Kevin's Watch

I'm with Matrixman, I've never heard any of those songs!

I bought the Mumford and Sons album on a friend's recommendation. i didn't know they were famous!

I'm with Matrixman, I've never heard any of those songs!

Old farts

I didn't realise Mumford & Sons were that popular either.

I think this is a link to the song - www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E

hey Stevie G, good topic - I was driving along the Great Ocean Road back to Melbourne (couple of hours drive to you non-Melburnians) and heard most of JJJ's hottest 100 songs for 2009.

I used to be a big fan of JJJ's programming many years ago, and have attempted to get back into it for the past year and a bit.
Unfortunately the 2009 hottest 100 only confirmed what I had been suspecting; my tastes and those of JJJ's dj's and fans have parted ways over time.

I couldnt say I knew a lot of the songs on the countdown, but I knew quite a few. I honestly liked about 5-10 songs, but was either underwhelmed or actively disliked the rest

I fear I've reached that age bracket in which the sound of modern music makes me pine for the great music I loved in my youth ...
Australian hip-hop, for instance, is absolutely detestable in my estimations (Hilltop Hoods are friggin' awful - I don't like any hip-hop these days really, but used to love it from '87 thru to the mid-90's).

What was even more annoying was that the few albums that I bought from 2009 that were really great weren't voted in, in fact I hardly ever hear any music that I think is interesting or cool on JJJ anymore.
Dirty Projectors and Fever Ray spring to mind as artists I really like who are making cool stuff, but alas they weren't liked by the wider 'alternative' audiences of Australia ... I prefer RRR or PBS to listen to these days ..

He he - gday SleeplessOne, I knew you'd respond here sometime

I totally agree with you really. I think the JJJ audience has embraced... I don't know what to call it, let's say "soft" electronica. It's crap

The biggest travesty on the list (apart from the Hilltop Hoods) is that friggin "Parlez Vous Francais" - number 2??? I am officially and old fart, and proud of it!!

StevieG wrote:He he - gday SleeplessOne, I knew you'd respond here sometime

I totally agree with you really. I think the JJJ audience has embraced... I don't know what to call it, let's say "soft" electronica. It's crap

The biggest travesty on the list (apart from the Hilltop Hoods) is that friggin "Parlez Vous Francais" - number 2??? I am officially and old fart, and proud of it!!

unequivocally agree with that call StevieG - I'd heard of the group Art vs. Science, there's a bit of 'buzz' around them - unfortunately the two songs of their's that made the top 100 were absolute stinkers to my ears .. the other song was dead-set boring with crappy lyrics, whilst the 'banger' you mentioned is just obnoxious ...

for the sake of balance and discussion I'll list the songs that I either liked or at least didn't hate from the JJJ hottest 100 list :

* Sarah Blasko's two tracks - bought latest her album after seeing her live and it's great imo, she's not a particularly versatile or strong vocalist but she's good at what she does, and the production and arrangements on the album are great, lots of strings and piano; the producer (a Swedish muso of some renown himself) gets a nice contrast of minimalism and lushness from most of the songs.

* Yeah Yeah Yeahs - they had two tracks included also; I dont have any of their albums but have heard a few songs here and there, they're not bad

* Angust and Julia Stone - didnt actually hear which song made the hottest 100, but heard their album a while back at a friends house and was impressed ..

* Franz Ferdinand and Gossip - I'm ambivalent on both bands (I own FF's first album and saw them live when they came to Melbourne a few years ago, but haven't bought their recent albums) but I enjoyed both of the songs they had voted in; both songs were semi-crossover hits and I heard them on commercial radio a bit ... not that that's why I liked them, I just thought they were good pop songs ..

and that's about it ...

band's I particularly dislike : Jet, Wolfmother (both derivative, uninteresting c*ck-rock imo..), Hilltop Hoods (as mentioned earlier), Vampire Weekend (I'd heard of them before the JJJ's hottest 100, but how I despair having heard them on Tuesday, that song was god-awful) ...

band's I can't decide whether I dislike or begrudgingly respect : Muse - their songs are so overblown and snotty, but there is definite talent there .. also, I bravely but shamedly admit to liking the sound of La Roux, who have a cheesy 80's veneer (the song 'bulletproof' the prime example) - the songs I've heard of theirs have been a guilty pleasure, but I have no doubt as to their disposability or lack of longevity in my good grace ...

there ya go - as I mentioned in the earlier post; Dirty Projectors and Fever Ray were the best two albums I bought this year (I only bought about 4-5 cds released in 2009 haha..)

