Hottest 100

THERE was a time any song list from the ABC’s Triple J would be a talking point for at least a week. This year’s Top 100 songs of all time hardly lasted a day.

The biggest controversy was about the lack of female artists which illustrates Triple J’s appeal and audience.

However, these lists prompt reflection on your own musical choices, as it did with Punch writer Chris Deal who unleased a collection of the crappest songs of all time. That led to some of the best abuse we’ve copped so far, including being called “a bunch of hipster douchebags”, to which most of us plead a fair cop.

Continue reading "The hottest 100, for the slightly elderly" »

One of the least fascinating things to come out of Triple J’s Hottest 100 Of All Time is that Nirvana’s grunge anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit is still considered to be THE cornerstone for Gen X & Ys musical landscape, and that “alternative” music has jumped so far over the shark that it should win an Olympic medal for both high and long jumping.

And while taking pot shots at the uninspired and predictable musical tastes of the new bogan elite who have taken over the Triple J airwaves is just as predictable as the contents of the Hottest 100 in the first place, the more intriguing aspect of this gigantic rock census comes down to a question of chromosomes.

Soon after the list was finalised, the penny dropped over the Twitterverse that apart from a guest female vocal on Massive Attack’s trip-hop ballad Teardrop and Jeff Buckley singing like a whiny bitch, not one artist in the list for the ages was forced to sit down to pee.

Continue reading "No women no cry - hottest misognyist poll of all time?" »

Who can say exactly why we all love music but today’s Punch list of the 100 crappest songs of all time has made me sure of four things:

1. Absolutely everyone has an opinion on this topic
2. Absolutely no one agrees on this topic
3. While musical ability, fame, or output is celebrated, you don’t need it to know what you don’t like
4. People either love or hate Tim Freedman, there’s no grey area on this one.

Continue reading "The worst songs ever written: according to you" »

Near, far, wherever you are, you’re probably aware that this week the national youth broadcaster Triple J has released its rather ambitious Hottest 100 Of All Time music poll. And while staying positive and tallying up a rock-solid list of the songs that have brought so much joy to the world is a noble pursuit, a healthy dose of sticking the boot right in is required to address the balance.

The Punch does not endorse book burning, but there’s an argument for putting really, really bad records in a big pile and setting them on fire. And according to our scientific survey, Celine Dion should be the first to go up in flames:

Now that you’ve got it started, the next songs you should add are, in order, this one:

Continue reading "Crappest 100: the worst songs of all time" »