You've Got to be Joking

Ok so it's been a full week now since the annual Triple J hottest 100 and it's only now that i've decided to write up something about the result. Perhaps it's because I have been so aghast at the final result that I haven't been able to bring myself to write anything. Well not really; unfortunately I had a distinct feeling it was coming. But it still frustrates me nonetheless.

Ok so maybe I'm a little disappointed that Kings Of Leon took out the top spot with their hugely popular and way over-hyped song, Sex on Fire.

And it's not that i think the song is shit because it's really not THAT bad. It's easy on the ears and it has a relatively nice sound. But in the end it's just pop music disguised under the pseudonym of 'alternative' music (which is so freaking broad these days pretty much anything not in the top 40 is considered alternative).

This is not groundbreaking music, it's just more of the same. And if you're a fan of KOL from the past, you can see just how much their creativity is lacking in this song and their new album overall.
Simple repetitive riffs, shallow cliched lyrics and a sound that is so overproduced I'm sure Chad Kroeger would be proud. Maybe a combined tour with Nickelback is now in order.

And I mean it's all fine by me. If they want to take the plunge into the mainstream music world and make this simple, cheesy pop music that sells millions then that's their choice and good on them.

But this brings me back to Triple J and the problem I have with this song getting the number 1 spot. Triple J is supposed to be Australia's premier alternative, indie rock radio station. And while there are so many great things it does for Aussie music, each year it seem to pulling further and further away from the indie rock bands and putting more emphasis on the major acts and labels.

Now I know it's a competitive world out there and the J's are simply trying to stay on top of the game and keep up their listeners. But with the amount of local top 40 commercial radio stations already flooding the airwaves, with their wanker presenters (aka Kyle Sandilands and his brain dead crony Jackie O), the last thing we need is for a NATIONAL top 40 station. But it seems Triple J is invariably heading in this direction.

This years Hottest 100 was the biggest ever with over 800 000 votes cast. A great result for Triple J, but maybe not so good for the many indy bands out there that don't fall into the mainstream category.

As Triple J gains popularity in the mainstream audience, it also starts gaining those fans that don't really have any particular interest or understanding in music but just like what they're used to and what sounds familiar. Hence Sex on Fire getting number 1.

When compared to some of the amazing sounds produced last year, Sex on Fire is pretty lacklustre. It's nothing new really, but i'm sure that chorus has every 16 year old girl frothing at the mouth.

Maybe I'm just dirty cos Jackson Jackson didn't even get a mention in the top 100 (it made 101 with All Alone). But either way it's still disappointing to see Australia's only national indy/alternative radio station give away the top spot to such a commercial, blatantly money grabbing song.
But, I guess there's always next year.

In the meantime, check out the film clip for All Alone by Jackson Jackson