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DISCUSSION FORUM

Just like certain other members on this forum, I have started making EOY lists from years from before I was making them. I already did one of 2015 August last year. I didn't make a thread back then, but now I've actually written commentary about the songs so I decided a thread was necessary.

Tomorrow (or today depending on your timezone) April 30th at 5 PM AEST the broadcast of my 2014 list will start. You can tune in here when the time arrives: https://myradiostream.com/station/flashplayer.php?s=s40&p=17068
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100. CHVRCHES - Dead Air

We hold up to an idea and we'll fight it, what we can't see

While they certainly have good moments, the singles of the current CHVRCHES era have been rather disappointing for me. Especially considering the period of their first 2 albums where they could do pretty much no wrong for me. That also includes this single from the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack, which is a movie I may or may not have seen. Though they certainly have better songs in this vein, the melody puts this rather high in my standings nonetheless.

99. Seekae - Test & Recognise

When you asked me for some more I was energized

The first Australian song to appear today. You wouldn’t think this is a banger at first but it kind of becomes one? Front man Alex Cameron has in recent years garnered more notability overseas with his rockier solo stuff and also co-wrote several songs on the latest Killers album.

98. Kimbra (feat. Bilal) - Everlovin’ Ya

What. Is it. About you. don’t tell me. ‘Cause I don’t wanna knoooow

Being fairly impressed by the singles and generally quite intrigued based on what I heard, I decided I should give The Golden Echo a full listen. Spoiler alert: none of the singles actually made the top 100. This album track that features American singer Bilal quickly stood out thanks to some utterly mesmerizing production.

97. Caribou - Silver

I guess I don’t need her. It doesn’t mean I can’t get over her

Our Love is quite a good album, though perhaps a bit frontloaded. This is a relaxed track that I can very easily get lost in. iiIIIIiii.

96. Sue The Night - Top Of Mind

Somber songs on a high, they got to me

Sue The Night is the most consistent Dutch artist on my EOY for the sole reason that she has actually made more than one of my EOY’s (“The Whale” in 2015, “The World Below” in 2016 and in 2017 “Wonderland” made my top 200. I guess she is only allowed to get in my top 100 with songs whose title start with the letter ‘T’). This was her debut single and it’s the kind of colorful indie pop we don’t really get much here or on any of her later singles even.

95. Angel Olsen - Windows

What's so wrong with the light?

I actually don’t remember much from My Woman, Angel Olsen’s most recent album. Not because it’s unmemorable or anything, but because I was in Aus-charts chat for the first time while I was listening and I was super nervous and thus kind of distracted and I’ve not found time to revisit it yet. Despite that I decided to listen to her previous album Burn Your Fire For No Witness for this list and I quite enjoyed it. The rather emotional closing track ended up being my favorite. Also this was used in 13 Reasons Why apparently. (I wonder if I would connect with this song more or less had I watched that)

94. Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams

Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset, babe

#Tay4Villages2014EOY. Really I don’t actively dislike too many Taylor Swift singles. Even reputation was okay other than some choice cuts. This song has always been my favorite of hers primarily because it is very lovely. It also provides an interesting lyrical twist on the ‘Taylor only writes songs about her exes’-stereotype, being about being afraid that her current relationship won’t work out.

93. iamamiwhoami - chasing kites

Over the ocean outcast, with nowhere to go

Partially thanks to half of the album ending up on my playlist I gave iamamiwhoami’s BLUE a full listen and I quite liked it (songs from albums I like ending up here seems to be a recurring theme. HOW ODD). Perhaps it’s not a big surprise that I enjoyed a synthpop album. It was kind of hard to pick my favorite from this album but “chasing kites” ended up ahead of the pack thanks to the chorus and being generally one of the more energetic cuts.

92. Kimbra - Carolina

I don't know why, but I'll soon find out

I’m honestly not sure how to justify this being my favorite song from The Golden Echo. It’s kind of similar to “90s Music” in that it’s a post break up song with some weird musical choices and off kilter vocal moments, but not as out there as “90s Music” because very few things are as out there as “90s Music”. It feels like the start of a big journey which I guess is kind of what the song is about as well.

91. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days

Acting like my life’s already over. Act your age and try another year

I listened to Mac DeMarco’s album of the same name because: a. It was short and b. I heard this song on the radio and I liked it. This song is rather short and I don’t have much more to say about it. La dee da da da.
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90. SAFIA - Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds

Close my eyes and count to ten, the walls on either side are closing in

It’s a close battle with “Embracing Me” but perhaps this qualifies as my favorite SAFIA song now. I like how it manages to be spooky and atmospheric at the same time. This song certainly conveys paranoia and ghosts but I’m not entirely sure about other sounds. The start sounds like it’s saying ‘I set the table ready’ in Dutch which is weird.

89. Marmozets - Captivate You

I will find the time to help the soul and heal a bit uhhh miiiiiind

While their album from this year was enjoyable enough this is definitely my favorite Marmozets song. The opening riff that plays throughout is very endearing and it is probably a song I would shout along to if that was a thing I did.

88. Cayetana - Scott Get The Van, I’m Moving

The hardest part of moving out is I remember moving in

Camp Cope had not even formed in 2014 but they still impact this list in a way because I likely would not have heard of Cayetana if they didn’t do a split EP with Camp Cope last year. This is a generally less polished song than “Mesa” but it’s quite fun. ‘Scott’ and ‘The Van’ are never mentioned but MOVING OUT MOVING OUT definitely is.

87. Run The Jewels (feat. BOOTS) - Early

Get out, get out, get out, get out

Very lukewarm take here but Run The Jewels 2 > Run The Jewels 3. 3 is good of course but 2 has all the bangers you need in 40 minutes. To immediately contradict myself, my favorite song from the albums is one of the more subtle moments. I enjoy the bouncy production and BOOTS’ chorus is very good.

86. Indian Summer (feat. Ginger and the Ghost) - Shiner

Earth dust down below, you're dead to your own

Kind of interesting that all the Australian entries have been in the Dance realm so far. Solely based on the name this could have easily been a non-event, but it was actually one of the songs on my playlist that clicked with me rather instantly. The eerie production combined with the odd voice of Ginger and the Ghost’s singer make for one of the more unsettling bangers I’ve heard.

85. The Dø - Sparks

If someone calls or shows up at the door no one will be there to answer anymore

I get a very cinematic feeling from this song. I think it’s because of the subtle string touch in the chorus. The Dø are perhaps the most convincing argument of Finland actually existing. (I know only the singer is Finnish. Don’t @ me.)

84. Cathedrals - Harlem

You come to pass on my self, on my past

A weird song for me. First off, Cathedrals are possibly the only artist on this list I never heard of before doing this list (the not very Google-able name probably doesn’t help). Then there’s the production of this song which starts off sounding kind of like “Where Is My Mind?” in a End Of Fashion - O Yeah kind of way. The singer has a nice voice and the melodies are quite good which means its already significantly better than O Yeah. Then 2 minutes in there’s a really awesome guitar riff that comes in out of nowhere. That bit is so good that I’m playing that instead of the first minute of the song.

83. Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile

AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH

Wolf Alice with their 8th entry in one of my EOY’s already. That certainly crept up. It’s one of their more accessible songs,(which is probably why it did rather well on American alternative radio) but it’s wild and fun nonetheless.

82. Joanna Gruesome - Psykick Espionage

Space is coming down, I wanna spin it ‘round and throw it around

Above lyric not 100% confirmed to be correct because, uh http://www.metrolyrics.com/psykick-espionage-lyrics-joanna-gruesome.html the lyrics are certainly not whatever that mess is. The shortest song in this list but also the loudest one.

81. Vic Mensa - Down On My Luck

F**K THAT, GET DOWN

Now something that we haven’t had today: A song I actually knew in 2014! This got played a decent amount on a Dutch radio show I listened to on Fridays and I took a liking to it then. I haven’t been too on board with most of Vic’s stuff after this, (his Flume collab was good tho) but this remains an iconic banger.
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80. Warpaint - Drive

I wanna believe it. I want it, I need it [s]everything now[/s]

The only song from Warpaint’s self-titled album you’ll be hearing today. Primarily because that one song was released in 2013. (shout-out to “Disco//Very” though, that one was very close to making it) It’s from the back half of the album where things start to slow down a bit. The surprise hook towards the end (which you won’t get to hear oops) really makes it. Some would say this is fiction but it is not.

79. Mitski - First Love / Late Spring

I was so young when I behaved 25, yet now I find I've grown into a tall child

I’ve been meaning to listen to Mitski’s album from 2016 for a while now. I still haven’t done that but this song from her previous album being good is certainly encouraging. Though of course I don’t if it sounds like this at all. We’ll see I guess. (note: ‘We’ll see I guess’ is my irl catchphrase. This is the last time I’ll be using it on the internet.)

78. The Dø - Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy

It’s like a pain in the CHESS

Weird-comparison-to-song-that-was-released-after-this time: This is kind of like the synthpop “Broke Days, Party Nights”. It’s not quite as manic and the songs don’t sound that similar but… this comparison made more sense in my head but I guess I’m still putting it out there anyway. A probably more accurate comparison is the specific type of manic 80’s synthpop I’m not entirely sure was a thing outside of Europe. Like, listen to this (wait until after the brod tho pls) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_2aZrqG1GE and tell me it’s not a banger.

77. Highasakite - Since Last Wednesday

Coming forward is one option but not the only one

By sheer coincidence landing at the exact same spot here as it did in the Hottest 100. Uses a fair amount of standard pop tropes but manages to stick out nonetheless. Probably because of the organ (?).

76. The Drums - I Can’t Pretend

I see us die, dying in a mountain

After “Mirror” narrowly missed my 2017 list, The Drums make their mark here with this track. The chorus of this isn’t quite as catchy as the one from “Mirror” but this ultimately gets the edge thanks to the intense climax (which you won’t get to hear of course). I don’t think I realized The Drums were American until doing research for this list. I just assumed they were British really.

75. Caribou - Can’t Do Without You

You’re the only thing I think about, it’s all that I can still do

Major proof that I have no idea how lists like this will turn out before I finish them, because I really pegged this as a potential top 20 finisher at first. That’s not to discredit this at all though. Some effective repetition combined with a progressing build up to a finish that I can only describe as ‘yes baby’.

74. Wye Oak - Glory

I lose my way inside a prepositional phrase

The main thing that the 2 Wye Oak songs I really like have in common is that they have solid verses that do the job and very good choruses. Though to only give credit to the chorus here is a bit unfair. The bassline is pretty tight and the weird instrumental bit at the end is cool as well.

73. Cloud Nothings - Psychic Trauma

I can't believe that what you're telling me is true

I have to make this clear: Here and Nowhere Else is unironically a ripper of an album. It’s a bit underrepresented in this list probably because it is rather short. I feel like this song distills the album’s appeal rather well.

72. Christine and the Queens - Science fiction

Des astres épars d'où l'on ne revient jamais

This is where it would become very obvious I’m European if that wasn’t already known because I don’t think this album was released outside of Europe until 2015. This stood out on the album thanks to the production that fits the title rather well.

71. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Shitsville

You wake up everyday and pray before you sleep, right? You motherf***ers just like me

I’ll admit that the rap picks in this list are a bit basic. This kind of feels like the exception, with this getting my attention thanks to the very aus-charts specific popularity this has. I accidentally listened to the instrumental version of this the first time and I barely noticed anything was wrong because this beat is very good. That said Freddie Gibbs definitely spits fire on this song. The outro is also essential of course.

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70. The Aston Shuffle (feat. Elizabeth Rose) - Back & Forth

You know what you're doing, I know what you're thinking. My heart is aching for you

I’m glad I can finally give Elizabeth Rose some credit here after being close to making both my 2015 & 2016 lists. She does very good here. The Aston Shuffle are I think the first triple j hosts to make one of my EOY’s proper. (Saskwatch are in fact #101 on this list) I know there’s a radio edit but the 7 minute version let’s the song breathe very well I think.

69. Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were

Oh hey, I wasn’t listening. I was watching Syria blinded by the sunshine strip

A song I really liked in 2014 and it has aged surprisingly well for me. Ben Howard’s music feels a lot more ambitious compared to other acoustic guitar dudes, which is something I hadn’t given him credit for until recently. In this song Ben is rather distressed by the state of the world and it ends up putting a strain on his relationship.
I SWEAR THIS WAS NOT INTENTIONAL: http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Ben+Howard&titel=I+Forget+Where+We+Were&cat=s

68. Cults - Being It

Ladies on the bridge yeah (???)

This feels like an oddball pick to say the least. It’s a cover recorded for a tribute album that covers the work of influential experimental artist Arthur Russell. The original is a woozy but fascinating experience. Cults turned it into an upbeat Cults song which I’m totally here for. Impressively the very small amount of lyrics on the song manage to sound even more obscured on Cults’ version.

67. Christine and the Queens - iT

And I won't let you steal it, I bought it for myself

We stay in the realm of ‘it’ for a bit. When I first heard this song in 2014 or 2015 I honestly thought the lyrics were French. In reality it was one of the few songs on Chaleur Humaine that was in English even before the non-European version was released. One of the last fm comments on this song is ‘More like "lit"’ and nothing I write today will top that.

66. St. Vincent - Psychopath

Keep me in your soft sights when all of the rest have moved on

This song sounds like Sugababes - Push The Button. CHANGE MY MIND. I would make a mash up if that was something I had the time for. I don’t know if that connection helped this placement, but it’s certainly interesting that this became one of my favorites from the album after not standing out too much initially.

65. clipping. - Inside Out

STORM COMING $#$*)#*#)(%*!(#!@(#

Just pure chaos. I *$(#*#(##*#(@##*@)!)@(@(#*(@*@*@() and that’s that really.

64. JUCE! - Call You Out

I take caution with girls who steal my jokes

Seemingly the most popular song from this British group. It has a chill vibe that I really get down with. The above quoted line is an instant classic.

63. ODESZA (feat. Zyra) - Say My Name

You may think that she doesn’t matter but no one knows you better

A song I knew rather well in 2014 thanks to the same radio show I mentioned in the “Down On My Luck” commentary. The production here is delightfully bouncy and upbeat. Zyra’s very British delivery also adds to the track’s character greatly.

62. Chet Faker - 1998

We used to be friends. We used to be inner circle

Obviously not the most popular Chet Faker song released in 2014 but its always been my pick of the bunch. Chet goes full dance here to great effect. It impressively does not have any boring moments in the 6 minutes it goes on for. Inner Circle did release an album in 1998 in case you were wondering.

61. Mac DeMarco - Go Easy

It can be tough without your friends beside you

I don’t think anyone considers this a Salad Days highlight but its certainly up there for me. It hits a similar spot for me as 2017 EOY top 200 entry “Moonlight On The River” but does so in a shorter running time.
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60. Christine and the Queens - Christine

Je ne tiens pas debout. Le ciel coule sur mes mains

I definitely endorse Chaleur Humaine as a whole but this is still my favorite song on it. The reason I prefer this to “Tilted” (the English version of this song) is likely that I’ve known this for a much longer time. If I recall correctly I first heard this late 2014 and when it ended up briefly charting here at the start of 2015 I was very happy. I feel like there are a few songs on this list I could describe as understated pop gem, but I don’t want to overuse that term so I’m using my ‘understated pop gem’ card on this song.

59. Methyl Ethel - Rogues

I don't want to be a photograph, another photograph in your album

Yep, Methyl Ethel released music before [s]”Ubu”[/s] 2015. This song is on their debut album and got some triple j airplay late 2015/early 2016 after “Twilight Driving” took off, which is how I’m familiar with it. It’s kind of a mysterious song that does not even imply what direction their music would later go in, but it’s a compelling listen nonetheless.

58. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Warning

You're looking mighty ghostly just like Bowie on Soul Train

If things were getting a bit too slow these past few songs we are picking things right up again here. There’s energy rush and there’s this song. Everything here is huge but special shout out to the chorus. We’re all some kind of handful when you really think about it.

57. Hiatus Kaiyote - Molasses

Might not, might not get, might not get any better

Hiatus Kaiyote’s Choose Your Weapon is definitely one of the more interesting albums from…. 2015 I’ve heard. As it turns out my main highlights from it were released in 2014. Interestingly their songs have been sampled a few times on songs from several high profile American R&B/Hip Hop artists. This song is sampled on Anderson. Paak’s “Without You” and a sample of another Choose Your Weapon cut “Building A Ladder” is literally the first thing you hear on Drake’s More Life. I’d say things might not get any better but there still 56 songs to go.

56. The Dø - Opposite Ways

What if I'm wrong to think there's nothing wrong with me?

The 2 other songs we’ve heard from Shake, Shook, Shaken today clicked with me rather instantly but this was more of a grower. One of the best choruses here which is good because that’s a large part of the song. Sorry about this.

55. Flight Facilities (feat. Owl Eyes) - Heart Attack

I can't operate without you. No, I could never live another day

In 2014 Flight Facilities released their debut album which included most of the singles they released throughout 2010-2014 and some new songs I guess. My favorite of those new songs is this cut that features the lovely vocals of Owl Eyes who BETTER DROP SOME NEW MUSIC THIS YEAR. Sorry, I got carried away there. It’s easy to compare this to “Back & Forth”, this is more in the chill lane I guess which is more my area (I guess?). Oh, and congrats to one person: https://twitter.com/villagemdt/status/967002655942987776

54. Mac DeMarco - Chamber Of Reflection

No use looking out. It’s within that brings that lonely feeling

Unsurprisingly my favorite song on Salad Days is the synth heavy one. I can’t explain why but this song in particular gives me an intense Phil Collins vibe. Maybe I just really wanted to type the phrase ‘intense Phil Collins vibe’.

