My top ten picks for the JJJ hottest 100

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Oh, well, I guess Rage Against the Machine (not really my cup of tea, but they existed). Maybe Radiohead at a stretch. (not that 'political' automatically means writing narrowly-'political' or protest songs, necessarily. What is it they say, the artist's job isn't to save the world, it's to tell the truth). Probably quite a few I'm disregarding from the world of hip hop, partly out of ignorance, partly because I'm not sure which really got started before the end of the eighties.

Of the big 2000s contenders, forget it, mostly. There are probably exceptions.
 
I was thinking of excluding RATM since they haven't released a record in what, 15 years? They're not particularly active now I don't think. Radiohead do have political themes in their work but 'political' is not something you immediately associate with them, and they too have been around for a relatively long time.

There'd be a fair few in hip hop/rap, definitely, but I wasn't thinking so much about hip hop as I was the giant plain that is 'rock.'
 
It was a big question in the UK/US during the Bush/Blair/War years as well - where are the protest songs/bands? A lot of talk, but no music. Something to do with the way the industry changed (risk taking is too risky)? Simply reflecting the way we have changed (apathy, can't make a difference so why bother...)?
 
Vlad n U 2 said:
I was thinking of excluding RATM since they haven't released a record in what, 15 years? They're not particularly active now I don't think. Radiohead do have political themes in their work but 'political' is not something you immediately associate with them, and they too have been around for a relatively long time.

There'd be a fair few in hip hop/rap, definitely, but I wasn't thinking so much about hip hop as I was the giant plain that is 'rock.'
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Oh sure, RATM are long defunct, I was just trying to think of bands - bigtime bands no less - that so far as I know got started after 1990 (as opposed to seventies or eighties 'veterans').
 
Kieran McConville said:
Can't make a difference, so why bother, might be a factor.
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I've often suggested this is why turning out to protests is not a thing for my generation compared to previous ones. We grew up with big protests like the Sorry march, the anti-Iraq war protests, etc., and what did they do? Absolutely nothing. Achieved two-fifths of fuck-all, at least in the short term. Wouldn't shock me if that sort of mentality carried over to music. Now, if there is a political theme, it's going to be very narrowly focused on something that's pretty safe for the market (see: "Same Love", which is just a truly abysmal treatment of an important topic).
 
Kieran McConville said:
Oh sure, RATM are long defunct, I was just trying to think of bands - bigtime bands no less - that so far as I know got started after 1990 (as opposed to seventies or eighties 'veterans').
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I might as well stretch the date a bit and suggest Primal Scream (because I can't think of anything within the time period I set), although even then, the only works of theirs I'd consider to be political would be XTRMNTR and More Light. A lot of it is quite universal anti-capitalist rhetoric rather than in reference to any specific event, ie. the song 2013.

While I'm at it, I may as well throw up the Manics, who are still going strong despite not being as big as they were in the late 90s.

Axver said:
I've often suggested this is why turning out to protests is not a thing for my generation compared to previous ones. We grew up with big protests like the Sorry march, the anti-Iraq war protests, etc., and what did they do? Absolutely nothing. Achieved two-fifths of fuck-all, at least in the short term. Wouldn't shock me if that sort of mentality carried over to music. Now, if there is a political theme, it's going to be very narrowly focused on something that's pretty safe for the market (see: "Same Love", which is just a truly abysmal treatment of an important topic).
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I think all it could take is just one idealistic band with none of that cynical baggage attached to what you mentioned here.
 
Well I can think of heaps of politically charged bands from the last decade, but of course they're all in genres like black metal or post-hardcore that have zero commercial potential.
 