Sleeplessone wrote:

band's I particularly dislike : Jet, Wolfmother (both derivative, uninteresting c*ck-rock imo..),

I can't understand you putting Jet (nonesense!) in with wolfmother!

I'm not a huge wolfmother fan, but I think they fill a gap! Jet, however, just fill a indiepop-record-label-created-gap.

Wolfmother 'Woman'

Actually that's a crap demo but i like them!

Stonemaybe wrote:Sleeplessone wrote:

band's I particularly dislike : Jet, Wolfmother (both derivative, uninteresting c*ck-rock imo..),

I can't understand you putting Jet (nonesense!) in with wolfmother!

I'm not a huge wolfmother fan, but I think they fill a gap! Jet, however, just fill a indiepop-record-label-created-gap.

Wolfmother 'Woman'

Actually that's a crap demo but i like them!

imo both so heavily lean on guitar rock from the past (specifically the 70's) that ya may as well get the original albums that those bands base their sound on (Led Zep etc).
If anything I hate Jet very slightly less than Wolfmother; Andrew Stockdale is a tool - saw him the other day in Melbourne too, I didnt share my opinions with him though

Yes, I'm a fan of Sarah Blasko too. Other bands/artists I enjoy that made it are: Mumford & Sons, Muse (in small bursts), Angus and Julia Stone, Eskimo Joe, Flight of the Conchords ( )...

Some I could take or leave depending on the song: Tegan and Sarah, Regina Spektor, Franz Ferdinand, there's probably more if I had a closer look.

And Stone, I'd take Seasick Steve over the lot of 'em (the best new stuff I've heard since joining the watch, thanks for the many links )

Sleeplessone wrote:

imo both so heavily lean on guitar rock from the past (specifically the 70's) that ya may as well get the original albums that those bands base their sound on (Led Zep etc).

I agree Wolfmother are derivative & unoriginal. But when their first cd (was it the first? the one with 'Woman' on) came out, I thought their energy was very impressive, and there were about four tracks on it I played to death. Whereas I'd already played to death the other stuff like that, that I like. So, it was nice, for a while!

Jet, just bored me.

StevieG wrote:Yes, I'm a fan of Sarah Blasko too. Other bands/artists I enjoy that made it are: Mumford & Sons, Muse (in small bursts), Angus and Julia Stone, Eskimo Joe, Flight of the Conchords ( )...

Some I could take or leave depending on the song: Tegan and Sarah, Regina Spektor, Franz Ferdinand, there's probably more if I had a closer look.

And Stone, I'd take Seasick Steve over the lot of 'em (the best new stuff I've heard since joining the watch, thanks for the many links )

only seen a little bit of Seasick Steve, but he is awesomeness ...

I agree Wolfmother are derivative & unoriginal. But when their first cd (was it the first? the one with 'Woman' on) came out, I thought their energy was very impressive, and there were about four tracks on it I played to death. Whereas I'd already played to death the other stuff like that, that I like. So, it was nice, for a while!

Jet, just bored me.

yep I can see that - I quite liked 'Mind's Eye' when I first heard it, in fact I still like that song - the rest I can take or leave - and yes, Jet is dead set boring ..

The Hottest 100 of All Time wasn't THAT bad

Led Zeppellin, RATM, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Bowie, Stone Roses, YOU AM I, Floyd, the Cure, Bob Dylan, Tool, Hendriwon byx, Nick Cave, Pixies, Beach Boys, QOTSA, Metallica, Smashing Pumpins, Perl jam.. They're all top bands, fantastic lyrics.. Legends, essentially.. It's just that they didn't come in the right order..

And there's CRAP there like Green Day, John Butler, Hilltop Hoods and freaking Nirvarna.

I did listen to quite a bit of the most recent countdown, won by Mumford & Sons.. It was OK. I found myself enjoying stuff by the likes of Florence and the machine and Washington, but there was no real standouts there. Nothing I voted for anyway (Flaming Lips, Future of the Left). And as for Mumford and Sons, the sound like a cross between the Decemberists (but without the vocal range) and Midlake (but without the musical ability).

