The Triple J Hottest 100 poll began in 1989 and was initially a poll based on the best songs of all time. Topping the votes for two years running were Joy Division with Love Will Tear Us Apart. Fast forward to early 2008 and the poll has come full circle with a satirical track about the former victors courtesy of The Wombats’ Let’s Dance To Joy Division.
Richard Kingsmill, the station’s Music Director, states in the album notes that this poll was the largest one they’ve ever conducted. With over 700,000 votes received, only thirteen of these separated the top two acts. Now we have a new compilation – number fifteen. Like its predecessors, it promises to be the ultimate wet dream for music nerds thanks to a collection of director’s commentary-like quotes about each track. The release contains almost half – 43 to be exact – of the Countdown’s list, one that is a truly eclectic hodgepodge of musical styles.
Muse open the release with their chart-topper, Knights Of Cydonia. A unique song and outstanding choice for number one – it is an electronically charged cinematic landscape-cum-epic rock opera. Brilliant.
The subsequent track, Daft Punk’s Harder Better Faster Stronger has a sample of lyrics heard on their earlier hit, Around The World. This may leave some dance music aficionados thinking the track is the musical equivalent of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe, because in both pieces you have two artists reproducing their works but using different variations of colour and tone.
Some of Triple J’s self-proclaimed anthems (because they were a constant presence on the J airways and television in 2008) are on here – with Kaiser Chiefs’ Ruby, Cold War Kids’ Hang Me Up To Dry and Kings Of Leon’s On Call. That said, the same could probably be used to describe the aforementioned track by The Wombats and bubblegum popsters Operator Please with Just A Song About Ping Pong. Neither of these received my vote, but they obviously endeared themselves to other listeners who voted for them.
Soko delivers the instrumentally minimalist track, I’ll Kill Her. This version was actually a demo but Triple J heard it and began playing it. It resonated with the public who began requesting it and subsequently voted it number nine on the Countdown. The track is Stephanie Sokolinski lamenting about the girl who stole her beau, a little scary but quite relatable.
Bluejuice feature next with Vitriol, a quality song complemented by an awesome video. Who really could forget the clip that features a group of holy rollers preaching in Sydney’s Pitt Street? The Fratellis also feature with some rock you can dance to, and the infectious Dur Dur Durs conjures up an image of a drunk, cockney chorus line. The Foo Fighters finish disc one with another consistent, high-energy contribution to the rock canon with The Pretender.
Silverchair get their number one (albeit on disc two of the release) with their stunningly catchy tune, Straight Lines. Daniel Johns is quoted as saying the song has a sense of escapism and an inherent affirmative quality. My advice is to listen to it and let you spirit soar with the tempo of the music. It is interesting that the subsequent track is another one co-written by Julian Hamilton thanks to The Presets’ My People. Obviously this one features some heavy synth (what did you expect from a dance combo?) and is at times reminiscent of The Cure’s The Walk.
The Panics are up next with their sage song that is part hymn and part homage to Dire Straits’ Walk Of Life. Keeping up with the more mellow foray are Tegan and Sarah with Back In You Head, a song I can imagine The Breeders performing, but at times also reminds me of Peter, Bjorn and John’s Young Folks. It also features the excellent lyric: “I’m not unfaithful, but I’ll stray.”
Rounding out the second disc are The Cat Empire with their sunny fiesta So Many Nights and Radiohead with Jigsaw Falling Into Place. The latter was the first single from In Rainbows, considered by many as a return to form for the band. Too bad it only scraped into the countdown at number 94.
One complaint I must make is that Regina Spektor’s piano ballad interpretation of The Beatles’ Real Love is missing. That said, there are probably many fans of poll-placers Arctic Monkeys, White Stripes, Powderfinger, The Shins and Kanye West who would complain that their favourite artists were omitted from this compilation. Instead, listeners can be content with the likes of Modest Mouse, The Beautiful Girls, The Chemical Brothers, Missy Higgins, John Butler Trio, Josh Pyke and Hilltop Hoods to name just a few.
In sum, the release is a fine, eclectic one that will allow listeners to savour some real gems from 2007. While no listener will love every track included, with 43 to choose from, there’s great depth to go fishing in.
tom_slater1
said ages ago