53. E^ST - Old Age

'Cause I'm a young blood with an old heart and eyes that see more than they should

In a big plot twist my favorite CHVRCHES song of 2014 is actually by E^ST. I was gonna say fitting that it’s from an artist that has a name that is a standard word in all caps with a slight twist, but I think she still went by ‘East’ at this point. Kind of surprised she was only 16 when this came out!

52. Banks - F**k Em Only We Know

I'd run away with you, would you run with me?

I’ll admit there are some weird album deep cut choices in this list. This is one of the harder ones to justify because I have not even listened to this album. My best guess is I randomly heard it on triple j once. It’s surely one of the more low key songs I know that has a swear word in the title.

51. Charli XCX - Boom Clap

You're picture perfect blue sunbathing on the moon

I have certainly enjoyed Charli XCX’s more out there mixtape stuff from last year. That said my favorite song of hers is still this, which is the ultimate proof that I’m basic. A great pop song that I appreciate more now than I did in 2014 to my surprise.
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50. Tei Shi - Bassically

Please don’t think that I'm begging you for love

Tei Shi’s “How Far” was #103 on my 2017 list, so barely sneaking into the top 50 here is a good way to make up for that. The title is supposed to be a pun, right? Like you have the word ‘basically’ and this song I guess has bass so you get BASSically. Some high level comedy here. This is an understa- oh wait I already used that. uhhhhhhhhh, this is a sensual bop?
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49. Honeyblood - Killer Bangs

I don’t wanna have to go, goooooo on without you, but I have to

I was under the impression that Honeyblood were Scandinavian for some reason but they’re definitely Scottish. The song is about the singer having to move on after the other member of the band left to pursue other endeavors. It’s a belter. (see, I do know words other than banger)
48. The Peep Tempel - Carol

I don’t wanna be a f***ing Christmas ham

I listened to the album this is from and it was the most Australian experience of my life. Of course, this song is mostly known as the precursor to Tame Impala’s relentless crusade against Trevor in 2015. (#F**kTrevor) Memes aside, this is one hell of a high energy rocker.
47. Rustie (feat. Danny Brown) - Attak

We know you be hustlin' backwards, electroslide and rewind

Just casually, Rustie and Danny Brown drop the banger to end all bangers. I just transcend during the last verse. Apologies if I’m not alive after this finishes.
46. Babaganouj - Bluff

I don't think I can say what you want me to say

Okay I’m back on earth. I mostly knew Babaganouj as the Unearthed band who had a song in 2016 I randomly heard on the radio and really liked. (“Sorry”) The singer of the song that you’re currently hearing is Hatchie, who was in this band before her solo career took off. (actually she might still be in this band I’m not sure) Compared to Hatchie’s dream poppy solo stuff this is more in the 90s pop rock vein.
45. Eleanor Dunlop - Rough Side Of Town

I see the wonderous things in what you could have been

One of the surprisingly potent discoveries of my 2014 playlist. From what I can gather, she’s one of those (probably many) Unearthed artists who never really had a breakthrough (the interview on her profile is from 2007!). Despite not having a huge amount going on it still manages to engage me musically and her voice is just lovely. I initially thought she didn’t release anything else after this, but it turns out she’s making music under a different name now and with a more electronic bent (which seems to be the cool thing to do nowadays).
44. PAWWS - Sugar

Found the beat in a lost romance

Extremely synth heavy dream pop? Yes, give it to me. I don’t think she’s released any music after the EP this is from, which is unfortunate. Maybe it’s because this song is like no other and cannot be replaced.
43. Ryn Weaver - Octahate

You shot me down from the live WIIIIIIIIIIIRE

So as it turns out “Boom Clap” isn’t the highest Charli XCX involved song in this list. She co-wrote this song along with Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat and also Michael Angelakos from Passion Pit. This song is kind of a mess but that’s kind of what makes it great. The production in the verses is minimalistic but feels unique nonetheless. Then the chorus hits and I just feel so much. I totally understand why this didn’t take off as a hit but it would have been so fascinating if it did.
42. Ásgeir - King and Cross

Soothed by southern winds; I’ve found my strength now

Probably the most surprising song to make the Hottest 100 top 10 this decade. It manages to be a unique entity with a nice blend of lush horns and subtle electronic flourishes. I’m impressed how not awkward most of the lyrics on this album are considering it was originally entirely Icelandic.
41. Phantogram - Fall In Love

To see, I was the reason you feel sick inside

I’ve been familiar with this one for a while. It’s surprisingly replayable I’ve found. I like how the soul sample gives this a disjointed effect. It really feels like a part of the song despite clearly being a sample.
40. JUCE! - 6th Floor

So call me, come find me, whatever-ever

As much as I like “Call You Out”, I’m surprised that this isn’t their more popular song. Even ignoring that I prefer this one, it just seems like the more accessible/instantly catchy of the two. It’s pretty much a HAIM song but with a British R&B tinge and I’m super here for that.
39. Childish Gambino - Sweatpants

Fiskers don't make noise when they start up... just so you know

Weirdly, probably the most fun song in this list. Gambino drops some wordplay, that I feel like is intentionally trying to be as lame as possible while somehow coming back around to being kind of clever, over a delightfully bouncy beat.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
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38. Banks - Beggin For Thread

Try to hide it out but my tracks are better

Here we have the more obvious Banks pick from this year. I actually did know this in 2014 but I didn’t really get into it at the time. Shame on you, 2014 me. I guess I just wasn’t ready for this ‘darker’ sound then. Nowadays I find the production and general melody of this so captivating.
37. Hiatus Kaiyote - By Fire

Regret less the knot yes I give you the end to hold

The song that got me interested in hearing more from them. It’s still my favorite but I guess this isn’t something that you just casually make twice. It’s simultaneously high energy and kind of chill. A thrilling listen for sure.
36. Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me

Too late to go out. Too young to stay in

They didn’t really exist on this forum until last year but Alvvays’ self-titled debut album is pretty good I reckon. This is the most popular song from it. It’s really sweet but not overbearingly so. In case they haven’t made it obvious or clear to you, they spell it out for you at the end. A-R-C-H-I-E.
35. Glass Animals - Pools

Shake my little soul for you now, toy and I settle up into a world of noise

Another song I knew rather well in 2014. I’m honestly surprised how well this has held up for me. I never really got into “Gooey” which lives up to its title slightly too well for me. I just always got an adventurous vibe from this song.
34. Peking Duk (feat. Nicole Millar) - High

All that you give is what you don't deliver

‘The drop sounds like a dying pelican but I think that's why I like it.’ - me a year ago. That description is true, but despite that its totally a euphoric banger as well. Peking Duk have not gotten to this level for me again after this. As for Nicole, “Gimme A Break” is great and I possibly like it more than this but that’s more a bop than a banger. #KnowTheDifference
33. DZ Deathrays - Night Slave

Still living for the weekend, since a decade ago

I generally like DZ Deathrays but this has quickly become my favorite song of theirs by a large margin. It’s kind of a shame this was never pushed as a single. (triple j has not even played this once despite featuring the album at the time) I find this one of their most musically exciting efforts, with it becoming borderline funky at times. The chorus is also a huge one. CAN’T LOVE YOU WROOOOONG. It slaps.
32. Alvvays - Party Police

Fighting through the fog, I can't believe it rained all summer long

This really snuck up on me to end up becoming my favorite from Alvvays. It’s like the dark follow-up to “Archie, Marry Me” with this signaling the end of a relationship. It is still very nice sounding track but the music is clearly a bit more ominous this time around. The last 10 seconds are particularly fire.
31. Susanne Sundfør - Fade Away

This is the kind of love that never goes out of style

I didn’t write commentary for my 2014 list so now is a good opportunity to say that Ten Love Songs is a very good album. After the intensity of “Accelerate” we get this song, which is one of the more conventional pop moments on the album. My favorite thing in this is the microwave sound effect at 1:47.
30. …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - The Ghost Within

I want you to let go and I want you to come home

My knowledge of this band before doing this list was that their music was quite acclaimed in the early 90’s/late 00’s and they were still around I guess. This was the first song on my playlist (which was in alphabetical order) that really jumped out and it really ended up exceeding my expectations here. It’s an emotionally intense rock song that really stands out thanks to that beautiful piano melody that recurs throughout the song.
29. Porter Robinson (feat. Amy Millan) - Divinity

Lean into my side, never felt alive

Worlds definitely is a fascinating album but all I need is pretty much contained in this album opener. It probably could have worked as an instrumental but the vocals definitely give the song a necessary balance. Those vocals are provided by Canadian indie rock artist Amy Millan who is, like all other Canadian indie rock artists, one of Broken Social Scene’s roughly 5 million members.
28. Pulled Apart By Horses - Hot Squash

What he told you (I should have known)

Actually maybe this is the loudest song in the list. Other material I’ve heard from Pulled Apart By Horses is really not even remotely in the same ball park quality wise as this. It absolutely shreds but what really puts this high in my standings is how good that chorus melody is. I should have knoooooooown.
27. The Antlers - Palace

When heaven has a line around the corner, we shouldn’t have to wait around and hope to get in

This was a tough one to rank. It’s a great song but it feels so out of place here for some reason. Gorgeous and managing to be sad and triumphant at the same time. The above quoted lyric is my favorite line delivery in this entire list.
26. clipping. (feat. Cocc Pistol Cree) - Work Work

Let the cop pull you over, say somethin' slick on some JAY-Z 99 Problems-type s**t

I’ve said this in my review but it’s so weird to me that this made the Hottest 100. As shown by this placement that is obviously not a complaint. The beat is all kinds of wonderful & Daveed and Cocc Pistol both go in on it.
25. Ball Park Music - Error Playin'

As my eyes roll back into my yard and I deliver little shivers with the tips of my fingers

There seems to be at least one Ball Park non-single per album that strongly clicks with me. Joining the ranks of “Blushing” and “The End Times” there’s this song. It was originally written 2 years earlier for Sam Cromack’s solo project My Own Pet Radio but this version is definitely an improvement thanks to the fuller band sound. The warm and somewhat familiar melody really works a treat here.
24. Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again

Wait for it, wait for the buildup

I liked this song a lot in 2014 and I like it even more now. Röyksopp & Robyn were of course a proven good combination at this point. And yeah I’m gonna [s]do[/s] say it again it’s a banger. An immense one I’d say even.
23. Little Dragon - Pretty Girls

You magnify the universe. Grab your purse, grab your luck

I just really enjoy this song’s atmosphere. The production is very low key but it still exudes something epic to me somehow. Oh and the strings, those are very nice of course. I’m not sure if the Iggy Azalea verse was necessary though.
22. Flying Lotus (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Never Catch Me

This that out-of-body experience, no coincidence you been died

Yes, I quite enjoy Kendrick Lamar’s music in case you didn’t know. That said, both artists are at the height of their powers here. Kendrick rides this beat so well and the instrumental bit at the end is just pure bliss.
21. Bombay Bicycle Club - Luna

There's a lot of words to call out just waiting for the perfect hideout

I knew this song in 2014 but this actually wasn’t the main Bombay Bicycle Club song that I liked back then. I actually preferred a different single from the album called “Feel” which managed to barely sneak into the top 200 of this list. On “Feel”, fading love is compared to an old song being forgotten. It made me realize that a lot of songs that I like won’t be remembered at all years from now. Back then that thought made me kind of sad. Nowadays, I’m just glad that if I’ve heard a song that I really like that I’ve heard it all. For example, I just feel so good whenever I listen to this. I’m totally okay with no one else caring about it because it made my day better. So while “Feel” hasn’t aged musically as well as this song has for me, it inadvertently made me realize that as cool as it is when someone else is as passionate about a song I like as I am, the only thing that really matters is my own enjoyment of the music.
20. Ásgeir - Torrent

This old house is full of leaks and mold on the walls

As a contrast to my last story, I preferred this to “King and Cross” in 2014 and I still do. It’s his rockiest song and I’ve always loved the gentle uptemponess of it. His vocals on the chorus are also pretty good. The intro of this is notably similar to sleepmakeswaves’ “Great Northern” which didn’t quite make the top 100 of this list.
19. Little Dragon - Paris

A part of me drift away with you and will never return

OH MY GOD IT’S GRIN ZU FIRE. It was hard to choose if I liked this or “Pretty Girls” more but I ended up going with the song I was actually familiar with in 2014. Back then this sounded like nothing else I knew and it still doesn’t to some extent. I suppose the production is kind of synthpop-ish but it feels far darker than most synthpop in this list. The breakdown before the last chorus is just perfect.
18. #1 Dads (feat. Ainslie Wills) - So Soldier

Fearing is a feeling of mine and everybody's doing their time

After 3 songs I’ve known since 2014, here’s something I’ve known for a shorter period of time. #1 Dads is a side project from Big Scary’s Tom Iansek. This is probably my favorite Big Scary-related song AND favorite Ainslie song (though “Drive” is close). I kind of associate it with “Uptown Folks” in the sense that they’re both extremely chill indie rock songs from side projects from established Australian artists that I randomly like a lot.
17. A Sunny Day In Glasgow - In Love with Useless (The Timeless Geometry in the Tradition of Passing)

Don't stop, sometimes I feel so happy

And here we have a song I’ve only known for 2 months! Yes, it’s the highest song in the list that I first heard through the playlist I made. (If you think I’m biased towards the start of the alphabet, this band is actually filed under ‘S’ by Spotify) A Sunny Day In Glasgow are a dream pop/shoegaze band who, despite their name, are American and not Scottish. The melodies here are really nice, but there are also some notably rougher moments here.
16. Kendrick Lamar - i

He said I gotta get up, life is more than suicide

From being in love with useless to loving yourself. What’s the difference? *laugh track plays* As impressive as “Never Catch Me” is, I still prefer this ever so slightly. It’s just a super uplifting vibe and that makes me happy. The version that is included on To Pimp A Butterfly is interesting in its own right. I considered including that version in my 2015 list but ultimately decided it would be redundant.
15. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)

The summer will warm but the winter will crave what has gone

But like of course this was gonna be here. I’ve mentioned synthpop like 7 times today, did you really think I was gonna leave this out? I know now this became notable because of the singer’s dancing during a tv performance, but I didn’t know that when I first heard this song. I just thought ‘Yeah, really good song’ because yeah, it’s a really good song. Just like on the tv performance the singer gives his all here, but really everything about this song is huge.
14. Ball Park Music - She Only Loves Me When I’m There

I got the nervous twitching algorithms right beneath the trees

Until recently this was undoubtedly my favorite Ball Park Music song. I’m not entirely ruling out that it still is but I guess we’ll find out later. After the slow first minute it just utterly kicks into gear and does not lose any momentum. It’s Ball Park at their most fun and ambitious.
13. Clean Bandit (feat. Jess Glynne) - Rather Be

We're different and the same, gave you another name. Switch up the batteries

2014 me is so disappointed this isn’t #1. I heard it on BBC Radio 1 and immediately loved it. I was so happy when it charted here, was overjoyed when it hit #1 for 11 weeks and ecstatic when it ended up being the biggest song of the year here. I guess dreams do come true sometimes. In hindsight this is a hugely formative song in regards to my music taste. Like, if there’s a song that has a prominent usage of strings there is a big chance I’ll like it. I feel like there’s a pretty direct line from me loving this to me loving Holiday Party’s “I’m Still Here” (my EOY #2 of 2017). Really this hasn’t lost its magic for me, of the 12 songs that I ranked above this I only knew 3 in 2014.
12. Yelle - Bouquet final

O.K, avance doucement. O.K, j’ai tout mon temps

Oh, I feel really weird for having ranked this as highly as I have. It feels kind of right at the same time though. The reason I know French electropop act Yelle is that they’ve gotten some triple j airplay in the past, most notably with “Safari Disco Club” which made the Hottest 200 in 2011. I really like that song but I think I pegged them as somewhat obnoxious in my mind because of it. This subverted my expectation by being a dance track that has this really epic feel to it. It’s hard to describe it but I’m really drawn to songs like this. While I haven’t listened to the album I totally see why this would be the closing track. (other than because it has ‘final’ in the title)
11. The War On Drugs - Under The Pressure

Well the comedown here was easy like the arrival of a new day

Because you didn’t ask here’s my The War On Drugs hot take. While Lost In The Dream has the stronger singles (as you can tell by this high placement) I think A Deeper Understanding is the overall more consistent album. I’m kind of baffled that this seems to be their most popular song in The Netherlands (though “Holding On” might pose as a contender now). Of course I’m solely basing that off the Top 2000, which- I don’t want to talk about that now. So yeah, this song is great. It’s the longest song in this list by a decent margin, but every minute feels essential. Yes, even the extended outro.
10. Melody’s Echo Chamber - Shirim

If you try to read my thoughts I hope you don't get close

In slightly over a month this might actually be on an album. Towards the end of 2016, shortly after I joined aus-charts I listened to Melody’s Echo Chamber’s self-titled album from 2012 after coming across a particularly strong highlight from it. Being somewhat desperate for more, I made the rare effort to go out of my way to listen to this song that is not on Spotify. Safe to say this is absolutely up there with the big highlights of self-titled for me. It’s funky in a very uncontrollable way. I just cannot sit still when I listen to this.
9. Gang Of Youths - Benevolence Riots

