I was galavanting in O’ahu on Australia Day during the annual triple j Hottest 100 countdown. Although I saw a tourist sporting an Australian flag towel as a cape on the streets of Waikiki, it wasn’t quite the same as tuning in to triple j for the nation’s top tunes.
Since moving to Brisbane from Mackay, we haven’t listened as often to triple j, the staple radio station of our weekly road trips and evening meals. That being said, I’ve been checking out their hitlist on Spotify and live music podcasts for my daily dose of Australian and international music for the young or young at heart.
This year’s Hottest 100 has many gems, but here are the five that stole my heart:
Whenever we’re in the car or rocking out in the kitchen, we’re tuned in to triple j. Given our weekly road trips and love of food, we spend hours each week listening to the best station down under.
Every year, triple j counts down the Hottest 100–what they call ‘the largest musical democracy in the world’–on Australia Day. Over a million listeners voted this year to make a high-caliber list of both Australian and international tracks. Here are my tops picks from the 2011 Hottest 100.
#89: Beirut – Santa Fe
I first heard Beirut three years ago at Turks on The Drive during an evening adventure with my old friend David. I was enchanted to say the least. Since their latest album ‘The Rip Tide’ dropped in Spring 2011, I’ve been even more keen on the American band. Seeing them perform at the Commodore Ballroom was one of the highlights of my summer.
#57: The Rubens – Lay It Down
This track is sexy; there’s something about the gravelly vocals of Sam Margin and guitar work by Zaac Margin that had me swaying to ‘Lay it Down’. The Rubens, an indie outfit from NSW, were discovered on triple j unearthed and enjoyed a strong showing in this year’s Hottest 100.
#50: Boy & Bear – Part Time Believer
This is one of the few tracks in the 2011 Hottest 100 that I think my dad would enjoy it. The melody and the lyrics harken back to the folk and classic rock that dad would play on his 8-track deck years ago. During my research on men’s magazines, I discovered that Boy & Bear were winners in GQ Australia’s Men of the Year 2011, not that I was surprised.
#16: Grouplove – Tongue Tied
When we first moved to Mackay, ‘Tongue Tied’ seemed to be playing on the radio every time we hopped in the car. Although Grouplove is based in LA, I think of this track as my ‘Australia’ song, given it’s mention of roundabouts and marmalade.
#1: Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know {Ft. Kimbra}
In the whispers of a move to Australia so many months ago, I started searching for music from down under. Gotye was one of the first artists I stumbled upon. The video for his track ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ was just released. I was awestruck. The xylophone sample in first seconds of the track caught my attention. His moan-yell-cry chorus reminded me of Peter Gabriel. I appreciated his indie intensity. The body paint was strikingly well-done. The video now has over 53 million views. When I showed to Chris, he may have developed a slight crush on Kimbra. We like to sing it at the top of our lungs on drives out to camp.
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