Triple J Hottest 100 Of The Past 20 Years
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Triple J Hottest 100 Of The Past 20 Years

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Tom Ballard (triple j breakfast presenter)

Ben Folds Five – Army (1999) 

Mr. Folds is my most consistent musical touchstone. My adolescence, my relationship with my brother, my (shitty) skills on the piano, my comedy – all of them have been set to the soundtrack of this crazy motherfucker. I still love the sound of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner; it’s simultaneously bombastic and funny and touching and cheesy. This song has the quality of all great songs; it feels timeless, like it was written centuries ago and Ben was just the conduit to lay it down. It’s about being young, doing stupid shit, fucking up, regretting it and moving on to have another crack. The honky tonk piano solo and that fat, feedbacky bass sound giving way to the huge horn section still gives me chills. When Folds begs God to spare him more rejection, when he admits his ex-wives all despise him, it’s truly raw, truly great, catchy pop.

Sufjan Stevens – Chicago (2005) 

This record changed my life. It hit me in Year 10, at the height of that period where you kind of wake up to the world and have your mind blown by sex and the future and the universe and art and figuring out who you are. I can’t think of a better soundtrack for all that business than the epic, swirling, heartbreaking, delightful music of Sufjan Stevens. I can remember sitting in the car, down the main street of my little home town of Warrnambool, waiting for my mum to come back from the shops, and triple j played this. This. I thought, “How does someone make something like this?” I missed the name of the artist, researched furiously, bought Illionoise, laid down on my bed with my headphones on and went on that journey. Stevens’ work is endlessly inspiring and this track is no exception. The combination of gorgeous string arrangements, a choir and blistering melancholy kills me every time.

Kanye West – Dark Fantasy (2010) 

“I can in no way call myself a hip hop head. It just ‘ain’t my bag, yo’. Or something. But Yeezy’s masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (and its accompanying short film) did it for me. It’s a brutally honest exploration of his stupid ego, everything that he was and is. It just seemed so huge to me, littered with big, brutal ideas, tight rhymes and awesome hooks. I couldn’t stop listening to it. Plus the whole thing takes me back to starting triple j breakfast, moving cities, the first time I was in love, making new friends, watching The West Wing in my underpants in my shitty one-bedroom apartment… good times. This opening song sets up MBDTF perfectly and hits you right between the eyes. I think regardless of whether you love or hate Kanye, his pioneering creativity is kind of undeniable, much like his Twitter account.”

Linda Marigliano (triple j Good Nights presenter) 

Snoop Dogg – Lodi Dodi (1993)

I’ve always been the baby in the family. In the early ‘90s, my cool older brother and Italian cousins all listened to rap music and immersed themselves in this culture. I have specific memories of watching Boyz N The Hood and Poetic Justice as a very small child. Talk about a thug upbringing, right! Anyway, while I was playing with my dolls I was listening to various hip hop cassette tapes my brother used to make. I became obsessed with these and learned every word to my favourite songs. For some reason, the striking storytelling and cruisey nature of the debut album by a young African American hot shot called Snoop Dogg was my ultimate indulgence. The entire Doggystyle record is a supreme classic, and Lodi Dodi is a perfect example of Snoop’s unmistakable flow and melodic hypnotic rhymes. It tells almost a day in the life of the Snoop story. From taking a bubble bath, putting on his (very chic) Cool Water cologne, to running into a messed up girl in trouble on the street. And you’d be right in assuming it took me years to understand the many drug references within this.

Phoenix – Too Young (2000)

This song never, ever fails to put a stupid smile on my face. Is it possible to be in love with a song? In this case, yes. The striking balance between melancholia and joyfulness makes this a staple in all mixtapes. This song will be played at my wedding, my funeral, my cruise across the countryside and hopefully within the 20yrs of Hottest 100 countdown! Too Young is on Pheonix’s debut LP United, one of my fave albums. Smooth blend of French pop, R&B and those beautiful guitar licks, all weaving you into that euphoric chorus. And the synth lead into explosion in the final chorus? That blows my socks off every time! Genius, and so simple. Phoenix know how to nail a hit without it ever sounding over produced, over hyped, over done. Subtle, sublime songwriting which sounds so effortless and nonchalant. That’s how to do it, guitar bands.

Portishead – Roads (1994)

The entire Portishead album Dummy breaks my lil heart! I was too young when the record came out in 1994, but years later I discovered this CD that my Malaysian cousin (he was a super cool goth punk at the time) had left on the floor of our lounge room. I popped it in my Discman and the obsession began. Listened to this entire album on repeat, and Roads was always a tear jerking standout. The slow trip hop beats became the soundtrack to my teen years, and those moments where my tiny bubble of a world seemed too much for a gal to handle, this was always the album I came back to. Roads is a slow moving, cinematic gem. Beth Gibbons voice is simultaneously fragile, delicate yet a strong call to arms. Her lyrics are moving and genuine, and paired with the massive string sweeps, wow. Just wow.

Lewi McKirdy (triple j Lunch presenter)

Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf – My World Premiere (1993)

I love rap music more than anything in the world and this is my favourite song ever. It makes me feel tough and I get goosebumps whenever I bump it in The Goose (my car). But it isn’t anything more than the venomous flame-thrown fire spittin’ of the unshakable rapper Charizma and a danky boom bap rap beat looped by Peanut Butter Wolf. My mate Dog Meat Dave showed it to me in high school and since then I’ve learned every single punch line, dissected it, studied what it meant and formed a lifestyle based upon it. If Charizma was alive I’d know every line to every rap song he’s never written. Peanut Butter Wolf is still kickin’ – he’s top dog at Stones Throw Records and they churn out my other favourite songs.

Thundercat – For Love I Come (2011)

This is some freaky future jazz adopted from a freaky jazz man George Duke. Thundercat put the cover out on his debut album from 2011 The Golden Age Of Apocalypse. Thundercat! What a guy. He’s the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies and Erykah Badu then on the side just throws down these scorching sex jams of him making love to his bass. Every night me and my roomy Parksie would play FIFA and listen to this album. So much so we started playing it backwards listening out for secret messages. Thundercat rolls with Flying Lotus who’s produced his next record due June. I’m freaking out about it as I’m about to turn into a sex fury love making bad man. That’s what Thundercat does to you. Tips you over into a freaky sex abyss. The only way to turn back is by listening to Foo Fighters or something.

Beastie Boys – Get It Together (1994)

I could have grabbed anything from Ill Communication (or anything from Beastie Boys) but this has got it all. Mario C produced it, Tip chimes in with his smoked-out hoarse voice (smooth concrete couldn’t do a better job at being smooth). All I listened to as a kid was rap music (and some Millencolin, maybe some Korn but whatever) and when I was stealing music from Napster it’s all I wanted. Raps and porn. I was a simple boy. ‘90s rap music, particularly from NYC taught me how to live. My brother, Miles, is the same way and has promised to perform this song at my funeral if he makes it longer than me which I think is really nice.