Ready for anything, ready or not. How long I've waited for some lightning sound

The fact that Gang Of Youths released music before 2015 was initially kind of an afterthought to me. I just kind of assumed none of it would be on the same level as anything from their albums. This song clearly proved me wrong. This was actually released not too long before The Positions but was intentionally left off from it. (Amusingly they performed this on Like A Version about a month before the album came out and even pointed out that it wouldn’t be on it) I understand why this was left off as it does feel a bit lower scale compared to the rest of the album. But this still ends up being top tier Gang Of Youths for me, because wow is it melodically outstanding. Montaigne also provides some prominent backing vocals here. This feels like a good time to mention I have somewhat of an affinity for songs that have male and female vocals at the same time.
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8. St. Vincent - Regret

I'm afraid of heaven because I can't stand the heights

If you were expecting another St. Vincent song on this list, I’m guessing it wasn’t this one. Despite the fact that this was apparently a single, it doesn’t feel like it is mentioned as a highlight. It was my favorite song on the album on first listen and it has remained that way. There’s something strangely glorious about it musically. Lyrically it also feels kind of relatable though I could not tell you in what way exactly.
7. Foxes - Let Go For Tonight

The only thing I know is that I need you here, or you'll be gone forever

Foxes is of course mostly known for featuring on Zedd’s “Clarity”. About a year after that she released this song which absolutely should have been a hit. Though maybe this not being a huge hit is why it ended up aging better for me than “Rather Be”. Really I could just repeat what I said about “Bouquet final” and its hard to describe epic-ness. There are some (probably not real) strings here as well, aren’t there? Yeah, this is definitely villages-core.
6. Cloud Nothings - I’m Not Part Of Me

It's over now, there's a way I was before but I can't recall how I was those days anymore

Cloud Nothings are very good at writing choruses that I enjoy as it turns out. But I was already sold on this song before the chorus comes in and takes it to another level. It’s just utterly cathartic. I did not realize the album title appears in this song until I looked up the lyrics for this list. My perspective is rather limited in this regard but its probably one of my favorite album closers. I mean this both in how much I like the song and how effective it is as an album closer. I usually don’t mention music videos, but the music video for this song deserves a shout out for being incredibly stupid and also kind of charming.
5. Airling - Wasted Pilots

Broken from the head down to the toes, losing everything that you live for

I swear this song is from another universe. After I first heard it, I just became obsessed with this song and there was very little I wanted to listen to besides this. Airling’s generally reserved vocals compliment the production wonderfully. The production is dark but kind of uplifting at the same time, which fits the lyrical themes here I feel like. One of those rare songs I absolutely never get tired of.
4. The Districts - 4th and Roebling

Living lives in two places wear my soul too thin. I was walking from the station just to meet you in the morning

Wow, I actually managed to put a number song in the correct spot. Good job me. This song is extremely lucky to say the least. It was one of the songs I first heard during the making of my 2015 list but then I of course found out it was actually from 2014. I feel like it would have finished around #80 if I put it in my 2015 list but it has become an immense grower for me. This brand of rock doesn’t always click with me so I’m kind of surprised by this. When the chorus comes in for the last time I’m just so shook.
3. FKA twigs - Two Weeks

Higher than a motherf***er, dreaming of you as my lover

I guess lightning can’t strike twice in a row. I really do like LP1 a lot but this ended up being the only song from it I had room for in this list. Of course this is higher than [s]a motherf***er[/s] most songs in this list, so that’s a good thing. This is just so intense and I love it for that. I think it’s very strong melodically as well. I’m not even sure what to point out, everything here is so good. The gauntlet has been thrown, Grizzly Bear.
2. The War On Drugs - Red Eyes

I am trying to see the right, the right way and I don't see it there where I come from….WOO!

Things don’t always go the way you expect them to. For example I was fairly certain this would be #1 on this list for a while. If I was ranking based on how important these songs are to me this certainly would be #1. Like “Rather Be” this is a heavily formative song for me music taste wise. Perhaps more importantly, I think this song is the direct cause of me going out of my way to seek out music. Without this song I might have never signed up to Aus-charts. As for the song itself, it’s just such a rush of excitement.
1. The Dø - Trustful Hands

Comes and goes, comes and goes. Chaos is my second home I don't mind where I land as long as I'm in trustful hands

Because ending this with stats seems anticlimactic, I’ll start with pointing out that The Dø have the most entries in the top 100 with 4. 2014 didn’t really have an album with a lot of high entries like my other lists, but it feels deserving that the honor of most entries lands here. This is the big proof that in the making of this list I was not at all led by nostalgia, because for as many songs that landed high in this list that I loved in 2014 I did not hear this until October of last year. Considering I was 14 in 2014, which is considered a very formative period in life regarding music taste, this is very impressive.

Oh, right I should talk about the actual song. Actually the circumstances of me hearing this are quite weird. I heard a snippet of this in Hijinx’s #1 songs Sporcle quiz and that was enough to make me fall in love with this. The chorus is nicely contrasted with the acoustic elements of the verses and Olivia’s voice is just lovely. The chorus already is amazing to begin with and then it comes back even bigger and I just explode. I guess I’m just a sentimental animal.
What a ripper list, at least I could listen to the pointy end of it! 2014 was an interesting juncture of music for me but yeah great to see a list I can connect with on so many levels I will now attempt to provide my view on songs/artists I have a strong enough opinion of whether you like it or not

Silver is definitely one of his best, great tune. Salad Days is an album I have heard many times and the title track is memorable. Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds is a song that has grown on me over a long period of time, but then I can say that about a number of other SAFIA songs. Early is not my favourite RTJ2 song but then I still think 1 > 2 > 3 Moaning Lisa Smile is far greater than I initially gave it credit for, though understandably Ellie has done better. Down On My Luck is an excellent and I agree that Lose It is underrated.

Since Last Wednesday has grown on me since their latest era I Can't Pretend comes from a frustraing album but I can vibe it enough. Can't Do Without You is another slow burner. I love Psychic Trauma. SHITSVILLE SHITSVILLE OMG. Inside Out what an out of control banger! 1998 is fine Go Easy is not a fav but it's good

Warning is still right up there with my favourite CEG tracks. Heart Attack is not a personal fav but it's nice. Chamber of Reflection is an album highlight. Old Age was when she was East yeah, I think my lastie is still f**ked Attak is one of the tracks I would have much higher on my own list in retrospective, too much of a banger. Eleanor Dunlop had a hit on my chart King and Cross is always fun to randomly come across on radio. Fall In Love was a bonafide a-c smash but I like it ok.

Sweatpants is not quite Attak-level banger but still one in its own right. Beggin For Thread was on the radio earlier today Archie, Marry Me is a song my brother raves about and I think it's fine Pools is fun. High is great. Night Slave is one of the best deep cuts from one of the greatest Aussie rock albums this century. The Ghost Within SLAYSSSSS but wow their early work is disappointing HOT SQUASH. I have so many memories with this song. Similar timing with Palace too, which has broken me down so many times. Work Work never stops being awesome. Do It Again is one of my favourite Royksopp productions, so crisp. Pretty Girls is captivating, I loved Let Go as well from this album. Never Catch Me is pretty good though I never really jumped on it. Luna is excellent and I still back Feel as it's a great album overall.

Paris is ok, but yeah it's no Let Go or Pretty Girls. i is a song that has really changed my whole outlook on music in general, it's just so powerful. Seasons (Waiting On You) is another essential 2014 hit. She Only Loves Me isn't my favourite BPM track but then again I'm a flop BPM fan Rather Be is pretty good. I liked Bouquet final! Under The Pressure eventually grew on me Shirim got me into Melody, I'm now really interested to hear the album even though I don't love everything she's released. I saw Gang Of Youths live in 2014 so that counts for something I guess Interesting you describe Let Go For Tonight as villagescore, but yeah it's a well-written piece of pop for sure. omg I totally forgot about I'm Not Part Of Me, I remember picking and just going with Psychic Trauma at the time but this is a reminder to self that I really do like it, particularly given that it sounds quite like the very good Sight Unseen I prefer Video Girl but Two Weeks is definitely solid. Red Eyes is of course amazing. omg jinx totally called it, I like On My Shoulders a bit more but Trustful Hands is a good #1
I'm gonna have to take a bit to process all that text, irelander.

Thanks to everyone who listened, it was a lot of fun.
Here are the songs that just missed out: https://pastebin.com/1mL9tzTP
It's been a little while but this Sunday the 18th at roughly 7 PM AEST I will be broadcasting my top 100 of 2013. In other words it will be going down and the word 'Timber' will possible be yelled (okay that didn't make it in).
100. Milky Chance - Stolen Dance
Stoned in paradise, shouldn’t talk about it
Starting off with a song I’m sure everyone here is familiar with. I could have probably put this in my 2014 list instead without much blowback but since I first heard this in December 2013 this felt more accurate to me. To me this song represents a weird middle ground between the early 2010’s indie boom on the charts & the early Deep house hits (i.e. stuff like Wankelmut’s remix of “One Day/Reckoning Song” & Ben Pearce’s “What I Might Do”). This likely would not have been a hit during any other time after 2014 so I’m glad the Milky Chance boys got the opportunity to bring this song to the floormf.

99. Okkervil River - Down Down The Deep River
But it’s not alright, it’s not even close to alright
Coming from a concept album about growing up in the 80’s it should not come as a surprise that this song heavily plays into nostalgia for that era. It goes a bit further than other indie rock in this vein as the main riff interpolates John Mellencamp’s “Miami” (admittedly that song came out in 1979). The sample sounds significantly grander compared to its original context. I almost wonder if it’s supposed to be an allegory for songs that you heard in your youth sounding much better in your head than they do in reality. I’m probably looking too deep into it.

98. Jenny Hval - Innocence Is Kinky
That night, I watched people f***ing on my computer
Opening lyrics don’t get much better than that honestly. This could not be any more different from “Spells” a song I’ll most likely have more to say about early next year. You could arguably make fun of this song being so edgy, despite it essentially just being about watching porn (I’m probably heavily oversimplifying it).

97. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
How do I get close to you?
Alvvays get one more entry here with the very first single they ever released. It’s significantly cheerier in sound than their 2 other entries from this album, so of course it’s about being a stalker.
Previous entries:
2014Party Police#33
2014Archie, Marry Me#37
2017Not My Baby#50
2017In Undertow#88

96. George Ezra - Budapest
Give me one good reason why I should never make a change
It’s kind of weird to think about the fact that this is not his biggest hit anymore (unless you’re American). While I’m certainly not opposed to riding shotgun, I definitely still prefer this tune. It has always felt like a rather sincere song to me despite George Ezra having never actually been to Budapest when he wrote this song, let alone owning a house there. I wonder if that’s why it only peaked at #19 in Hungary.

95. Milky Chance - Flashed Junk Mind
We were bound to the city life
It’s possible I only prefer this over “Stolen Dance” because I’ve heard it less often. That said I personally find this song just a tad bit catchier. The flourishes of piano that appear in the chorus also help in making it stand out for me.
Previous entry:
2013Stolen Dance#100

94. The Bamboos - Avenger
Take me down and I'll keep breaking out and out
The Bamboos are usually billed as a funk and/or soul band but this song edges a bit towards rock for me. This is one of those songs I heard on triple j and clicked with rather instantly. I only recently learned that Ella Thompson of GL & Dorsal Fins is the vocalist on this.

93. My Bloody Valentine - In Another Way
Close enough to be alive
In 1991 My Bloody Valentine released Loveless, possibly the most acclaimed shoegaze album of all time. They did not follow that album up until 2013 which is the year of music I’m currently talking about in case you couldn’t tell. “In Another Way” ended up as my pick of the bunch from that comeback record. It is the roughest and most exciting moment on the album for me.

92. D.D Dumbo - Tropical Oceans
I opened my skull you were looking at me
3 years before surprisingly (but well deserved in my opinion) winning a J Award for his debut album D.D Dumbo released his first EP which featured this song on it. It has a very relaxing tune but there is definitely an undercurrent of tension here. It also has lyrics that I struggle to make sense of even within the song’s context (who is Freddy and why did he remix your chord?) which is certainly not the last time that happened in one of his songs.

91. The Preatures - Manic Baby
I’m gonna get you alone
I almost forgot about this song since it wasn’t included on their album. I guess because it wasn’t as big as ..... that other song, I can’t remember the name of it currently. It’s short but it slaps.
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90. Owl Eyes - Golden Lies
You keep taking sides in this heart of mine
I’m just saying, in my 2014 commentary I very politely asked if Owl Eyes could release new music and look where we are now! For whatever reason Nightswim has only been released as an EP outside of Australia, meaning I had to seek out the songs that weren’t released here in somewhat less legal manners. It’s a good thing I did that because this song would not have been in this list otherwise.
Previous entry:
2014Heart Attack (with Flight Facilities)#55

89. ScHoolboy Q - Man Of The Year
BOUNCE
This is just a lot of fun. ScHoolboy Q raps over a Chromatics sample because why not I guess? Unfortunately I just can’t agree with musikmannen’s review of this song, though I’m sure he worked very hard on it.

88. The Smith Street Band - Ducks Fly Together
I miss you but it feels good this way
I’m guessing this was The Smith Street Band’s breakthrough hit? I’m solely basing that statement on the fact that it was their first Hottest 200 entry. They’re not for everyone for pretty obvious reasons but I do generally enjoy The Smith Street Band’s music. “Ducks Fly Together” is probably my favorite song of theirs due to its strong melody and chorus.

87. Wet - You’re The Best
I think we'd better quit while we're ahead
Wet’s main claim to fame is that they released a song called “Dreams” and sadly I don’t have a good joke about that. This is a break up song but it’s one of the ‘I still really appreciate this person but we don’t really fit together’-variety which I do always feel is a nice sentiment. This might be one of the biggest beneficiaries of a song that I discovered in my 2014 playlist getting pushed back to this year. The minimalistic electronic production sounded a bit jarring at first but I’ve come to really dig it.

86. Queens Of The Stone Age - My God Is The Sun
Heal them with fire from above
While their other 2 Hottest 100 entries from this year are also pretty good, “My God Is The Sun” has the edge over them because it just shreds. This was the perfect lead single to reestablish themselves after a 6 year absence.

85. AlunaGeorge - Attracting Flies
Little grey fairy tales and little white lies
Remember that meme where a simple phrase is written in an increasingly sophisticated manner? ‘Everything you exhale is attracting flies’ is basically that for ‘You’re talking bulls**t’ (it’s also probably better for radio). For the sake of my own amusement, I like to interpret that this song is about someone who literally has bad breath.

84. Agnes Obel - The Curse
Their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
I was certainly aware of Agnes Obel before, but after hearing this I definitely feel like I should check out more of her stuff. Despite being from Denmark she is surprisingly popular here in the Benelux region. This song was even a top 50 hit in the French speaking part of Belgium, which is pretty impressive for such an unassuming song.

83. Everything Everything - Duet
I don’t wanna be here when the sky is gone
Everything Everything tend to be known for their more frantic tunes, but this song proves they can pull off a pretty solid ballad as well. The instrumentation comes together really well towards the end which makes it a bit unfortunate that I don’t get to play this in full but it is what it is.
Previous entries:
2015Regret#68
2017Desire#92

82. HAIM - Days Are Gone
Sometimes I wish I didn't miss you at all
Throwback to when this album cover was my Twitter profile picture. I’m a little bit surprised this wasn’t a single actually. It has a decidedly more modern touch while still fitting within a similar mold as the big singles. “My Song 5”, while good (it’s not on this list though), was probably a bit jarring for a lot of people who were only familiar with the previous singles.'

81. Classixx (feat. Nancy Whang) - All You’re Waiting For
Hey, wait a minute, just a minute
American DJ duo Classixx were primarily known for their remixes initially. In 2013 they released their debut album which featured this groovy track. Nancy Whang is primarily known as a member of LCD Soundsystem, who were of course broken up during this time period.
80. Disclosure (feat. AlunaGeorge) - White Noise
I’m hearing static, you’re like an automatic
Disclosure whipping out one of their best melodies right here. Disclosure & AlunaGeorge both being hot new British acts that filled a somewhat similar niche, this was a collaboration that almost made too much sense. But of course the most important thing to note is that this is the first song to be #69 in the Hottest 100 to make one of my lists.
Previous entry (AlunaGeorge):
2013Attracting Flies#85

79. Daft Punk (feat. Panda Bear) - Doin’ It Right
If you lose your way tonight that’s how you know the magic’s right
I’m glad I didn’t hear Random Access Memories until the hype had seceded. It’s a pretty solid album, though it might be slightly too long admittedly. “Doin’ It Right” is a very simple song which I feel like is the point. Daft Punk’s robot vocals and Panda Bear’s hook go very well together.

78. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - So Good At Being In Trouble
It’s a strange old state of mind
I do always enjoy a low-key reflective tune I guess. Unknown Mortal Orchestra definitely got more ambitious musically with their next two albums (Multi-Love probably deserved more than 1 entry in my 2015 list). This definitely continues to be a strong favorite for me though.
Previous entry:
2015Multi-Love#96

77. The Avener - Fade Out Lines
Did we build all those bridges to watch them thin down to dust?
I really think this song owes its success to “Prayer In C”. Both songs having the formula of originally being a slow French indie song (in this case Phoebe Killdeer’s “The Fade Out Line”), then getting slightly sped up and having a beat added to it (I’m obviously not saying this song only exists because of the “Prayer In C” remix since it predates it by about a year, but it didn’t become a chart hit until after “Prayer In C” came out). The Avener does a good job in retaining the original’s grit whilst also making it a bit more interesting.

