maybe it's a sort of Bee Gees resurgence conditioning within my subconscious. Even though I don't like the Bee Gees.
7. Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
Anything by Muse is awesome. Matt Bellamy is one of the most creative signed artist ever to have pick up an instrument. I'm aware that this is a big call but every track he writes is virtually flawless in execution. The grinding base line of this track reminds me of NIN circa 1998. But with a more fluffy rabbit side to it. . I wonder what would happen if Matt and Brian Molko had a baby
6. Gnarls Barkly - Crazy
Not much can be said about this that hasn't already been said. They're up there with Lily Allen on helping myspace to plunder and pillage the music scene. Not their fault though. The film clip is awesome and the lyrics are inspiring. Another one of those moments that when you hear them, you immediately wish you had of written them and locked them in a vault so that nobody could steal them.
5. The Grates - 19 20 20
Personally I don't like this band... or this song. I'm sorry. This is the winner of most annoying song for 2006. Everything about it pisses me off. The melody, the art work on the album, the stupid look on the drummers face during the film clip. Every time I heard this song or saw it on TV, I wanted to dismember the appliance it was coming from. Do not give in to the hype, This band sucks nuts.
4. The Killers - When You Were Young
After their last album these guys needed to deliver something not only of equal quality to Hot Fuss, but something that smacked you in the face, stole all of your dreams, and left you pants less in the bushes, with tears of joy streaming down your face. Fortunately they delivered, and this slab of unrequited love rock is one of the most delightful things to have polluted the airwaves last year. Thank god for Las Vegas, and thank God for The Killers.
3. Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road
To be honest I would have preferred the Herd scoring this slot. Hilltop Hoods have tried really hard to generate some form of interest in Australian hip hop but I feel this is going to be their greatest song, and they'll never achieve the same radio play on commercial radio. And that's a little disappointing because if they fail in their next studio album it will let down the vast majority of hip hop fans in Australia that have slowly started to look away from overseas and more at their own backyard. But I'm probably wrong, and they'll crack the U.S. sooner or later. Just to prove me wrong.
2. Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails, Red Wine
A cover is a cover is the same as the cover. Some bands seem to make a career out of covering songs that were already successful and riding the popularity of middle aged parents remembering their teens. Or even worse, covering the song without changing it at all. (Looking at you Marilyn Manson). Eskimo Joe's early years were of fun pop rock that was just that. Fun. But they shifted their ideals I guess and wanted to become stadium rockers. But the truth is they should be relegated to radio stations programmed for nursing homes. It's annoying to listen to, and the fact that it was a cover made me hate it even more. They couldn't even fix the original to sound better, they just laid down new vocals. BOOOOO!!!!
1. Augie March - One Crowded Hour
Ok. This was voted No.1 in a vote that had 500,000 people vote. I'm guessing there are still a lot of people that either have never heard of Jeff Buckley, or still lament his death so much that their willing to forgive this band's obvious influence. Technically this song is very good. Nice structure, great vocals and lyrical content. And it'll be huge on the wedding dj circuit. But it doesn't deserve to be No.1. Top 5, but not top spot. Personally I think The Strokes or The Arctic Monkeys deserve it more. Or the Matches. But they're Aussies. So that tips them over the edge.
So there you have it. My analyses of the tracks on the latest Hottest 100 c.d. released by Triple J. It's a good mix that'll go down well at parties, or even as an ice breaker for people not familiar with Australian music and wish to splice it up with other international acts. Anyways, this has taken a big chunk of time away from my job so I'm happy no matter how this is received.
User Reviews
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2007-05-19 04:51:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
your critique of Muse was impeccable
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2007-05-19 03:53:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Queens of the Stone Age fan. Awesome.
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2007-04-08 12:48:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is a +2 for introducing me to Regina Spektor
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2007-03-29 06:15:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2007-03-27 23:44:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
agree with some
disagree with others.
overall, a decent post, good effort.
Submitted by Progr3ss (user info) at 2007-03-28 19:27:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-03-28 21:28:41 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
-AFI you fucking emo piece of shit. Go cut yourself. There were good songs in here but you had to put that shithole group in there? Something is wrong with you.
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How about you read what I wrote instead of making assumptions? I didn't decide the track listing, the PR/marketing dept. at abc radio did. I was merely commenting on the tracks contained within the album I bought. What the fuck is wrong with you?
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2007-03-28 09:29:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Posts like this constantly remind me of the continually increasing gap between me and modern music.
I've heard of a grand total of TWO of those artists (Beck and Gnarls), and the only Beck song I've ever intentionally heard is "Loser."
Maybe it's time for the ol' Captain to break into the 21st century.
Submitted by Beano312003 (user info) at 2007-03-28 08:39:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Pandora.com
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-03-28 07:28:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
-AFI you fucking emo piece of shit. Go cut yourself. There were good songs in here but you had to put that shithole group in there? Something is wrong with you.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-03-28 07:05:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
You almost got a positive for having Lady Sovereign, but that's far from her best song. This is a shitty list of songs.
Submitted by ChristPuncher (user info) at 2007-03-28 01:50:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
eww i hate u
Submitted by Progr3ss (user info) at 2007-03-28 01:12:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
yeah the crawl was the first placebo riff I learnt.
Submitted by kuroneko_sama (user info) at 2007-03-28 01:09:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
placebo kicks all sorts of ass, id suggest "crawl"(acoustic version), "I feel you" (Depeche mode cover....excellent riff), "commercial for levi", and "every me, every you"
"pure morning" is ok but was waaay too overplayed to the point that it lost novelty
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-03-28 01:05:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
New Health Rock EP and Young Liars EP by TVotR will blow your brains out
I generally dislike the YYYs but Gold Lion is hot
Crazy is a good song
The killers first album was a pretty nice slice of pop rock. the second album was straight shit.
The rest of the stuff I either dont know or dont really care about.
Submitted by professorfuckface (user info) at 2007-03-28 00:41:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
What a shitty year for the hottest 100, put a dent in my australia day, wolfmother still making the list even though they haven't released an album in almost three years, while neither tim rogers OR you am I make the list despite releasing a single and a double in the past years alone, I think a lot of these shit bands are getting somebody to vote with proxies
Submitted by Progr3ss (user info) at 2007-03-28 00:18:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Vegemite is the ducks nuts
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2007-03-28 00:14:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I love Vegimite,
Good post though - the Regina Spektor song is my guilty little pleasure.
+2 Muse
Submitted by goferforhire (user info) at 2007-03-28 00:09:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I almost slapped you for liking the Killers then I remembered that I don't really care. Have a +2 for the paperclip comment.
Submitted by Progr3ss (user info) at 2007-03-27 23:56:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by JulsInsane (user info) at 2007-03-28 13:51:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Lily Allen's "Not Big" is a better song.
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I agree. I actually voted for "Alfie" though.
Submitted by JulsInsane (user info) at 2007-03-27 23:51:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Lily Allen's "Not Big" is a better song.
Metric is another one of those kinda not quite super mainstream bands that is good.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2007-03-27 23:44:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
agree with some
disagree with others.
overall, a decent post, good effort.