Axver said:
I've often suggested this is why turning out to protests is not a thing for my generation compared to previous ones. We grew up with big protests like the Sorry march, the anti-Iraq war protests, etc., and what did they do? Absolutely nothing. Achieved two-fifths of fuck-all, at least in the short term. Wouldn't shock me if that sort of mentality carried over to music. Now, if there is a political theme, it's going to be very narrowly focused on something that's pretty safe for the market (see: "Same Love", which is just a truly abysmal treatment of an important topic).
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That one huge anti-Iraq rally (the global one, had I think over 200k out in Sydney, not far behind in Melbourne and very large numbers in other cities) did change Howard... in a way. I remember that evening he gave what was for him a very shaky interview - confidence obviously shot a bit ("oh shit, a lot of people evidently don't listen to Alan Jones"), and from then they changed the push from "WMD and Terrorism Reasons" to "Humanitarian Reasons".

I think - mentioning both "Same Love" and U2 - there are two trends in there that have an impact. Music in general (ie what is popular) is far more consistently feel good and escapist these days than ever before. Whether it's political or personal, there's just less 'angry' or 'negative' music out there. I think people look to it more as escapism, look at all the electro and shitty folky happy stuff. Right up until the turn of the century it was different, all the way through the 90s, whether it was political rock or hip-hop, or even the really cynical side of brit-pop. Kind of blew itself out when angry-dumb-white-suburban-kid had his day with things like Limp Bizkit ("fuck you because, umm, SUCK MY DICK!"). I don't know, it kind of just went away and now everything is sunshine and dancing and campfires and pretty girls and fun drugs and all the music is pastel coloured. Feel good songs, feel good feelings - and so like "Same Love" if it is somewhat political, it's about being pro something rather than anti something.

The other side of it maybe is where U2 comes in, or more specifically Bono, and just the general change in attitude toward 'celebrity' campaigning and protest, and perhaps the general distaste for that has moved over to accepted music/band themes as well. Actors in the UN, singers at Davos - everyone is a bit sick of it, and that "shut up and sing" attitude probably extends a bit. Make me happy, make me dance, take me away from this shitty bus ride to my shitty job on a shitty Monday morning and make me think of nice places and things. Re-enforce my good feelings about myself and my social feelings and political beliefs, don't tell me how I should be doing more or better. And don't lecture me about things like inequality when you're a tax dodging gazillionnaire, get back on your private jet, fly home and make me some feel good songs about love'n'shit with more of that echoey uplifting guitar and stuff :sexywink:
 
Earnie Shavers said:
That one huge anti-Iraq rally (the global one, had I think over 200k out in Sydney, not far behind in Melbourne and very large numbers in other cities) did change Howard... in a way. I remember that evening he gave what was for him a very shaky interview - confidence obviously shot a bit ("oh shit, a lot of people evidently don't listen to Alan Jones"), and from then they changed the push from "WMD and Terrorism Reasons" to "Humanitarian Reasons".

I think - mentioning both "Same Love" and U2 - there are two trends in there that have an impact. Music in general (ie what is popular) is far more consistently feel good and escapist these days than ever before. Whether it's political or personal, there's just less 'angry' or 'negative' music out there. I think people look to it more as escapism, look at all the electro and shitty folky happy stuff. Right up until the turn of the century it was different, all the way through the 90s, whether it was political rock or hip-hop, or even the really cynical side of brit-pop. Kind of blew itself out when angry-dumb-white-suburban-kid had his day with things like Limp Bizkit ("fuck you because, umm, SUCK MY DICK!"). I don't know, it kind of just went away and now everything is sunshine and dancing and campfires and pretty girls and fun drugs and all the music is pastel coloured. Feel good songs, feel good feelings - and so like "Same Love" if it is somewhat political, it's about being pro something rather than anti something.