76. CHVRCHES - Tether
I’m feeling capable of saying it’s over
In 2013 CHVRCHES released their debut album. I think it’s pretty good. With a build up to a drop I guess you could consider this the blueprint for “Clearest Blue” (well okay Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough” was probably the actual blueprint for that). While “Clearest Blue” is the better song I do appreciate the more reserved approach taken here.
Previous entries:
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100

75. CHVRCHES - You Caught The Light
I hear you when you call
Speaking of CHVRCHES and their more reserved side. Here we have the closing track of The Bones Of What You Believe, where Martin takes the lead vocals instead of Lauren. This is a significantly slower song for them to the point where I’d almost peg this closer to shoegaze/dreampop instead of synthpop. An odd sidestep but definitely a welcome one. If this snippet feels significantly longer than 1 minute that’s because it is. The vocals come in a bit late in this one.
Previous entries:
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100

74. Kanye West (feat. God) - I Am A God
Hurry up with my damn croissants
It doesn’t get more Kanye than this. In this instance I very much mean that in a good way. While a lot of Yeezus’ strengths lie in the production for me, I can’t help but be entertained by Kanye’s occasionally outrageous bars. God also manages to get his first entry here. It remains to be seen if the New Testament can sneak in once I get to it, he had some bars there if I remember correctly.

73. Owl Eyes - Closure
Do not fear, I was just talking to myself
The most popular song off Nightswim and for a good reason I think. The pop sensibilities are very much there but it still is appealing for a triple j audience. The production gives me this soap opera-esque (yeah, I have no good explanation for that) vibe that I really enjoy.
Previous entries:
2013Golden Lies#90
2014Heart Attack (with Flight Facilities)#55

72. Bonobo - Cirrus
Not a single instrumental made it into my 2014 list (though certainly not because there weren’t any I liked). Seemingly to balance that a few managed to get in this time around. At 6 minutes “Cirrus” is very easy to get lost in. It’s almost hypnotic when I’m in the right mood.

71. Violent Soho - Covered In Chrome
HELL F**K YEAH
YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH.
70. Pusha T - Numbers On The Boards
YEAHHHH
YEA- Okay I’ll stop now. Earlier this year Pusha T released the Kanye-produced 7-track album DAYTONA. While it was solid, it was a bit too short to leave a strong impression on me (which I guess you can say about all the 7-track Kanye-produced albums from this year). This song more than proves that the Pusha/Kanye combo can produce some magic though. The minimalist production here is utterly captivating.

69. Anna Calvi - Sing To Me
We are in love with you
A few songs from Anna Calvi’s One Breath ended up in my 2014 playlist (the album came out in 2013, a fact you might have been able to infer by this song being in this list and not the previous one). I gave the whole album a listen and I quite enjoy it. “Sing To Me” is one of the most stripped back moments on the record, which gives an opportunity for Anna’s voice to really shine through.

68. CHVRCHES - Recover
I’ll give you one more chance, say we can change or part ways
Initially I didn’t really get why this was their biggest Hottest 100 entry (other than: ‘Because “The Mother We Share” was released in 2012’). Over the years this song has risen in my stocks a fair bit however. The chorus is just too good though admittedly there isn’t really much to the verses, which are fairly short to begin with.
Previous entries:
2013You Caught The Light#75
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100

67. The Avalanches - Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix)
It trembles
We’re still very much in the time period where it seemed like the second Avalanches album would never happen so it must have been surprising when they contributed a remix to a Hunters & Collectors tribute album of all things. I imagine the novelty of it being the closest thing to new Avalanches music in a long time is why it almost made the Hottest 100. While fairly true to the original “Talking To A Stranger”, the bigger emphasis on the somewhat eerie synth and the subtle title change make it feel a bit more paranoid.

66. Cults - I Can Hardly Make You Mine
We both know what it’s like to be lonely
”I Can Hardly Make You Mine” is one of the best examples of Cults’ enhanced 60’s pop sound. The intro always gets me pumped up and I’m a big fan of the ghostly, detailed production.
Previous entries:
2014Being It#68
2017I Took Your Picture#27

65. Little Scout - March Over To Me
It’s a dull mess the way the seasons are changing
Incidentally this song reminds me quite a bit of Cults. Little Scout called it off after only 2 albums but their members are still fairly active. Lead singer Mel is a member of Holiday Party, who have been quite successful on my chart. Her sister Kirsty makes music under the name Exhibitionist and also had a minor hit on my chart.

64. James Holden - The Caterpillar’s Intervention
You know that song “Atlas” by Battles? Imagine the opening riff of that song played on a loop. Then imagine that loop consistently getting louder and getting several chaotic sounding brass instruments laid on top of it.

63. Anna Calvi - Piece By Piece
How long are you gonna stay?
This is basically a St. Vincent song except, like, waaaaaay gloomier. This is a good thing, of course. Props to Anna Calvi for being so committed to remembering Kelly Clarkson’s Billboard top 10 smash though.
Previous entry:
2013Sing To Me#69

62. CHVRCHES - Lies
Faster, faster, you won’t go far
This is the CHVRCHES song I heard the most by far around 2013/2014. I liked it at the time but I got tired of it after a while. Having spent some time away from it before hearing it again I can confirm it is, in fact, a banger.
Previous entries:
2013Recover#68
2013You Caught The Light#75
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100

61. Daughter - Youth
If you’re in love, then you are the lucky one
This is probably Daughter’s (not to be confused with Daughters who I assume sound nothing like Daughter) biggest hit and that makes a lot of sense. An emotional song with a very inviting melody, which is likely why it’s seen a lot of usage in TV shows. I also suspect that melody inspired James Bay’s “Let It Go”, which has seen even more usage in TV shows.
60. Owl Eyes - Diamonds In Her Eyes
Tell me I’m your lucky star
I totally played myself here. Since Owl Eyes isn’t exactly a big international name, lyrics of her songs as posted on the internet are far from guaranteed to be correct. I thought I found another case of that when I saw the chorus of this song written as ‘Tell me what you want’ when I thought it was ‘Tell me what you are’. As I was thinking about it, I realized the former makes way more sense considering the context of the rest of the song. Oops.
Previous entries:
2013Closure#73
2013Golden Lies#90
2014Heart Attack (with Flight Facilities)#55

59. Le Youth - C O O L
Think I wanna make a move
This feels like such a BBC Radio 1 hit, which makes it surprising to me that Le Youth is actually American. This song is of course heavily based on Cassie’s “Me & U”, with the vocals being pitched down a bit & put under a more playful beat. While I’m talking about misheard lyrics, the chorus will always sound like ‘This song is s**t cool’ to me even though I know it’s not the line.

58. Childish Gambino - 3005
When I’m alone I’d rather be with you
Man, he’s so 3005 while we’re so 2000-and life. Leading into a much more pop friendly sound following up from Camp, which ironically makes this way more radio friendly than his 2 actual big hits from later on. This song is essentially about not wanting to be alone which, um yeah, big mood.
Previous entry:
2014Sweatpants#39

57. Anna Calvi - Cry
Show me where it hurts
Writing multiple blurbs about the same artist is hard. That one riff is so good like, goddamn. You could almost say it makes me cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Previous entries:
2013Piece By Piece#63
2013Sing To Me#69

56. Touch Sensitive - Pizza Guy
The highest instrumental track in this list. Naming this song “Pizza Guy” was a really smart move honestly. Almost everyone likes pizza so you likely have positive associations with this song just from the title. As you might be able to tell, I ate pizza the day I wrote this. Once you actually listen to the song you’re treated to a very smooth synthy throwback.

55. HAIM - Running If You Call My Name
With my eyes closed I’m leaving it all behind
Just like CHVRCHES, HAIM slow down the pace a bit for the closing track of their debut album. Though this still fits in with their usual influences, just a different side of them. I might like this song more than most people because I tend to like songs that subtly feature a piano, which is somehow both a very specific and a very broad statement.
Previous entry:
2013Days Are Gone#82

54. CHVRCHES - We Sink
I'll be a thorn in your side 'til you die
It is very amusing to me that the first 2 songs from CHVRCHES’ debut both have an f-bomb and not a single song they’ve made afterwards have had any swearing. Compared to the other singles this feels fairly underrated. It has one of the most thumping beats on the album.
Previous entries:
2013Lies#62
2013Recover#68
2013You Caught The Light#75
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100

53. Tennis - Timothy
Jut some things down on a list under the header ‘Things to fix’
Aus-charts’ favorite member returns with another lovely indie pop track. Tennis is a band name that is pretty hard to Google and I’m going to use that as my excuse for not having much to say here.
Previous entry:
2017No Exit#35

52. Disclosure (feat. London Grammar) - Help Me Lose My Mind
Talk to me and watch me crumble
It feels weird that this is likely my favorite song of both artists involved. It does a pretty good job in playing up both of their strengths even more so than “White Noise”. I’ll admit I didn’t hugely get into Settle but Disclosure certainly delivered here.
Previous entry (Disclosure):
2013White Noise#80

51. Dessa - Call Off Your Ghost
I'm ready to let you go
I’m sure Spectrum Pulse would be proud. While Dessa is ostensibly a rapper a lot of what I’ve heard from leans more on singing with this being a good example. This song recounts the somewhat awkward situation of her coming across an ex at a mutual friend’s wedding and her coming to terms with the feelings regarding their relationship. The production is splendid here, even ignoring my violin bias.
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50. Hannah Peel - Harbour

You’re not alone and there may be hurt from all sides

Hannah Peel is a Northern-Irish singer who also plays a fair amount of instruments. I liked this song rather instantly when it came up on my playlist but I initially though it would make a more modest impact. By the time it came to ranking this list though I really felt like it belonged in the top 50. While less songs from my 2013 playlist stuck with me compared to my 2014 playlist, I think the playlist songs overall in this list. (for the record plenty of songs before this were also from that playlist but there’s no real need to mention that for every song)
49. Bastille - Laura Palmer

The night was all you had, you ran into the night from all you had

’Laura Palmer‘ refers to a character from Twin Peaks. Since I’ve never seen that show I have no idea if Bastille even come close to capturing any of its essence. That said, this song always did feel like it was telling some kind of dramatic story. Plus, it has some great melodies to boot.
48. Kanye West - Black Skinhead

Number one question they asking, f**k every question you asking

For about a year I only knew this song through a commercial for a movie. In spite of its abrasiveness, this song seems to have influenced a decent amount of pop songs. The abrasiveness doesn’t necessarily carry over to those songs, it’s more the force that it brings and WOW what a force this song is. (can you tell I wrote this at 2 AM?)

Previous entry:
2013I Am A God#74
47. Lorde - White Teeth Teens

I know you love it when the hairpins start to drop

Which album is better: Pure Heroine or Melodrama? I really don’t know. What I do know is that more songs should feature organs. Lorde makes a very good point here: brushing your teeth is EXTREMELY overrated.

Previous entries:
2017Green Light#10
2017Sober#41
2017Writer In The Dark#78

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46. Chastity Belt - Black Sail

I’m not one of them

I listen to way too many albums and you’re not gonna stop me. Chastity Belt released an album last year that I’ve definitely heard, but it didn’t really leave much of an impression. It was a nice surprise when this song off the intentionally misspelled No Regerts clicked with me. I’m not entirely sure if this song is about a boat or if it’s just a metaphor. I’m leaning towards metaphor.
45. HAIM - If I Could Change Your Mind

Visions of our love remind me

Out of HAIM’s singles this is certainly the Fleetwood Mac-est, which is definitely a real adjective. The chorus is great but the pre-chorus is even better here.

Previous entries:
2013Running If You Call My Name#55
2013Days Are Gone#82
44. TORRES - Honey

Come over here and let me put you back together

BROCKHAMPTON/Robyn/Olympia etc. are shaking. After “Skim” came fairly close in 2017 and not hearing “Sprinter” until I had already done my initial 2015 list, TORRES finally gets in here properly. Like those 2 songs this is very much a slow burner. Speaking of burning, this YouTube comment chain is great: https://imgur.com/a/HWCdI4H .

Previous entry:
2015Sprinter#55

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43. Owl Eyes - Nightswim

It’s colder when you’re out there

Obviously it’s called Nightswim because I want to drown myself in it. I was initially not huge on this song but the synths stuck with me to the point that I had to give it several more chances. Owl Eyes having 2 songs 30 positions apart from each other on 2 separate occasions in this list is pretty satisfying.

Previous entries:
2013Diamonds In Her Eyes#60
2013Closure#73
2013Golden Lies#90
2014Heart Attack (with Flight Facilities)#55
42. Klingande - Jubel

Save me

I’m aware that this song is somewhat of a meme on this website, but trust me when I say that I’ve always liked it quite a bit. The sax just cannot be held down. Klingande was apparently a duo at this point which I feel like was something I knew before but forgot until I did research for this list.
41. Cloud Control - The Smoke, The Feeling

When you reappear it’s like we’re still waiting

Sometimes album tracks can be uninteresting filler, but they can also be an opportunity to produce something that’s a bit more out there like Cloud Control have done here. There’s a colder, more electronic sound here particularly in the vocals. This causes the riff (coincidentally, it sounds kind of similar to the riff from the earlier played “Black Sail”) to stand out more than it usually would.

Previous entry:
2017Treetops#83
40. Big Deal - In Your Car

I wanna be wherever you are

It’s very possible that my liking of this song comes down to the line ‘Driving in your car’ reminding me of The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”. It’s almost like the upbeat version of that song. An American-British duo, most of Big Deal’s music from what I’ve heard has both members on vocals in a way that very much appeals to me. Sadly they broke up in 2016.
39. Goldroom (feat. Ariela Jacobs) - Embrace

It’s like you never went away

Oh my my my. This does feel like a rather random song to have this high up (for me that is). This melody is just so joyous. George Maple co-wrote this song and there is a version where she sings on it instead but it just doesn’t feel the same.
38. Laura Jansen - Queen Of Elba

I’m never coming home

It’s time for the obligatory Dutch entry! Laura Jansen’s breakthrough hit was, of all things, a stripped back cover of Kings Of Leon’s “Use Somebody”. While not Calum Scott bad or anything, I never really found much merit in it. She had a few more minor hits afterwards with this song being one of them. It references Napoleon’s exile to the island Elba, where Napoleon was forced to rule as emperor.
37. Drake (feat. Majid Jordan) - Hold On, We’re Going Home

You left your mark on me

With how much music Drake has released in the past few years this feels closer to a decade old than it does 5 years. The fact that Drake sounds a bit younger here, which tripped me up a bit when I listened to this song for the first time in a while for this, also adds to that. While Drake has admitted this song was his attempt at channeling Michael Jackson, the production here feels unique and unlike anything else on the charts when it came out. (this was Drake’s first top 40 hit as a lead artist in the Netherlands)
36. The Jezabels - The End

Michelangelo would pray to paint the floor

Pretty much every reasoning as to why I like this song so much boils down to ‘I’m basic’. In an unfortunate way this song was somewhat prophetic as this turned out to be the end of The Jezabels’ ability to get into the Hottest 100.
35. Daft Punk (feat. Julian Casablancas) - Instant Crush

And we will never be alone again

I did not think I’d be putting this so high, but man that melody and that guitar. This song feels closer to Julian Casablancas’ solo material than The Strokes but it’s significantly more low key than either of them.

Previous entry (Daft Punk):
2013Doin’ It Right#79

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34. Still Corners - The Trip

So many miles away

This is probably one of the most soothing songs I’ve heard. This could have easily ended up being boring but it’s pleasant in such a manner that I cannot resist it. I don’t have a car but I imagine driving at night with this song playing would be amazing.

Previous entry:
2015Horses At Night#76
33. Emma Louise - Freedom

It’s not over ‘til the weekend

This year Emma Louise released an album where she pitched down her voice for every song, which is an admirable leftfield turn. By contrast, “Freedom” here is probably her most pop-friendly song other than “Illuminate”. I love the production, which manages to capture the spirit of freedom rather well while still being rather slick.
32. Lorde - 400 Lux

We’re never done with killing time, can I kill it with you?

Most of the production on Pure Heroine is cold and rather minimalist, which for better or worse is how I’d describe a lot of pop music currently. This is a really lovely song that’s about a relationship that’s going really well, surprisingly enough. And I like this song.

Previous entries:
2013White Teeth Teens#47
2017Green Light#10
2017Sober#41
2017Writer In The Dark#78
31. Bibio - À tout à l'heure

Look how we live, look how we laugh

Despite that title this song is mostly in English (it means ‘see you later’). Bibio is a fairly prolific British producer who I mostly know because he did a song with Gotye once. I think this song has a lot of reverb and I’m into that.
30. Anna Calvi - Carry Me Over

I can hear you moving on like the tracks of a train

This only barely made the final phase of my playlist, which means this either grew on me really quickly or my taste depends heavily on what mood I’m in. Probably both. This is a bit longer than the other Anna Calvi songs in this list thanks to the large focus on the instrumental in the second half. It really stands out because of it.

Previous entries:
2013Cry#57
2013Piece By Piece#63
2013Sing To Me#69

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29. Midnight Juggernauts - Ballad Of The War Machine

Godspeed, travel well. Lightning in a bottle cracks a spell

Midnight Juggernauts really have matured quite a bit over the years. To think, just 6 years earlier they couldn’t even tell the difference between a radio and a tombstone. But seriously, I was very surprised to hear such a refined synthpop tune from Midnight Juggernauts. In an interesting viral strategy, they initially put out this song pretending it was made by an obscure Russian group from the 80’s.
28. HAIM - Falling

Never look back, never give up

I mean are you really surprised at this point? I think this song’s main strength is that it just has so many hooks, maybe even more hooks than [REDACTED]. Also, Flight Facilities totally ripped off this bassline with “Hold Me Down”.

