Hottest 100 2017

by Gracie Crowley

Happy Hottest 100 Day everybody! This is probably my favourite day of the entire year, and it really hasn’t a great deal to do with Australia Day. More of the fact that I get to sit for hours and listen to wonderful music from all over the world, voted in by us! What makes this year particularly exciting is there is a incredible amount of votes that are for Australian Artists - from all different cultural backgrounds -which shows how much growth is taking place inside the Australian Music Industry which hopefully make us all very happy and proud. As follows are my Hottest 100 votes. I’ve ranked them from 10 to 1 for dramatic effect and ramble a little on why I’ve ranked them as such. Please remember that this is my own personal opinion, and I’d love to hear what your top picks were and why below!

10) Band of Skulls – Killer

These humans stole my heart when I was about 13 years old and played ‘the Funeral’ on repeat in my bedroom. From then on I’ve always had a soft spot for the English rockers. Killer is from their latest album By Default and this particular song hits all my soft spots, good lyrics, a unique sound, and I genuinely cannot fault it.

9) Glass Animals – The Other Side of Paradise

My favourite Glass Animals song, which is quite a big call for me considering how consistently great their songs are. The chords are bizarre, the lyrics are wonderful, and to put it simply, it is such a fun song to listen to. These guys are playing various Laneway festivals this year, Melbourne this coming Saturday, and it is going to test my physical strength to move my ass from their stage to Tame Impala’s. Who needs to be front row anyway?

8) Radiohead – Burn the Witch

I cannot not have Radiohead on my list, if I had a religion it would somehow be against it. The lead single from A Moon Shaped Pool is flawless. Coming from their last album which I admired, to this very fresh instrumental creation with synthetic beats, lush bold strings and vulnerable piano moments that move your emotions with each note cement the fact it is a fantastic album, that Burn the Witch is a perfect lead single, and also that any time I write about Radiohead it sounds like a love letter.

7) Matt Corby – Empire’s Attraction

I love Matt Corby, I love his voice, I love his lyrics, I love the composition of almost every song. I admire his creativity and how much time and effort went in to creating the album Telluric, and this is easily my favourite track off the album, I can say no more without sounding like a fangirl.

6) D.D Dumbo – Walrus

In my mind D.D Dumbo aka Oliver Hugh Perry is the musical incarnation of Wes Anderson. A little weird and you never quite know what to expect, but what he delivers is remarkable and an instant favourite. I cannot wait to see what this Aussie guy does next; Walrus is easily my favourite track to date. His incredible vocal skills and the way he utilizes a loop pedal blows my mind and creates something totally original.

5) King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard – Gamma Knife

They appear to never not be recording, writing or creating. They consistently experiment and change, which whether you love them or hate them you do have to give them credit them for. Gamma Knife is my personal favourite track from Nonagon Infinity. The album was recorded so that each song bleeds into another then jumps back and forth ambitiously. I honestly just want to individually high five each of them.

4) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree

Listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is an emotional experience. With at times challenging lyrics, biblical and religious undertones, expressed with such raw human emotion, makes them one of my favourite bands of all time. These guys have experimented with every element of their music, each album is a totally different experience and Skeleton Tree will tear out your soul and force you to look at life, loss, and love in a way you may not have thought about before. Skeleton Tree is one of my favourite tracks off the new album, it is near impossible to pick just one. The entire album is a journey and should ideally be listened to from start to finish while consuming one to two bottles of red wine. Also, playing Friday night at the Sidney Myer Music Bowel, tickets are still available – hint hint.

3) David Bowie – Lazarus

Last year the music industry lost one of its icons. Words can never do justice to the sheer brilliance of David Bowie’s life and career. His final album Black Star, released days before his death and recorded whilst battling cancer, is a testament to his musical brilliance. I limited myself to one song - Lazarus. It has everything you could want from Bowie, incredible lyrics, beautiful vocals and amazing production.

2) Phantogram – You Don’t Get Me High Anymore

This is my go to song since they released Three last year. I thoroughly enjoy every song on this album and I have no faults or complaints. The vocals are remarkable, the lyrics are fantastic, with quite serious undertones, and I just had so much fun listening to this song, I really hope to see them break at least the top 20 this year.

1) Childish Gambino – Redbone

How do I even begin to explain my reasoning for this, just listen to the damn song. In the past I’ve liked Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover, his first album was good, his second was great, and his third is incredible. I have the upmost respect for artists who grow, experiment and change in order to better themselves as artists and to create a constantly evolving sound, which is exactly what Glover has done here. This is a very special record - the funk, the soul, I adore every element. I found it near impossible to pick one song, but it just had to be Redbone. If this doesn’t break AT LEAST the top five you’ll see my speakers go flying across Williamstown Beach today.

I wish you all a very happy Hottest 100 Day today, filled with wonderful tunes and all the cold beverages that your liver can handle!

Please share your opinions and votes below!

• *** Link to YouTube Playlist to listen to all the songs listed***
• Link to Gracie's 2016 Hottest 100 Votes

Credit: Artwork from Triple J Website