The other side of it maybe is where U2 comes in, or more specifically Bono, and just the general change in attitude toward 'celebrity' campaigning and protest, and perhaps the general distaste for that has moved over to accepted music/band themes as well. Actors in the UN, singers at Davos - everyone is a bit sick of it, and that "shut up and sing" attitude probably extends a bit. Make me happy, make me dance, take me away from this shitty bus ride to my shitty job on a shitty Monday morning and make me think of nice places and things. Re-enforce my good feelings about myself and my social feelings and political beliefs, don't tell me how I should be doing more or better. And don't lecture me about things like inequality when you're a tax dodging gazillionnaire, get back on your private jet, fly home and make me some feel good songs about love'n'shit with more of that echoey uplifting guitar and stuff :sexywink:
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That's probably quite a fair summation.

Of course even if one shies 100% away from politics, or the possbility of any change in the world at large (there will always be change, at some point, just maybe not in our hands) there are still the depths of the human heart to plumb.

This shiny-happy shit though, I can't get with it. I agree, it's a thing.

People might respect U2 and Bono a bit more if their politics weren't so beige. I mean I don't expect doctrinaire ideological purity here guys, but at some point the content just bled out of their music. Yes, maybe Bono did some good work, maybe it helped, maybe it didn't, but it didn't help his art.
 
Yeah, I tend to agree with this. On the surface, there's really nothing to get behind and for someone of my age there's really nobody around (at that age) that you can say 'yeah, you got a great point there etc' to.

In some ways these indie folk acts everywhere are all a bit ... defeatist?
 
I might add that I don't have a fundamental problem with escapism... if it's interesting. There's always got to be someone who sings about worlds that will never be.
 
Anyone listening to the Hottest 200-101 right now? It's going OK, though the person announcing it seems a bit clueless, claiming Franz Ferdinand were one of the inventors of indie rock. Uhh yeah, about that...

Earnie Shavers said:
I think - mentioning both "Same Love" and U2 - there are two trends in there that have an impact. Music in general (ie what is popular) is far more consistently feel good and escapist these days than ever before. Whether it's political or personal, there's just less 'angry' or 'negative' music out there. I think people look to it more as escapism, look at all the electro and shitty folky happy stuff. Right up until the turn of the century it was different, all the way through the 90s, whether it was political rock or hip-hop, or even the really cynical side of brit-pop. Kind of blew itself out when angry-dumb-white-suburban-kid had his day with things like Limp Bizkit ("fuck you because, umm, SUCK MY DICK!"). I don't know, it kind of just went away and now everything is sunshine and dancing and campfires and pretty girls and fun drugs and all the music is pastel coloured. Feel good songs, feel good feelings - and so like "Same Love" if it is somewhat political, it's about being pro something rather than anti something.

The other side of it maybe is where U2 comes in, or more specifically Bono, and just the general change in attitude toward 'celebrity' campaigning and protest, and perhaps the general distaste for that has moved over to accepted music/band themes as well. Actors in the UN, singers at Davos - everyone is a bit sick of it, and that "shut up and sing" attitude probably extends a bit. Make me happy, make me dance, take me away from this shitty bus ride to my shitty job on a shitty Monday morning and make me think of nice places and things. Re-enforce my good feelings about myself and my social feelings and political beliefs, don't tell me how I should be doing more or better. And don't lecture me about things like inequality when you're a tax dodging gazillionnaire, get back on your private jet, fly home and make me some feel good songs about love'n'shit with more of that echoey uplifting guitar and stuff :sexywink:
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This is an excellent take. :up:
 
Some of their announcers are pretty clueless. Particularly when some band's song from like five years ago gets introduced as 'old school <whoever>'. Yeah, not an absolute terrible rundown from what I can see.
 
I guess we do have a delay. It's not like I'm specially hanging out for this stuff, I just have jjj on most days when I am working, out of habit (yes, even today). This is why I speak from knowledge when I gripe about them.

Oh god, the Smith Street Band at 180. Now those guys are rolled-gold working class, Chavforit would like them.
 
1.49 million votes and Riptide is apparently the best song of 2013. Give me a fucking break. I actually hate it more than I really do because of how popular it is. It's not a terrible song, but it is just not that fucking good. Any fuckwit with floppy hair and an acoustic guitar could write it in five minutes. I would have been totally fine with Royals winning it. At least it's interesting, even if I'm not a big fan of it.