Previous entries:
2013If I Could Change Your Mind#45
2013Running If You Call My Name#55
2013Days Are Gone#82
27. Wolf Alice - Nosedive

You play the drums and we'll make the rhymes

Going all the way back to Wolf Alice’s debut EP here. What really strikes me about this is how surprisingly peppy this sounds compared to their later stuff. The theme of being outcasts, which comes up in plenty of later Wolf Alice songs, is definitely present here. It’s over rather quickly but that means it benefits from repeat listens.

Previous entries:
2014Moaning Lisa Smile#82
2015Lisbon#18
2015Freazy#26
2015Fluffy#40
2015Giant Peach#67
2017Planet Hunter#9
2017Don’t Delete The Kisses#27
2017Heavenward#43
26. Lorde - Team

We live in cities you’ll never see on screen

When I first heard this song I knew I really liked it but I could not even remotely not put into words why I did. I have absolutely not changed since then is what I’m saying. You can tell a lot has changed in pop music the past 5 years however. I honestly cannot remember the last time a song has told me to put my hands up in the air, it’d be such a weird thing to complain about now.

Previous entries:
2013400 Lux#32
2013White Teeth Teens#47
2017Green Light#10
2017Sober#41
2017Writer In The Dark#78
25. Bastille - Pompeii

How am I going to be an optimist about this?

2013 me is so disappointed this isn’t #1. This was pretty much my favorite song as soon as I heard it. It really felt like I willed this song into being a hit over here. It was in the bubbling under for a while and then didn’t chart. A few months later Bastille played some festivals here, the song got pushed to radio again and BOOM it was a hit. Admittedly considering this song is about dying a horrible death in a volcano eruption, the ‘ey oh’s’ feel a bit too cheery. On the other hand, it’s definitely a big part of why the song works as well as it does for me.

Previous entry:
2013Laura Palmer#49
24. Speedy Ortiz - No Below

You didn’t know me when you were a kid

Time to get a bit personal here. In the verse before the first chorus the singer mentions how her childhood friend tried to help with her depression but that it didn’t really work out. Whenever I try to help people out I feel like I’m only making things worse, because I’m just not good at certain things or I misunderstand certain statements. On the other side of the coin there was the time in middle school where I was very much the outcast, which I think was at least partially because I was a bit annoying back then. This was not helped by the fact that there was one kid that seriously bullied me, I don’t blame myself for that at least. I eventually transferred to a different school and things got a lot better afterwards. I always appreciated this song musically, but I’ve recently realized it cuts rather deep lyrically for me is what I’m trying to say with this.
23. James Blake - Retrograde

Ignore everybody else, we’re alone now

James Blake’s vocal performance on this song is one of the best in this entire list in my opinion. Combined with the production the last chorus is particularly transcendent. After that last blurb I guess I can get away with writing a bit less here.
22. The Drones - Nine Eyes

Yeah I’m all I need, I’m finally on my own

The Drones are a really interesting band that I should get more into than I already have. I can’t think of many bands that wrote a song about looking up your childhood home on Google Street View. When the singer finds out that the person who lives there now is a total bogan he is not very happy. While the subject of this song is certainly a curiosity, the real attraction is the absolute monster chorus.
21. Thumpers - Unkinder (A Tougher Love)

Getting our hair coot and teeth cut

Thumpers feel like they’re from an alternate universe where St. Lucia were British. [s]ignoring that St. Lucia used to be a British colony[/s] The main difference being, besides the accent, that they are a bit more chaotic than St. Lucia. In what seems to be a trend among UK-based bands that I only know because of research for this list, they broke up earlier this year.
20. Bad//Dreems - Hoping For

And I feel like I can change

Bad//Dreems is not a really band I’m into but this song very much does it for me. Likely because this is one of their most gentle melodies, which I guess isn’t saying much. The lyrics seem to play with the idea of self-improvement. Whether that is something he can actually go through with is not really clear. Feeling that you can change is ultimately not the same as actually doing it.
19. Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams) - Lose Yourself To Dance

I know you don’t get a chance to take a break this often

This is basically the extremely self-indulgent version of “Get Lucky”. I really don’t think this would have taken off the same way as that if this was released as the lead single instead. While this song might have held up better in some regards…..

Previous entry (Daft Punk):
2013Instant Crush#35
2013Doin’ It Right#79
18. Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky

We’ve come too far to give up who we are

….You just cannot beat the Sound of the Summer. I mean it’s almost summer in Australia, right? The insane hype for this song felt really weird as someone who was certainly aware of Daft Punk at the time but didn’t think they were some massive name. It’s safe to say the song itself more than justified the hype.

Previous entries (Daft Punk):
2013Lose Yourself To Dance#19
2013Instant Crush#35
2013Doin’ It Right#79

Previous entry (Pharrell Williams):
2013Lose Yourself To Dance (with Daft Punk)#19
17. The Preatures - Is This How You Feel?

I could keep on with the same mistakes or I could make them with you

COOK A CHICKEN. COOK A CHICKEN. COOK A CHICKEN. Earlier this year The Preatures were on triple j’s ‘Inspired’ segment where they mentioned that they were listening to The Cure’s “Close To Me” and, wow, you can really tell from the verses.

Previous entry:
2013Manic Baby#91

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16. Petal - Comeback

I’m still waiting for you to look at me

‘Emotional indie rock’ feels like a term that could describe a lot of songs I really liked in 2018, which kind of makes me afraid my next list is going to be boring to a lot of people. Oh well, it’s my list. It makes me realize comparing songs I’ve heard for the first time this year to songs I’ve known for 5 years is weird but also kind of fun. Anyways, this song is good. Petal released an album this year that I haven’t listened to yet so it remains to be seen whether she’ll make a ……….. return.
15. Warpaint - Love Is To Die

It’s not necessary to be so dark

I think I basically promised this would be here in my 2014 commentary so here it is! Out of context the above quoted line feels like the song making fun of itself, because yeah it’s pretty dark. Considering this is unquestionably their most popular song, I’m quite surprised it doesn’t have a music video.

Previous entry:
2014Drive#80
14. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

I thought I found a way to enter

I found a fair bit to like about Reflektor, a few album cuts got culled fairly late during the process of making this list. That said it is certainly a very lengthy album and some of the weaker cuts could honestly fit right on Everything Now. The title track is the ambitious and tasty jam that most people have said it is.

Previous entry:
2017Everything Now#21
13. HAIM - The Wire

Always keep your heart locked tight, don’t let your mind retire

The last time HAIM will be appearing in this countdown. They get an impressive 5 entries which could have possibly been more if some of the singles weren’t from 2012. “The Wire” is the most purely fun they have released and it’s pretty cool that it was a chart hit in Australia.

Previous entries:
2013Falling#28
2013If I Could Change Your Mind#45
2013Running If You Call My Name#55
2013Days Are Gone#82
12. Jen Cloher - Hold My Hand

How did we meet again?

A greatly upsetting fact is that this song’s music video has more dislikes than likes. I strongly suspect that it has nothing with the song or the video. This song is about her mother who had Alzheimer’s and how she does not remember meeting her husband. Death is already a terrifying concept to me. Not remembering anything about the people I know and love in the final years of my life seems even scarier. This song would be great even if it remained just a ballad, but then it gets loud in the last 2 minutes and it feels more than earned.
11. Austra - Home

What is it that keeps you there, keeping you occupied?

There are a lot of songs called “Home” and this is definitely one of them. I’m not confident enough to say that this is my favorite out of all of them, but it is certainly up there. I just love the prominent flutes in the second half here, it gives the song a fairytale-like atmosphere.
10. Sky Ferreira - You’re Not The One

It’s the middle of the night and I’m so gone

As it turns out my favorite HAIM song of 2013 was not made by HAIM. I remember hearing this on triple j and not really caring too much about it. Then a few months later I heard it again and I was suddenly super into it. The light sounding verses and the strong riff in the chorus are an excellent combination. (since this worked for Owl Eyes last time: I do hope Sky can put out new music soon, even if I’m not exactly huge on the album this song is from)
9. St. Lucia - Elevate

You know that I want to get away and I cannot wait for another day

I included their British counterparts, so it’s only fair St. Lucia get an entry of their own here. There are some borderline depressing songs in this list but this song is the exact opposite of that. The final chorus with the additional instrumentation borders on being clichéd but it works very well for me.
8. CHVRCHES - Night Sky

We can never look back

Yes, it’s another The Bones Of What You Believe deep cut. I’m kind of struggling to justify why this song is such a big standout for me. The melodies here are top notch and the production is some of the most exciting stuff I’ve heard from CHVRCHES. Also the chorus sounds like ‘I’m a nice guy’.

Previous entries:
2013We Sink#54
2013Lies#62
2013Recover#68
2013You Caught The Light#75
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100
7. Austra - We Become

It could be islands. It could be better

I feel comfort in knowing that things can in fact be islands. Despite having spent slightly more time with “Home”, this has, ahem, become my favorite song off Olympia. I’m not sure why but this song strongly reminds me of The Knife’s earlier stuff. Which is a good thing because The Knife certainly didn’t sound like that at this point. (I don’t mean this as a diss, one song from The Knife made it reasonably far in my culling process for this list)

Previous entry:
2013Home#11

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6. Paramore - Ain’t It Fun

Cause you’re on your own in the real world

Small brain: wow I can’t believe a Billboard top 10 hit from this decade features a gospel choir.
Big brain: wow I can’t believe a Billboard top 10 hit from this decade features a xylophone.

This was basically Paramore’s turning point where they went from being a pop punk band to more mellow pop rock. I’m not really familiar with their older stuff, (same with other similar bands from that era like Fall Out Boy, they just simply did not have much chart success here) but I’ve always loved this song. It’s a good way to remind myself that things aren’t always gonna go my way.

Previous entry:
2017Pool#73
5. No Joy - Lunar Phobia

Hear it now, hear it now. World keeps losing out somehow

A big [citation needed] on the above lyric. I guess that’s kind of inevitable with shoegaze. Though really this song makes me wonder where shoegaze ends and dream pop ends. The vocals being low key to the point of the lyrics being hard to decipher feels like shoegaze, but melodically it feels more like dream pop. Genre classifications aside, I definitely know this song is extremely for me.
4. Good Girl And The Bad Times - Cute When I Cry

There’s a hole in my heart where you punched right through

The highest song in this list that I discovered through my research playlist. It feels like a bit of an oddball. Good Girl And The Bad Times very briefly made my chart at the start of this year. While that song was more something chill and deep house-esque, this is …….. a neo soul song about a relationship that ended badly? This really doesn’t feel like something I’d normally put this high. But then again: piano-led instrumentation + very strong melody = I like this song a lot.
3. CHVRCHES - Gun

There is no other way, you won’t go far

But of course this is my favorite CHVRCHES song, I’m not THAT crazy. This is really is just CHVRCHES at their best in just about every regard. I also like that it has fadeout, which isn’t really common these days. With a total of 7, CHVRCHES comfortably have the most entries here. As much as I like Every Open Eye (It is the first album I ever chose to listen to so it does have a special place in my heart), I prefer The Bones Of What You Believe. It just ticks most of the boxes for me.

Previous entries:
2013Night Sky#8
2013We Sink#54
2013Lies#62
2013Recover#68
2013You Caught The Light#75
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100
2. Lurch & Chief - We Are The Same

Oh I got it all, I’m not leaving. Want to take a trip you know I need it.

Hell yes. This is just an utter banger of a rock song. Every time the chorus kicks in I just get unreasonably excited. It is pretty sad Lurch & Chief called it quits before they even released a full length album. I don’t know if they could have ever topped this but it would have been nice if they tried. This song is so good, I guess I could say ‘this is it ch-*gets arrested by the ‘memes that will make this commentary look dated in a few months’-police*

Previous entry:
2015Echo#82
1. Arcade Fire - Afterlife

Can we just work it out? Scream and shout until we work it out?

Unlike previous years I did not really go into the making of this list with an idea of what was going to be #1. It was only yesterday that I really felt confident that this song was my #1 pick. It is kind of funny that despite several new discoveries stirring up the pot, the top 3 songs here were ones I was always fairly certain were going to do well. (Though I only heard “We Are The Same” at the start of this year admittedly)

One of Arcade Fire’s trademarks is that the second-to-last song on all of their albums is a stirring, emotional experience. Even on Everything Now the fairly solid “We Don’t Deserve Love” fits this role. “Afterlife” really feels like Arcade Fire at their biggest in terms of sound. Every moment in this song feels like it matters and it all sounds so good.

So, what happens next? I’m not sure but this felt like a good way to end. I’ll see you guys at the start of 2019 hopefully for my favorite songs of 2018.

Previous entries:
2013Reflektor#14
2017Everything Now#21
I've distracted myself for a few months by accident but I've finally done it. My 2012 EOY is finished. The broadcast will be happening Wednesday the 24th of July with a tentative starting time of 7 PM AEST. Maybe a bit earlier, maybe a bit later.
One thing to note is that I only wrote commentary for the top 50 entries of the list because doing a 100 write-up's for every year is going to become increasingly ridiculous when I have less history with these songs. 2012 felt like a strong year even before I started my process of making this list and I'm happy to say that expectation has come true for me in regards to the overall strength of the list. I'm excited for this one, folks!
100. Say Lou Lou - Maybe You

99. Lavender Diamond - I Don’t Recall

98. Tennis - Take Me To Heaven

Previous entries:
2013Timothy#53
2017No Exit#35

97. Bored Nothing - Let Down

96. Ladyhawke - Sunday Drive

95. Trijntje Oosterhuis - Knocked Out

94. Metric - Lost Kitten

Previous entry:
2018Now Or Never Now#54

93. Grizzly Bear - gun-shy

Previous entries:
2017Mourning Sound#22
2017Three Rings#64

92. The Killers - Runaways

91. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

Previous entry:
2015The Ideal Husband#21
90. Rudimental (feat. John Newman) - Feel The Love

89. Grimes - Skin

Previous entries:
2015Flesh Without Blood#2
2015Kill V. Maim#14
2015Belly Of The Beat#49
2015Realiti#97

88. Lotus Plaza - Monoliths

87. Melody’s Echo Chamber - I Follow You

Previous entries:
2014Shirim#10
2017Cross My Heart#18

86. Beach House - Myth

Previous entries:
2015Sparks#9
2015Levitation#52
2015Majorette#99
2018Drunk In LA#65

85. Kendrick Lamar (feat. MC Eiht) - m.A.A.d city

Previous entries (Kendrick Lamar):
2014i#16
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#22
2015King Kunta#10
2015How Much A Dollar Cost#28
2015Alright#77
2015Wesley’s Theory#79
2017DNA.#15
2017HUMBLE.#16
2017LUST#51
2017XXX.#96

84. Chairlift - Frigid Spring

Previous entry:
2015Ch-Ching#25

83. Miguel - Adorn

82. Hot Chip - Don’t Deny Your Heart

81. Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless

Previous entries:
2014I’m Not Part Of Me#6
2014Psychic Trauma#73
2017Enter Entirely#39

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80. The xx - Angels

Previous entries:
2017Say Something Loving#31
2017Dangerous#80

79. Alpine - Too Safe

Previous entries:
2015Shot Fox#8
2015Damn Baby#98

78. Chromatics - Cherry

77. Melody’s Echo Chamber - You Won’t Be Missing That Part Of Me

Previous entries:
2012I Follow You#87
2014Shirim#10
2017Cross My Heart#18

76. Frankie Rose - Know Me

75. Tame Impala - Why Won’t They Talk To Me?

Previous entries:
2015Let It Happen#4
2015The Less I Know The Better#69

74. Jesca Hoop - Born To

73. Cub Sport - Evie

72. Cloud Nothings - Fall In

Previous entries:
2012Stay Useless#81
2014I’m Not Part Of Me#6
2014Psychic Trauma#73
2017Enter Entirely#39

71. Kendrick Lamar - The Art Of Peer Pressure

Previous entries:
2012m.A.A.d city#85
2014i#16
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#22
2015King Kunta#10
2015How Much A Dollar Cost#28
2015Alright#77
2015Wesley’s Theory#79
2017DNA.#15
2017HUMBLE.#16
2017LUST#51

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70. The Presets - Promises

69. Staygold (feat. Style Of Eye & Pow) - Wallpaper

68. Porcelain Raft - Unless You Speak From Your Heart

67. Rhye - The Fall

66. Chairlift - Wrong Opinion

Previous entries:
2012Frigid Spring#84
2015Ch-Ching#25

65. Dirty Projectors - The Socialites

64. Florence + The Machine - Spectrum (Say My Name) (Calvin Harris Remix)

Previous entries:
2015Queen Of Peace#7
2015What Kind Of Man#86

63. Everything Everything - Cough Cough

Previous entries:
2013Duet#82
2015Regret#68
2017Desire#92

62. Owl Eyes - Crystalised

Previous entries:
2013Nightswim#43
2013Diamonds In Her Eyes#60
2013Closure#73
2013Golden Lies#90
2014Heart Attack (with Flight Facilities)#55

61. Alpine - Villages

Previous entries:
2012Too Safe#79
2015Shot Fox#8
2015Damn Baby#98
60. Clubfeet (feat. Chela) - Heartbreak

59. Chairlift - Take It Out On Me

Previous entries:
2012Wrong Opinion#66
2012Frigid Spring#84
2015Ch-Ching#25

58. Melody’s Echo Chamber - Crystallized

Previous entries:
2012You Won’t Be Missing That Part Of Me#77
2012I Follow You#87
2014Shirim#10
2017Cross My Heart#18