To be perfectly honest, my favourite Hottest 100 is Volume 6, back in 2004..

The Offspring, Custard, Korn, Regurgitator, Jebediah, Powderfinger, You Am I, U2, Ben Folds 5, They might be Giants, Grinspoon, TISM, Placebo, Marilyn manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl jam, radiohead, garbage, Fatboy Slim, RATM, Dandy Warhols, Rob Jombie, Something for Kate, MIdnight Oil.. And many others.. Sure they're not all legends, but they make me smile whenever I hear their stuff.

I usually feel a kinship for my fellow Watchers but this thread is drawing lines that I dont cross. Im not going to sit here and preach to you about what you should listen to , or say my stuff is better than your stuff but come on. Nirvana changed the effin world with one song, and Rage Against the Machine will remain a favorite of mine for as long as I can still hear the music , rock on.

I have to admit, it took me a while to come around to Nirvana, probably not being completely converted until In Utero. Yes, they had a huge impact, but... well, 20 years later, I'm still listening to AiC, but I haven't played a Nirvana album in months.

RATM. Bleh. Overrated then, overrated now. Good music, but... You can't preach against 'the man' and sign with Sony BMG. You just can't. About the best I can say for them is that they're still playing their music on the redneck rock local station, and it's better than most of the other crap they play.

As far as that last list goes *shudder* I must be getting old. I am curious to hear what The Prodigy and Basement Jaxx sound like these days, though. Wolfmother's new album is alright, I guess. Muse is good, but still too breathy for me.

Muse - breathy - that's the best description I've heard in ages!

I had a soft spot for Muse, but the latest album isn't my cup of tea - I'll add "preachy" to breathy...

I still listen to RATM and enjoy the music. And I still indulge in Nirvana on the odd occasion.

StevieG wrote: 9.Foo Fighters - Everlong

Looking at the ones you listed, I agree with many and some I've not heard.

But this high rating of Everlong, that I see often in other places has always mystified me. I love the Foo guys and thing some of their songs are outstanding. I've tried to like this one more than I do because so many Foo fans rate it so high. But I just don't get it. I also see The Pretender rated high in many places and don't get that either.

The ones I rate much higher than this:
Over and Out
The Deepest Blues are Black
Come Alive
Learn to Fly

Ok, I've been listening to Everlong a lot the last few days and its growing on me. Can see the attraction.

Left MIA and Breakout off my list of Foo songs i like a lot.

Anytime the "greatest" anything of all time is voted upon there are going to be a number of problems. Firstly, who gets asked to vote, secondly their perspective of "all time" (somewhat big call for a 16 year old), thirdly memory wanes without the constant reminder 20 times a day from the radio and of course not everyone takes their information on music in from the radio. Clearly the demographic is reflecting who their favourite songs are which of course may be heavily influenced by image, fashion and peer groups, ie not solely the songs themselves. Perhaps they should weight the votes on passing years ie Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2) gets 1 vote but counts as 5 and/or Give you hell (Kid Rock) gets 5 votes but counts as 1.... vary the ratios as required!

This list would be better seen from a mirror image listing the 100 best not in this list.



I too used to listen JJJ but they really have gone off, personally I blame the Presets and that aspiring non-entity who named himself "The Doctor". I have gone back to MMM especially on Monday and Friday when Roy and HG play some seriously good stuff in between some of the best reparte anywhere on the radio.

If you guys are local, check out Paris Crash, they're starting to make a name and the Bass Player was in my last band (we were seriously punching above our weight to have him in Below Zero for the 18months we did).

www.fasterlouder.com.au/bands/The_Paris_Crash

There are definitely problems with "greatest" lists of course. Another problem is voting for a favourite band, and this is perhaps why "Everlong" got such a high rating - it's a good song, not great in many people's opinions, but one that gets a lot of votes.

Say, for example, that Rage Against The Machine is a band I would like to see in the list. My absolute favourite might be "Fistful of Steel", but I think that "Killing in the Name" will get more votes because even non-RaTM fans know and like it (let's say), and I really want to see them on the list. So naturally I vote for "Killing.." instead.

The other is the demographic as Finn mentions, and the other is the list of "suggestions" that accompany the vote. So many reasons really...