Really wanted to be on here and Twitter as well yesterday but we had no reception.

Listening to 200-101 now. Disgrace that New Slaves only got to 200. Cool to hear Giorgio By Moroder in here though. This presenter is a fucking idiot.

Axver said:
I actually thought something had started playing in another tab and then I realised it was just how incongruous his rapping is with the backing track.
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Love love love that song.

Axver said:
The Fatboy Slim one about eat, sleep, rave, repeat? That was appallingly bad.
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I like that song, although the stoned idiot who talks throughout gets really tiresome.

Kieran McConville said:
That Robert De Long (if I'm misspelling a name I've only heard verbally, I will have to say I care not) song 'Make you Fucking Dance' is so terrible. What the fuck is wrong with him?
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Yep. Fucking atrocious. And a good example of a blasé song making the countdown because it has the word fuck in a spot you don't expect it.

Axver said:
Childish Gambino is a really, really terrible name.
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He typed his name into a Wu-Tang Clan name generator and got that.

Kieran McConville said:
You know what the worst in the leadup to all this was, was random people being vox-popped and they'd always come out with some inane thing like 'I picked <whoever> because it's really catchy and I like that!'

Yeah, you know what else is really catchy? MY SHARONA! FUCK OFF!
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This post is fucking fantastic. Thanks for the laughs.

Axver said:
Birds of Tokyo are fucking insufferable live (they opened for Muse). The frontman twat is like watching Peter Garrett in super slow motion, and with more pretension.

*dramatically throws left arm in the air, then slowly moves into crucifix pose, then clenches fist emphatically*

At least "Lanterns" didn't make the top five or ten like some predictions suggested, though.
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I was hoping we'd be spared Lanterns given MMM started smashing it, but alas not.

Vlad n U 2 said:
London Grammar seem half decent even if I'm a bit tired of the whole sad piano ballad thing.
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That lyric "caught in the middle" sounds so much like another song that I can't put my finger on... anyone got any idea?

This is my favourite London Grammar moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBW9VEE29W4

Axver said:
Aaaaand here's a timely reminder why Flume and Chet Faker are both massively over-rated.

I'll never forget when I saw Washed Out and Toro y Moi last year and EVERYBODY talked through Chet Faker's opening set. About three months later I'm pretty sure every wanker there was all "hurrr I saw Chet Faker before he was famous" and FUCK YOU because you thought he was shit boring at the time.
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I like them both, though not as much as many of my peers. Chet Faker drummed and sang for Bonobo, which was cool.

Kieran McConville said:
You know, though I don't love everything they recorded, you look at the scope and ambition of a band like Midnight Oil, or even Hunters and Collecters at times, and you wonder. What happened?
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Indeed.

Axver said:
Somebody on RYM just pointed out that nothing by The Drones made it. Now there's a band with the kind of ambition and passion we're talking about (even if I don't love everything they've done). Come the fuck on Australia, champion a band who have something to actually say.
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Nothing by Courtney Barnett either, which was disappointing.
 
I was just saying in another forum that Jubilee Street by Nick Cave should have been number one...

let alone

anywhere on the list at all.
 
Originally Posted by Kieran McConville View Post
You know what the worst in the leadup to all this was, was random people being vox-popped and they'd always come out with some inane thing like 'I picked <whoever> because it's really catchy and I like that!'

Yeah, you know what else is really catchy? MY SHARONA! FUCK OFF!
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This post is fucking fantastic. Thanks for the laughs.
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Thanks, we aim to please.
 
I always picture Birds of Tokyo's singer (no idea what he looks like) being like that guy in the Sopranos, Adrianna's ex boyfriend who fronts this used-to-be-cock-rock-now-sensitive-and-proggy band called Defiler.
 
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