57. San Cisco - Rocket Ship

56. Purity Ring - Fineshrine

55. Grizzly Bear - Yet Again

Previous entries:
2012gun-shy#93
2017Mourning Sound#22
2017Three Rings#64

54. The Antlers - Endless Ladder

Previous entry:
2014Palace#27

53. Tegan and Sara - Closer

52. Bat For Lashes - Marilyn

51. Rhye - Open

Previous entry:
2012The Fall#67
50. Emperors - Song Of The Year

We got a jury, we got us a trial

Making these lists means going over the careers of fairly successful artists but also discovering bands that weren’t really all that popular and called it quits after a while. Emperors is just another one of many of the latter category to get an entry here. With that said 2012 was a solid year for them with “Be Ready When I Say Go” cracking the Hottest 200. I ended up preffering this song however. Who’d have thought they’d only be 49 spots off from being right.
49. Hungry Kids Of Hungary - Sharp Shooter

I’m confused by you. I’m caught up in every detail

Actually here’s another Australian band that’s not together anymore. As a Hottest 200 entry that is not on Spotify I was forced to seek this song out on YouTube. I’m not a fan of the video due to the awkward close ups on the lower half of the lead singer’s face. Despite that tough obstacle, I’ve managed to really get into this song’s catchy melodies.
48. Major Lazer (feat. Amber Coffman) - Get Free

Look at me, I just can’t believe what they’ve done to me

It’s a close call between this and the #69 on this list as to what song I’m more baffled managed to be a top 10 hit over here. I guess Diplo/Major Lazer’s other success should make this less weird in hindsight but then knowing more about Dirty Projectors now just makes it more weird. I really didn’t know what to make of this at first but eventually I just had to latch on to something that stood out in this way.
47. Sleigh Bells - Crush

You think you're classic today? You must be basic, baby

In “Crush”, Sleigh Bells use the word both with the meaning of “an intense infatuation” and “to press something with a force that destroys or deforms”. Here they take advantage of the fact that words can have multiple meanings and make an ironic juxtaposition.
46. Orbital (feat. Zola Jesus) - New France

Burning sunnnnnnnn

Orbital are a British production duo who I primarily know because they did a remix of the Doctor Who theme song once. No, they’re not another alternate name for The KLF. Zola Jesus sings a grand total of 2 words here (and only about 2 minutes into the song which makes me glad I ranked this in the top 50) but hey it sounds very good.
45. Deep Sea Arcade - Granite City

Writings on the wall, she’s not there at all

Well, here’s a new one. It’s an Australian band that hasn’t broken up yet. I noticed on Wikipedia that apparently some songs from this album got some airplay over here. While trying to verify that I found a negative review of a performance they did at a festival here so I’m guessing that did not last very long. Also, through researching for this song I found an old YouTube account of a certain member of this website.
44. Hop Along - Young And Happy!

Filthy reservoir, today you are *21 Savage voice* twenty one twenty one

Hop Along’s debut album is significantly less polished than their later material and while that doesn’t always work for me this was a big standout from the album tracks. A big part of why is that the steel drum instrumentation firmly puts this in the Cub Sport - Evie/Methyl Ethel - Drink Wine canon. For the obligatory Logo reference the title of the song reminds me of the name of the Teen Queens album, Get Happy!.

Previous entries:
2018How Simple#2
2018Not Abel#27
2018The Fox In Motion#33
2018What The Writer Meant#43
2018Prior Things#61
43. Bat For Lashes - A Wall

Just sit still, does it hurt?

Of the albums from 2012 that I listened to right before starting The Large Playlist™, Bat For Lashes’ The Haunted Man might be the one I got the most out of with 2 songs I wasn’t familiar with before ending up fairly high on this list. The subdued electronic production works really well here but my favorite part is the melody that plays right after the first chorus.

Previous entry:
2012Marilyn#52
42. A$AP Rocky (feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar) - F**kin’ Problems

Ain't heard my album, Who you sleepin' on? You should print the lyrics out and have a f**kin' read-along

Yes, I canonically like the song where Kendrick Lamar declares ‘girl, I know you want di dih’ more than anything from good kid, m.A.A.d city. Sue me, I guess. A song that’s so ridiculous that it comes around and becomes genuinely great. Well okay the beat is pretty fire as well I guess. I also love that this won the one QLVG that it could probably realistically win. (actually maybe it could have won the current one)

Previous entries (Drake):
2013Hold On, We’re Going Home#37
2018Nice For What#56

Previous entries (Kendrick Lamar):
2012The Art Of Peer Pressure#71
2012m.A.A.d city#85
2014i#16
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#22
2015King Kunta#10
2015How Much A Dollar Cost#28
2015Alright#77
2015Wesley’s Theory#79
2017DNA.#15
2017HUMBLE.#16
2017LUST#51
2017XXX.#96

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41. Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid

You’ll go away but you’ll come back someday

“Comeback Kid” has a lot of the same appeal as “Crush” for me, the main difference being that I’ve known this one for a longer time. But I think the main reason I ranked this higher is that it just goes a bit harder. It is perhaps my favorite of the surprisingly high amount of songs I know that are named “Comeback Kid”. Sadly I have no dictionary entry for this. I know it’s hard but you gotta deal with it.

Previous entry:
2012Crush#47
40. Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You

Or do you not think so far ahead? Cause I’ve been thinking bout forever

Enter channel ORANGE. One of the more acclaimed albums of 2012 it’s probably not a huge surprise its scored a few entries. What those few entries are probably aren’t world shocking choices either but I do like some of the deeper cuts as well. Of course, Frank’s great vocal performance on here is what really elevates this song in particular.

Previous entry:
2017Slide (with Calvin Harris)#53
39. HAIM - Forever

But I'm trying to get your attention and I need you to know that

HAIM’s debut single and also the very first song I heard from them. It might be the most important song I discovered through my BBC Radio 1 period in reagrds to my taste moving forward, if not exactly my favorite of the songs that I consider part of that group. I just don’t think I knew anything that sounded like this at the time, which I realize now is a bit ironic but come on guys I was 12 years old.

Previous entries:
2013The Wire#13
2013Falling#28
2013If I Could Change Your Mind#45
2013Running If You Call My Name#55
2013Days Are Gone#82
38. Chairlift - Grown Up Blues

From the inside and out I know it's all about. Each of us is the same in our way

I generally listen to music through Spotify and occasionally that leads to interesting situations. "Grown Up Blues" is actually a bonus track from Chairlift's Something but Spotify doesn't list it as one, so for a while I just assumed it was actually the closing track. I actually think it fits really well as a closing track, being a really sweet sounding tune after the more intense sound of the actual last 2 tracks from the album.

Previous entries:
2012Take It Out On Me#59
2012Wrong Opinion#66
2012Frigid Spring#84
2015Ch-Ching#25
37. Dragonette - Let It Go

We don't need a cure for the weight of the world cause it's floating round in the universe

I primarily knew Dragonette[s]'s singer[/s] for their various features on dance tracks, most notably Martin Solveig's "Hello". Before making this list I was only scarcely familiar with their own material. "Let It Go" is notably their highest charting song as a lead artist in their native Canada. While this certainly isn't the most commercially successful song in this EOY, it might be the poppiest sounding one. [s]Excited for this to become the new ACI outro.[/s]
36. Now, Now - Thread

A hint of light in the dark, only enough to keep from giving up

Yes, this is the same Now, Now that did "MJ". They had much more of an indie rock sound on their first 2 albums, with this song in particular reminding me quite a bit of Metric. Much weirder however is how I initially heard of this song. At the start of this year I unknowingly charted a cover version of this song. That version (by David Bazan) is much more of a slow burn, I ended up preferring the original's more uptempo arrangement despite hearing that cover first.
35. Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

Don't listen to a word I say. (hey) The screams all sound the same

Of that brief stretch in 2012-2013 where indie pop was somewhat in vogue on the charts, "Little Talks" is one of the songs from that category that has aged really well for me. There are songs where the 'hey's' can be intrusive or annoying but this is not one of them. The creaking floor (?) sound in the bridge really adds to the atmosphere. It is quite weird to me that it wasn't until this had just about finished its chart run in The Netherlands that triple j really got behind this.
34. Frank Ocean - Lost

I know you’re out feeling everything and I’m in bed watching season one of Lost

And here we have the big crossover hit from channel ORANGE …..in New Zealand. This was of course also top 10 in the Hottest 100 which, wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written about one of those songs. The production is simple but quite bouncy and I dig that. But maybe the real reason I like this so much is because Amsterdam is mentioned in the chorus.

Previous entries:
2012Thinkin Bout You#40
2017Slide (with Calvin Harris)#53
33. alt-J - Breezeblocks

Do you know where the wild things go?

One of the weirder moments in my life was when I heard my German teacher casually sing part of this song. (the ‘please don’t go I love you so’ bit) I don’t think she ever realized anyone heard her. I initially kind of dismissed this as being a bit too off kilter for me. It wasn’t until I heard some of the singles of alt-J’s second album that I started to gain appreciation for this. Ironically I much prefer this over those singles now.

Previous entries:
20173WW#23
2017Pleader#66
32. Kimbra (feat. Mark Foster & A-Trak) - Warrior

Pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down

For a while, shoe company Converse did a yearly series where 3 artists who on paper might not seem like an obvious combination released a song together. For the 2012 iteration we have 2 people who were involved with 2 of the biggest indie pop crossover hits of circa 2012……and also A-Trak I guess. The result is pretty much just Kimbra singing over a 2011 Foster The People song but, you know what, that’s honestly enough for me.

Previous entries (Kimbra):
2014Carolina#92
2014Everlovin Ya#98
2018Lightyears#37
31. The Maccabees - Ayla

The wait is over under halcyon skies

One of my favorite things about making these lists is getting into a song by an artist that I’m aware of but haven’t massively liked a song from before. Another side effect is that songs that are new to me remind me of songs/artists that weren’t a thing until afterwards. In this case, the vocals here really make me think of BOO SEEKA. The main piano line is quite good but the major appeal here for me is the jubilant chorus.
30. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse

As weird as it is to include a song that was in the 2014 Hottest 200 in a 2012 list I’m pretty sure this is correct. It briefly cracked the Single Top 100 over here at the time and I think I might have even caught it on the radio back then. Instrumentals can sometimes struggle to keep my attention, especially longer ones, but this has so much variety that it’s very much not a concern for this song.
29. Cloud Nothings - Wasted Days

I thought. I would. be more. than this

Coincidentally after I mentioned lengthy, here we have Cloud Nothings’ near 9-minute opus. “Wasted Days” just goes so hard straight out of the gate and it never truly lets up afterwards. While similar enough thematically it is somewhat of a different beast from ther 2 more radio friendly other entries in this list. While it’s not quite my favorite Cloud Nothings song still, I really do appreciate how ambitious this is.

Previous entries:
2012Fall In#72
2012Stay Useless#81
2014I’m Not Part Of Me#6
2014Psychic Trauma#73
2017Enter Entirely#39
28. alt-J - Dissolve Me

She makes the sound the sea makes to calm me down

“Dissolve Me” is kind of a typical choice of a song that’s maybe not instant enough to be a pre-release single but has a good enough hook to be a late post-album single. I often see myself latching onto songs that fit that bill, examples from earlier in this list including “Ayla” and “A Wall”. I think this song really builds up well to its beautiful conclusion. This may well be my favorite from alt-J even if I did rank it lower than “3WW”.

Previous entries:
2012Breezeblocks#33
20173WW#23
2017Pleader#66
27. Friends - Home

You don’t deserve me now

It’s one thing to have a difficult to look up bandname but here it is combined with one of the most common song titles ever. It’s not a real EOY until you have song called “Home” in there somewhere. This song quickly endeared itself to me with its lovely melody. I’ve just played a few lengthier songs so it’s good that I have something short and relatively simple to contrast those.
26. Calvin Harris (feat. Florence Welch) - Sweet Nothing

So I put my face in something unknown

Calvin Harris and Florence Welch are an inexplicably good combination for me for whatever reason. I don't think I even knew that many (*Scribe voice* if any) Florence + The Machine songs at the time, so it wasn't out of any bias for her or anything that I got so into this at the time. While for some people 2012 was Calvin Harris at his most generic I've always really loved the production here.

Previous entry (Calvin Harris):
2017Slide#53

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25. Sigur Rós - Varúð

Kveikjum varðeld, þá að komi kvöld

Not speaking a word of Icelandic isn't gonna stop me from feeling emotional about this song. Because this certainly was quite an experience ... the second time I heard this. I think giving way too many songs a second listen this time around is part of why I was unmotivated with continuing with the process of making this list for a bit over a month, but moments like this really make it worth it for me.
24. Citizens! - Reptile

Don’t let your blood run cold

I'm kind of surprised this isn't bigger? Or at the very least, while this is a new discovery for me and my taste has shifted a lot since 2012, I think 2012 me would appreciate this song for sure. As you probably know by now I'm always here for a synth banger. Despite now knowing this song I'll probably always associate Citizens! with this tweet first: https://twitter.com/vokolknightmare/status/928813445587247104
23. Lucy Rose - Bikes

We're going round and round and up and down turning something inside out

Now for a playlist discovery that I really did not expect to be so high on. Most of the other Lucy Rose songs I've heard are mature sounding in a way that never massively clicked with me. This song is quite different, it honestly sounds really cute and I mean that in a good way. It sounds really optimistic to me even if I'm not entirely sure that is what the song is going for.
22. Porter Robinson - Language

Cause I need room to breathe, let me float back to that place you found me

I'm kind of amazed this got even a tiny bit of commercial radio airplay over here, although the station I listened to at the time is a bit more dance-focused than the other big commercial radio stations. Like the other Porter Robinson song that I really love, "Divinity", I would probably still enjoy it without the vocal part (by an uncredited Heather Bright aka Bright Lights) but I definitely appreciate that it's there.

Previous entry:
2014Divinity#29
21. HAERTS - Wings

I'll melt away into your afterglow

The debut single of the German but based in the US duo HAERTS. I don't think they ever really topped this one, both for me and in terms of success that actually matters. I guess that makes them the less successful synth-pop act with an all caps misspelled name that broke through in 2012. This and a few of their other songs have appeared in quite a few soundtracks which might explain why I feel like I've known this song for a longer time than I actually have.
20. TEEN - Electric

Everyone's disposable. Picture perfect, paint a perfect picture

It feels weird to say this, but you can thank Touch Sensitive for this entry. This was one of the songs he picked when he did the Take 5 segment on triple j around 2017. This certainly stood out compared to his other picks, being more contemporary and the other stuff being a bit Italo Disco-esque. The appeal for me here is that this sounds like an extremely ramped up version of a Warpaint song. I was so obsessed with this song for a bit, the fact that it only ended up at #20 really confirms how strong this list is for me.

Previous entry:
2018Only Water#75
19. Frank Ocean - Pyramids

Working at the pyramid tonight

I have played a few fairly long songs today and now it’s time for the king of them all. “Pyramids” is essentially two different songs rolled into one but thankfully both of those parts are very appealing. The fact that this wasn’t ridiculously far off from making the Hottest 100 despite its length/triple j barely playing it is quite impressive. What is also quite impressive is that John Mayer has been quietly snuck into one of my lists.

Previous entries:
2012Lost#34
2012Thinkin Bout You#40
2017Slide (with Calvin Harris)#53
18. Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny - Atlas

Ride swift through the houses like blood rides through me

The extremely mouthful artist credit certainly helped put this more in my attention when I was listening to my playlist, but considering I ended up ranking this in the top 20 that likely would have happened regardless. I’m very into the fast paced rollicking nature of the verses. Plus there’s a cute bunny in the music video.
17. The Bloody Beetroots (feat. Greta Svabo Bech) - Chronicles Of A Fallen Love

I’m in the dark, I’m underwater

Because “Language” can’t fill the quota of emotional bangers all on it’s own, here’s a song that I’ve actually known for almost just as long but didn’t really get into until earlier this year. Ironically considering what I said about “Language” I think the vocals add quite a lot here but the production hits very hard as well. This feels like quite an outlier for the usually more filthy banger central The Bloody Beetroots. Also, shout out to Greta Svabo Bech for giving the Faroe Islands some representation here.
16. Sub Focus (feat. Alpines) - Tidal Wave

I’m tired of seeing all the signs. I want to feel us collide

But I’m not totally done with emotional bangers just yet. While “Villages” might have flopped I’ve still managed to get some AlpineS high up. A huge sentimental favorite from the time I listened to BBC Radio 1 on occasion, it was the very first song I saved to my library when I made my first Spotify account. That it was the first song that I thought of at the time (August 2015-ish) foreshadowed the longevity it has had for me.
15. Susanne Sundfør - White Foxes

All the pretty tulips would disappear and never disturb me again

This is technically the highest placed song that I first heard through my 2012 playlist but I have to place an asterisk there due to some stuff up above coming up on this ladder of songs. I would consider “Accelerate” a pretty intense song but I think this song goes about it in an even bigger way. That piano intro is pretty dark but then it leads into those very gorgeous synths and I’m just up there.

Previous entries:
2014Fade Away#31
2015Accelerate#29
14. CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share

The way is long, but you can make it easy on me

I’ve made a few allusions today here and there and we’ve finally arrived at this point: the debut single of CHVURCHES. I actually don’t remember if I knew this from my BBC Radio 1 era but I’ve definitely known if for a while. I think it only recently hit me that “The Mother We Share” is kind of an odd title for a song. Especially because its evidently not meant in a very literal way.

Previous entries:
2013Gun#3
2013Night Sky#8
2013We Sink#54
2013Lies#62
2013Recover#68
2013You Caught The Light#75
2013Tether#76
2014Dead Air#100
2015Clearest Blue#47
2015Leave A Trace#65
2015Keep You On My Side#100
13. Eva On The Western Castle Island - California Shrills

Hey, we're the painters of today. The new artists of the brave

This has to be the most obscure song on this list by quite a margin. What I know is that Eva On The Western Castle Island are a band from Finland although the singer is originally from Malaysia. Well, I say 'are' but they have not released anything besides the 4 track EP that features this song. [s]Maybe the popularity boost from being on this list will make them reconsider.[/s] I believe I discovered this from the 'Recommended Songs' section from one of my 2013 playlists because, yes, I go that deep sometimes.
12. Melody’s Echo Chamber - Some Time Alone, Alone

Empty home, it’s not the same at all

This song was the reason I decided to listen to the Melody’s Echo Chamber album so it should not be a surprise that it’s her highest entry here. I think a big reason of why this song clicked with me so quickly at the time is that the main recurring melody (ahem) really reminds of a song from the video game Chrono Trigger named Corridors Of Time. I have never played Chrono Trigger. I don’t know any other songs from Chrono Trigger. I have no idea how I know that song. Stop asking me questions, man.

Previous entries:
2012Crystallized#58
2012You Won’t Be Missing That Part Of Me#77
2012I Follow You#87
2014Shirim#10
2017Cross My Heart#18
11. Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny - Nightswimmer

You’re only my only love and I can’t keep my head up above

This is the song on this list that is by far the newest to me as I only heard it for the first time less than 2 weeks ago. That means I either ranked this way too high or it has been robbed of its well deserved top 10 spot. I really liked the BJH & THID (I’m sure this acronym will catch on) songs that I heard from my playlist so I gave the album they were from a full listen. I’ve only given the album 1 full run but it has the potential to become a favorite of mine. “Nightswimmer” was originally a 2009 solo demo with the instrumentation being more natural in the 2012 album version.

Previous entry:
2012Atlas#18
10. Grimes - Genesis

My heart Penelope, Penelope will never know

I don’t think Grimes has said anything stupid recently? Anyways, I decided to include “Oblivion” in 2011 instead of this year in case you were wondering if that was still coming up. A side effect of that maybe slightly arbitrary decision is that I got to appreciate “Genesis” on its own merit a bit more after kind of putting it in the shadow of “Oblivion” for a long time. It really feels like a unique beast melodically with the vocals basically serving as another instrument.

Previous entries:
2012Skin#89
2015Flesh Without Blood#2
2015Kill V. Maim#14
2015Belly Of The Beat#49
2015Realiti#97
9. HAIM - Don’t Save Me

Cause I can’t go on if your love isn’t strong

2012 has probably my favorite Hottest 100 #100 of this decade with “Cough Cough” so of course the #101 is a song that I love even more. Whenever it was in 2013 or 2014 that I had heard all 5 of the main HAIM singles (I actually don’t remember if I heard this one on BBC Radio 1 initially, I imagine they did play it) , I definitely considered this one my favorite. While I, ahem, changed my mind a few times throughout the years it has eventually remained that way. Everything I like about HAIM is at its best here I think.

Previous entries:
2012Forever#39
2013The Wire#13
2013Falling#28
2013If I Could Change Your Mind#45
2013Running If You Call My Name#55
2013Days Are Gone#82
8. Chairlift - Ghost Tonight

Tell me can you see, see the walls through me?

If I remember correctly I don't think this was much of a favorite for me on Something initially but sometime last year it managed to get up there for me. One of the shorter songs on the album being barely over 3 minutes but it really hits on all levels in that time with those great hooks. I don't really use the term "pop perfection" very often but here I am, using that term to describe this song.

Previous entries:
2012Grown Up Blues#38
2012Take It Out On Me#59
2012Wrong Opinion#66
2012Frigid Spring#84
2015Ch-Ching#25
7. Walk The Moon - Anna Sun

What do you know? This house is falling apart

I generally consider Walk The Moon as one of the better 2010’s commercial indie pop bands or ‘Blank The Blank’-bands if you will. While I do quite like “Shut Up And Dance”, I think a large amount of that personal goodwill comes from this song. Honestly quite impressed how well this has aged for me. It is just really happy and optimistic in a way that feels really genuine. It’s kind of my 2012 equivalent of St. Lucia’s “Elevate” with its similar length and upbeatness.
6. Hop Along - Tibetan Pop Stars

Stranger in India, I'm gonna be creeping on you so hard

#2 through #6 could all have realistically been #2 on this list. Thankfully, Hop Along avoid the awkward spot of being #2 on one of my lists for a second time. This definetely was not as instant for me as “How Simple”, but I did get a similar special feeling the first time I listened to it. While certainly not for everyone, Frances Quinlan’s vocals tend to be the main appeal of Hop Along for me. This song might be my favorite performance of hers.

Previous entries:
2012Young And Happy!#44
2018How Simple#2
2018Not Abel#27
2018The Fox In Motion#33
2018What The Writer Meant#43
2018Prior Things#61
5. Flight Facilities (feat. Christine Hoberg) - Clair De Lune

Don’t go, tell me that the lights won’t change

Despite having mentioned triple j/the Hottest 100 roughly a million times today, this is actually the first Australian entry in literally 40 songs. Oops. “Clair De Lune” is just an experience, whenever I listen to it I just dream away to a completely different realm. Or moreso than I do normally to begin with at least. Flight Facilities aren’t always for me but they really nailed it here. I hope Christine Hoberg is doing alright.

Previous entry (Flight Facilities):
2014Heart Attack#55
4. Bored Nothing - Only Old

You sat in the passenger seat hunched in the cold

It’s pretty much impossible to write about this without mentioning that Fergus Miller aka Bored Nothing took his own life in October 2016. I didn’t know any of his songs at the time. It was about a month later when triple j did their ‘Top 100 Best Discoveries From Unearthed’ countdown that I heard this for the first time and was just instantly grabbed by it. It’s just a very raw and visceral track to me.

Previous entry:
2012Let Down#97
3. The Joy Formidable - This Ladder Is Ours

Let's take this walk, it's long overdue

The aforementioned asterisk comes in here as “This Ladder Is Ours” is a song I initially first heard through my 2013 playlist. The Joy Formidable are a Welsh rockband who are perhaps most notable for being sampled by The Lonely Island that one time. This song starts off with a great string section which makes this a hugely on brand entry for me. This really feels like an epic conclusion of some sorts which perhaps would have made this a fitting #1 but alas it wasn’t to be.
2. Beach House - Lazuli

Like no other you can’t be replaced

It is hard to top Beach House at their most ‘oh so dreamy, I just never want this to end’ for me but one song has managed to pull it off. Surprisingly this actually wasn’t an instant one for me. I think I heard this on triple j breakfast one time only a few weeks after I started listening but I don’t think I was paying much attention or even was that aware of Beach House. It wasn’t until hearing it again on the radio and already having latched onto “Sparks” that I got into it. There might be some songs that sound a bit like this, but the original is of course like no other.

Previous entries:
2012Myth#86
2015Sparks#9
2015Levitation#52
2015Majorette#99
2018Drunk In LA#65
1. Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms

Cause the world goes on without us, doesn't matter what we do

I first heard this at the end of 2016. I believe this was shortly after Chairlift announced their break-up. I noticed triple j had played this song and I realized it was not one of the ones I was familiar with despite it seemingly being the most popular song from this album (at least based on Spotify plays). After listening to it I pretty much immediately loved it and not long after I listened to Something and, well, I'd currently consider that my favorite album of the 2010's (of course I haven't listened to a lot of 2010/2011 albums yet). It certainly is impressive that Chairlift comfortably scored the most entries here (with 6) despite 3 of the singles being from 2011. Regarding the song itself, I heavily associate it with the period in early 2017 where I was really stressed by school. Considering I don't look back at that time fondly it certainly is something (badum tss) that I still love this so much.

Previous entries:
2012Ghost Tonight#8
2012Grown Up Blues#38
2012Take It Out On Me#59
2012Wrong Opinion#66
2012Frigid Spring#84
2015Ch-Ching#25
Sorry I missed this! Sunday Drive is still a very listen, I love Gun-Shy ofc, Runaways came up in my brother's car today, HFCS, Myth and m.A.A.d city are too low!! Stay Useless was the first Cloud Nothings song I ever heard and it still holds up, Angels is cool, Cherry is cool especially given that I knew about Chromatics independent of ScHoolboy Q, Why Won't They Talk To Me? is an album track that I come back to frequently, Evie was the first Cub Sport song I heard and it's still probably my favourite! The Art Of Peer Pressure <3 Promises is good but below average for their standards. Cough Cough is amazing, Crystalised holds up to this day. ofc the iconic Alpine song made it in, Fineshrine and Yet Again back to back OMG.

Get Free, Granite City, F**kin' Problems! Comeback Kid! omg an old Now, Now song Little Talks is solid hey, great to see Breezeblocks do well, Warrior is fun and interesting you crediting it that way Dissolve Me YES!! Varúð slays, Reptile slays even more than that tweet <3 The Mother We Share is still incredible, Clair de lune doing great is fantastic. Lazuli making #2 makes up for Myth not doing great and Wild missing out! and I Belong In Your Arms had an ok chart run for me at the time and I still quite like it so wd Chairlift!
Because the original version(s) were rather rushed (and I also never did a broadcast of this year) I decided that I needed to redo my 2016 list before I do my end of decade list. The broadcast will be on Sunday the 3rd of May. I'm not sure about the exact starting time but probably no earlier than 7 PM AEST. https://myradiostream.com/station/flashplayer.php?s=s40&p=17068 It is possible that you can only listen through Windows Player or VLC but maybe the issue will have worked itself out by Sunday. I'm not sure if mobile will work.
100. All Saints - One Strike

I’ll make my emotions clear and then disappear

This feels like an appropriate song to start with, considering the tweet on my old account where I mentioned listening to all of the ACI #1’s and said that this was a good song got a lot of likes. This made me realize that the 2 All Saints songs I knew from the radio had held up quite well for me. Additionally I really like Black Coffee now but it’s quite a while before I get to properly assess any of those so I’ll stop now.

99. Bat For Lashes - Sunday Love

Got that sunshine on my Sunday love

I think I was aware of this song in 2016 but I didn’t really listen to it again until I started to get into Daniel. On one hand this feels like the token radio single from the album this is from which is probably why it’s the one that I got the most into. It does however tie into the concept of the album rather directly. The album being about a woman whose partner is killed in a car crash on the way to their wedding. Feeling stressed rather than blessed it seems.

Other entries:
2012A Wall#43
2012Marilyn#52

98. Teeth & Tongue - When We Met

Give me conversations, I don’t care what they’re about

The first of the two Australian Double J feature albums from this year that I randomly got into to appear today. It seems odd that this was seemingly not a single in any way or form. It’s not like the album is lacking in terms of accessible songs but this still seems like one of the most upbeat tunes in comparison to the rest. Perhaps it was too similar to the lead single that I will conveniently not mention by name right now.

97. Paul Dempsey - Idiot Oracle

I got a suitcase full of happily-ever-after’s

A slight missed opportunity to not have Paul Dempsey next to Bat For Lashes since he did do a Like A Version of Daniel way back when. I would say that one of the issues with my original 2016 list is that it’s slightly too confined to the triple j/Double J bubble but a fair amount of songs that I heard a lot that year that didn’t make my list have aged really well for me. This brand of semi-acoustic stuff doesn’t always land with me but Paul Dempsey tends to be good at this.

96. Methyl Ethel - No. 28

A symphony in a very beautiful car accident

It has not quite managed to live up to the lofty ambitions of its title but at least they made it in this time around! (too soon?) The lead single from Everything Is Forgotten did not entirely indicate what would be coming next but it has aged quite well for me. As someone born on September 28th I appreciate the choice of number. Methyl Ethel have now appeared in all of my top 100’s between 2014 and 2018 which is currently the streak to beat.

Other entries:
2014Rogues#59
2015Twilight Driving#12
2015Idée Fixe#34
2017Drink Wine#3
2017Ubu#25
2017Weeds Through The Rind#49
2017Femme Maison/One Man House#63
2018Real Tight#28
2018Scream Whole#69

95. IV League - Bleached

I really wanna dance, I really wanna dance

I first heard this on an Unearthed segment on the triple j breakfast show, seemingly shortly after it came out. For whatever reason I didn’t listen to it again until several months after that but it was more than worth it. This is perhaps a hot take but musically it could almost pass as a softer Violent Soho song to me.

Other entry:
2015Lit Screen#50

94. FRENSHIP & Emily Warren - Capsize

I’m swimming up against the tide, oh my god

I don’t even know. I’m not exactly a tropical house stan but I really enjoy this for whatever reason. I didn’t listen to it in 2016 mostly because it didn’t chart particularly high in The Netherlands so I might not have even been aware of its existence. The first time I ended up hearing this was for the ARIA 2016 year-end QLVG where it immediately clicked for me.

93. Middle Kids - Your Love

You’re a little bit faded and I am in a similar state here

Hey, it’s another artist that Paul Dempsey has covered. For a while this was a contender for my favorite Middle Kids song and I thought it would move up a fair amount from its original placement. This is not quite what happened but that’s not to discredit this tune. A very cute song that was a more than worthy follow up to Edge Of Town for me.

Other entries:
2017Old River#29
2017Never Start#56

92. Against Me! - 333

Feeling like I need to fall down some stairs

The journey to include the username of every member of this site in one of these lists continues. There is not much of a connection to Tasmania here otherwise however. Another song that grew on me because I heard it on triple j a lot. I haven’t really heard much older Against Me! stuff but maybe I should at some point.

91. Mitski - Happy

If you’re going, take the train

This was actually the first Mitski song I ever heard but it didn’t really click with me at the time. It perhaps makes sense that when I eventually listened to Puberty 2 that the song that I was already familiar with was the one I latched onto first. Maybe this song title should have had a question mark in it to separate it from the Pharrell song but a Dutch band already did that in 2003. (I am making a lot of sense right now)

Other entries:
2014First Love / Late Spring#79
2018Geyser#6
2018Nobody#32
2018Washing Machine Heart#62
90. ALTA - Plans

I just roll back, I’ll be fine taking what’s left behind

Because there is apparently only room for one Melbourne electronic duo whose name consists of four letters in my mind, I frequently confuse ALTA and Kllo with each other. I’ve admittedly kind of fallen off ALTA in comparison since they didn’t release their debut album until late 2019, which was probably the period I listened to the least music overall. This song and its quirky minimalism has always stuck with me however.

89. Dua Lipa - Last Dance

You’re the only thing I know and I don’t wanna let this go

If I remember correctly this song wasn’t available on Spotify in Australia until Dua’s debut came out so perhaps I’m making a slight illegal move with this one. I think by the time I heard Be The One this had also already come out and I was also rather instantly into it. I’d say it’s probably still my second favorite song of hers even if her output has continued to be solid. It’s quite a moment when she inadvertently invents Sometimes by Cub Sport in the verses.

Other entry:
2015Be The One#35

88. Bon Iver - 22 (OVER S∞∞N)

And I’m gonna shout all my trouble over

I feel like my most important contribution to this website is helping to push this song to #69 in the 2016 combined list. It has dropped a fair bit from its original placement but it’s still a beauty. A somewhat bold lead single choice, considering the closest thing to a hook is the brief pitched up ‘it might be over soon’. Whatever the intentions were, they certainly feel good here.

87. The Avalanches - Saturday Night Inside Out

Just drumming up a little weirdness

There’s a bit of a connection to the most recent Avalanches single here. The voice that is heard on this song is David Berman, frontman of Silver Jews who also made music under the name Purple Mountains. He passed away in 2019. On Running Red Lights Pink Siifu’s spoken word bit largely is a direct quote from the Purple Mountains song Darkness and Cold. Going back to this song, apparently Father John Misty was involved with it on some level but it does not appear to be known in what form.

Other entry:
2013Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix)#67

86. Priests - Jj

I wrote a bunch of songs for you. But you never knew and you never deserved them

Double J has played this song three times. Actually, apparently a lot of people have only heard this because they randomly decided to type ‘jj’ into Google. (and I though *I* was weird) An early 2017 hit on my chart that I was disappointed to learn was from 2016. The somewhat manic surf rock energy this song has, felt somewhat unprecedented in comparison to stuff I like prior to it or even afterwards really.

Other entries:
2017Nothing Feels Natural#67

(two artists with a previous #67 entry in a row is a weird specific coincidence)

85. Crying - Premonitory Dream

Somehow I fought back against uncertainty, the harsh bite of jealousy

Another song where the main influences are clearly from well before 2016 but from a very different place. I really like Beyond The Fleeting Gales by Crying, even if this list might undersell that a bit. I dare say my least favorite part of it is the cover which looks very cheap and has an awful font. (but maybe that’s just part of the aesthetic) A strong opening track that’s a pretty clear indication of what to expect from the rest of the album.

84. Oh Pep! - Trouble Now

I wanna be wherever you will be but I can’t right now

About a month or two before Teeth & Tongue this was the other Double J feature album I randomly really got into in 2016. Somewhat ironically the only song from this to actually make the revised list is one that really was not on my radar much at the time. The harmonies are a real vibe on this one and the ending bit is quite cool.

Other entry:
2015The Race#23

83. The Beths - Idea / Intent

Sometimes the silence is fun, sometimes the words taste sweeter on the tip of my tongue

The Beths released their debut EP in 2016. A lot of their strengths are already present here but it’s clearly a lot less polished which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the triple j listener in me is once again jumping out as I gravitate to the song that has the swear in it. If the intent is good then I have to assume that the idea is also good.

Other entries:
2018Little Death#1
2018Not Running#9
2018Happy Unhappy#85
2018You Wouldn’t Like Me#90

82. Elizabeth Rose (feat. Remi) - Playing With Fire

You play me like you would your Gameboy

Actually, speaking of songs with swearing in the chorus. Several years before she started making music under the name BRUX and transformed her body into fruit (or something like that) Elizabeth Rose made this semi early 2000’s R&B throwback that’s kind of a jam. I appreciate this song’s dedication to internal logic with Remi starting off his verse with saying that he just happens to be in a similar situation. (I FEEL YOU MISS ROSE) In general, Remi’s verse is kind of gloriously silly.

81. Camp Cope - Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams

They say you’re asking for it when you’re walking home alone at night

This was the first Camp Cope song that I ever heard. I think it was during the Richard Kingsmill new music show. It very much stood out to me and I think I knew on some level that I enjoyed it I also think I wasn’t entirely ready for this (having only listened to triple j for about a month at this point & not really going out of my way to seek out new music yet). After getting into several of their other songs I got back into this. I have to note that the date I added this to my Spotify library was the day I posted my original 2016 EOY revision where this was #100 which sums up my massively rushed method pretty well.

Other entries:
2017The Opener#91
2018UFO Lighter#34
2018How To Socialise & Make Friends#48
80. Ball Park Music - Blushing

It’s nothing more than an exhilarating scene with no one there to watch it

Every Night The Same Dream is of course the only Ball Park Music album to have no Hottest 100 entries and, perhaps even more damningly, no Wikipedia page. Another thing to note is that I’ve seen multiple sources say that GOOD MOOD was the first time the band’s guitarist Dean Hanson had any writing credits (which is something I mentioned in my 2018 Hottest 100 commentary) but he actually wrote this song before that. I am a big fan of this album even though I understand its relative underperformance, considering the lack of a really traditional upbeat single that they tend to have. This is just a really wonderful slow burner. It might have actually been the thing that got me to listen to the album in full because I heard it during the week triple j featured the album.

Other entries:
2014She Only Loves Me When I’m There#14
2014Error Playin'#25
2018The End Times#14

79. Violent Soho - Blanket

Throw me in the river, somebody cut me loose

This is track 2 on Violent Soho's rather good 4th album "WACO". Continuing on from the big success of their previous album "Hungry Ghost", "WACO" debuted at #1 in Australia and proved very popular with triple j listeners voting it their #1 album of 2016, even beating Flume's hotly tipped "Skin".

Other entry:
2013Covered In Chrome#71

78. Dorsal Fins - Sedated

Can’t change it if you’re not a fan of my song

I remember being really obsessed with this at the time and considering it was really high in the original version of this list I’m surprised I didn’t vote this in the Hottest 100 at the time. But as it turns out all of the songs I did vote for were above it at the time and in fact that is still the case here. I think this might have been the first time I was really disappointed by an album as there just wasn’t anything as memorable as this on it otherwise.

77. Jessy Lanza - Oh No

I need fire, baby, I need light

The title track of Jessy Lanza’s 2016 album and the unofficial theme song of webcomicname. I did not single this track out by myself originally. It was when Double J playlisted this song towards the end of 2016 that I gave it another listen and really started to get into it. This is also why it was present in my very first chart. This was #69 in the original list so you could say this has held up nicely.

76. Sleigh Bells - It’s Just Us Now

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line, now I'm really, really racing

2016 Sleigh Bells is perhaps not peak Sleigh Bells but they had some serious bangers still. Then again I did go out of my way to tweet that I liked this album at one point. This features perhaps the second best ad lib of this countdown with ‘in decency (indecency)’. I have a tendency of not having much to say about Sleigh Bells and that continues here.

Other entries:
2012Comeback Kid#41
2012Crush#47

75. Olympia - Somewhere To Disappear

Sometimes, the worst news takes years to come home

This wasn’t even one of the Olympia songs present in the previous version of this list. (it might have been in the seemingly lost December 31, 2016 version) Being a song I heard a lot on triple j at the time has once again proven to be great for personal longevity however. Musically it’s basically a more exciting version of Wonderwall. (this might be a diss but it might also not be) I like that lyrically it’s fairly variable with there really only being one part that’s repeated at any point.

Other entries:
2015This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things#3
2015Tourists#5
2015Honey#30
2019Come Back#25

74. James Blake (feat. Bon Iver) - I Need A Forest Fire

I’m saved by nature but it always forgets what I need

A knife bought to destroy. A knife avocado. Maybe the most indieheads-core collaboration of all time or at the very least a contender for it. This type of thing could easily end up as a disappointment but I was into it rather instantly at the time and that hasn’t really changed. I think it combines their styles fairly well. It was great to have this sneak into the Hottest 200 at the time even if it might have been just from their combined fanbases.

Other entry (James Blake):
2013Retrograde#23

Other entry (Bon Iver):
201622 (OVER S∞∞N)#88

73. Sampha - Timmy’s Prayer

There’s no room for me to play now, nowhere to dig my way out

I really enjoyed Sampha’s 2017 debut album Process. I didn’t really give it much credit in my list of that year however since my two favorite songs from it were both 2016 singles. (the other one being Blood On Me) The production is largely built from a sample of the 1972 Timmy Thomas song The Coldest Days Of My Life. (another Timmy Thomas track Why Can’t We Live Together was also sampled in some song called Hotline Bling) I seemingly can’t separate this from I Need A Forest Fire as they were next to each other in the previous version as well. Perhaps it’s the power of ‘ooh!’.

72. AlunaGeorge - I Remember

I wanna feel like it’s the first night, I wanna meet you for the first time

2016 was probably Flume’s biggest year overall and I do in fact enjoy most of his output from this period. But in spite of this, the closest thing he has to an appearance on this list is the fact that he produced this AlunaGeorge song. Weirdly enough I think not listening to this song all that often the past few years has helped me appreciate it more. Because of the ‘grains of sand’ mention in the first verse I always thought ‘I remember your sand’ was a thing said in the chorus but it’s actually ‘scent’.

Other entries:
2013White Noise (with Disclosure)#80
2013Attracting Flies#85

71. Hannah Georgas - Don’t Go

I know it's because you want me to be alright

This is another song I really liked at the time but then didn’t think about for ages afterwards. I think I might have ended up hearing this because it was a spot add on triple j but perhaps unsurprisingly this was played far more on Double J. I do have to note that she is Canadian because I am not sure if that is obvious at all. It’s a lovely song but not exactly a banger. I don’t see Riton & Oliver Heldens sampling this anytime soon.
70. The Beths - Lying In The Sun

I’m never coming up for air again

I just had this song randomly in a playlist somewhere to remember to relisten to it at some point. Conveniently I remembered before starting to lock down this list. Idea / Intent was a bit more instant but this ended up overtaking it. This is probably the worst time to be going to the beach but perhaps this can capture the feeling somewhat. Sadly you won’t be hearing my favorite part of this song today: the huge ‘AGAAAAAAIN’ bridge from about two and a half minutes it.

Other entries:
2016Idea / Intent#83
2018Little Death#1
2018Not Running#9
2018Happy Unhappy#85
2018You Wouldn’t Like Me#90

69. Airling - Move Me

Slow crush, it grows as we move closer

Perhaps the most fitting #69 I’ve ever had. (because Airling was featured on a Hottest 100 #69 once and no other reason obviously) This was the first Airling song I ever heard. I do wonder if I would have liked this more or less if I had heard it after Wasted Pilots. Actually I think I first heard that right before making the original version of this list so that might have indirectly helped to give me a positive association to this. This song feels very subtle even though I’m not that convinced it actually is all that subtle.

Other entries:
2014Wasted Pilots#5
2017Give Me All You Got#99

68. D.D Dumbo - Walrus

The birds, the sun, the bugs that adore you

I remember being very excited for this to come out after I really got into Satan and I wasn’t disappointed. It is probably the most radio friendly song he has put out to date which certainly explains why it’s by far his most streamed song on Spotify. It has a rather low amount of lyrics but the ones that are there are certainly colorful.

Other entry:
2013Tropical Oceans#92

67. Sløtface - Sponge State

All my friends are making names for themselves

Take Me Dancing made the previous version of this list but it’s the very first song of theirs I heard that has aged the best out of their 2016 stuff for me. The one that started it all in terms of their triple j relevance. This would be from the period where the hosts would still pronounce their name as ‘Slootface’ which I famously made a tweet about that their account actually replied to. Also, Bon Iver really is everywhere in this list.

Other entries:
2017Galaxies#37
2017Slumber#45

66. Childish Gambino - Me And Your Mama

Let me into your heart

Because of the way this is set up you’ll only be hearing the intro of this today but then I kind of assume everyone here has heard this song already anyways. The lead single of
“Awaken, My Love!” and an obvious indication that it was going to be quite a shift in sound for him. Unlike a certain other song this was a rather instant hit for me. I love that this basically made the Hottest 100 just because of the specific timing of this compared to the rest of the album.

Other entries:
20133005#58
2014Sweatpants#39

65. Yellow Fang - Morning

ตื่นมาที่เดิม ไม่หายไป

I feel like most stuff I get into through Double J is probably to be expected but this tune from an indie rock band from Thailand that is sung entirely in Thai is perhaps a bit of an outlier. I’m actually kind of curious how this ended up on their playlist as it doesn’t seem to have gotten much attention internationally otherwise. This is probably the only time I’ve heard the Thai language as it honestly sounds like it could be German if I didn’t know any better. This is the first song that was in the original list that has placed higher than it did previously. *

* Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams was #100 in the pre-combined revision (that is the only version I still actually have) but I know for a fact that it wasn’t in the original version.

64. The Avalanches - Frankie Sinatra

You have the perfect voice to sing calypso

Sometime in April 2016 shortly after I started listening to triple j they announced the Splendour In The Grass line up for that year. The Avalanches were one of the acts on there and it was noted to be a big deal as it implied that they were possibly releasing their first album since their 2000 debut. I had no idea who The Avalanches were at this point. By the time this song came out I had listened to Since I Left You in full. My initial opinion of this song was that it was pretty annoying. But then I guess after a while Stockholm syndrome started to set in and I was really having fun with it. Even if I never came around to this I would have to appreciate that it gave Danny Brown & MF DOOM a Hottest 100 entry. Additionally, I believe this is the only song that wouldn’t have made the 2016 combined if my list wasn’t counted.

Other entries:
2013Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix)#67
2016Saturday Night Inside Out#87

63. Beyoncé (feat. Jack White) - Don’t Hurt Yourself

I’m just too much for you

It was quite A Thing when cuts from Beyoncé’s Lemonade started to get played on triple j. I was always fine with it because I heard this possibly the first time triple j played it and immediately got into it. Because it wasn’t on Spotify at the time and was too lazy to illegally obtain it triple j was pretty much the only way I heard songs from Lemonade for a while. It’s sort of a wild move that I voted this in the Hottest 100 just from that. Since I am now able to stream it I can officially confirm that this is a good song.

62. Sarah Belkner - Time

Tried to kick the habit but the habit has already won

There is room for more than one Australian Sarah B____ artist in my life as it turns out. This is yet another Double J discovery obviously. I believe Sarah Belkner performs backing vocals in the Olympia Like A Version from 2016, which is perhaps one of the most niche bits of information that I have. Speaking of backing vocals, the male voice heard on this song is Brendan Maclean. I know nothing about him aside from the fact that Zacco has scrobbled him a lot.

61. Austra - Utopia

My work is valid, I can’t prove it but I know

2016 was the year I started to get into Austra somewhat. At the very least the main singles from the first two albums. I vaguely remember not being too into this initially, the cold synth sound perhaps being a bit of a departure, but I had clearly come around by the end of 2016. This certainly is unrelated to Utopia, the Dutch reality tv show that my mom watched.

Other entries:
2013We Become#7
2013Home#11
60. Teeth & Tongue - Dianne

It’s like somebody’s fingers in your skull

Considering I always like a good synth, it is kind of ironic that my two favorite songs from Give Up On Your Health are maybe the two most guitar led ones from it. (this might sound like I’m directly contradicting my previous blurb but I mean like happy, upbeat synths) (oh and this song does have synths as well obviously) The previous version of this list did have Turn, Turn, Turn well above this. While I still like that a lot (it nearly made the cut here in fact) it seems crazy to me that anything other than Dianne was my favorite from the album at one point. It’s such a fun burst of energy.

Other entry:
2016When We Met#98

59. Kanye West - Ultralight Beam

This is a God dream, this is everything

I think the first time I listened to this I was somewhat impressed but also wasn’t really sure what to do with it. By the end of 2016 I ended up voting for it in the Hottest 100, I am honestly not sure how it ended up clicking with me so strongly. I guess I was just impressed by the fact that Kanye made this song entirely by himself, with not a single other person being involved with it in any way. His impression of a 4 year old girl is particularly on point.

Other entries:
2013Black Skinhead#48
2013I Am A God (feat. God)#74

58. The 1975 - This Must Be My Dream

I personify that lack of freedom in your life

I remember The 1975’s 2016 album being nearly as exhausting to listen to as the full length of its title but of course there were several strong highlights on it. It is honestly crazy to me that this was never a single at any point as it seems more accessible than several songs on the album that were. There is a saxophone solo in this song but that certainly isn’t the main thing I remember about this. If you know you know.

57. Vallis Alps - Fading

Glory doesn’t come for those who wait

Because of my weird indifference-that-turned-into-annoyance towards Young it took me a little while to fully appreciate this. This did make my first chart but it didn’t end up reaching the top 10 until the middle of February. I remember being in chat for the 2016 Hottest 100 and being viciously attacked (note: this is hyperbole) for mentioning my opinions on Young when this song played and it made me slightly less happy about it sneaking in. I’m not sure if this song is paradise but it’s at least somewhat close.

Other entry:
2017So Settled#58

56. Sleigh Bells - I Can Only Stare

Watching you from the chair dragging a brush through your hair

This is perhaps the most pop that Sleigh Bells have ever gotten. Rill Rill is admittedly in contention for that as well but I would probably say it’s this. I quite like that this song manages to be quite intense in its own way regardless. It has been mentioned that this song was somewhat inspired by The Smiths, which I definitely do not hear at all. ‘Eye cannoli stare’ is my favorite Drawful prompt.

Other entries:
2012Comeback Kid#41
2012Crush#47
2016It’s Just Us Now#76

55. Chance The Rapper (feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz) - No Problem

You don’t want zero problems, big fella

Finally, Chance The Rapper makes one of my lists. He has not made any of my lists before, especially not the one that you are currently listening to. It is just such a fun ride, I honestly forget that it’s longer than 5 minutes most of the time. We were very robbed of Lil Wayne making a Hottest 100. I’m still not sure about 2 Chainz’s ‘run s**t like diarrhea’ moment but as the only person on this song with a previous entries table he clearly knows what he’s doing.

Other entries (2 Chainz):
2012F**kin’ Problems (with A$AP Rocky)#42

54. Camp Cope - Keep Growing

Maybe I’m destined to stay, Maybe I’m destined to never change

With hairdressers still closed here for the foreseeable future this song has become more relevant than ever for me. It is in fact a good idea to stay inside currently. This was the first Camp Cope song to come out after their debut album. It wasn’t made for an album but for an EP that featured two of their own songs and two songs from American band Cayetana. (one of their contributions was featured in my 2017 list) ‘It’s not for you’ is perhaps a shocking message if your name is Ali Gatie.

Other entries:
2016Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams#81
2017The Opener#91
2018UFO Lighter#34
2018How To Socialise & Make Friends#48

53. Frank Ocean - Ivy

It’s alright to hate me now

I added this song to my Spotify library on December 29th, 2016. I don’t remember if I included it in the 2016 list I made just a day or two later but it was quite high in the late January version. I got into around this time after triple j started playing it a bit more. I was impressed that it came fairly close to making the Hottest 100 considering it’s late airplay push. It makes sense that this took some time to grow on me as sparse stuff like this doesn’t always do it for me. You won’t be hearing it today but that last minute is such a stunner.

Other entries:
2012Pyramids#19
2012Lost#34
2012Thinkin Bout You#40
2017Slide (with Calvin Harris)#53

52. The Avalanches - If I Was A Folkstar

How we feeling out there? How's your drive-time commute?

This was my favorite from Wildflower at the time and while it’s dropped down this list a bit that fact has been maintained. Of course The Difference wasn’t the first time Toro Y Moi got played on triple j through working with a popular Australian artist as he appears on this tune. I actually remember triple j playing this song before it was officially released which seems unusual for them. I like that the radio chatter at the start is taken from a Queens Of The Stone Age song of all things.

Other entries:
2013Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix)#67
2016Frankie Sinatra#64
2016Saturday Night Inside Out#87

51. Bon Iver - 8 (circle)

You called and I came, stayed tall through it all

I just have to appreciate that the song with 8 in the title is actually the eighth song on the album. Not everyone does that. This has only gone up slightly from its original placement but I appreciate this a lot more now than I did at the time I feel. It has a very lush instrumental that stands out even among the rest of album and it builds up wonderfully throughout.

Other entries:
2016I Need A Forest Fire (with James Blake)#74
201622 (OVER S∞∞N)#88
50. Miguel - waves (Tame Impala Remix)

Baby drop it like a Stalin

I generally don’t go out of my way to listen to remixes and that wasn’t really the case here either. For whatever reason, one of the mid-dawn hosts on triple j really liked playing this song and I got into it that way. It basically is just Miguel singing over a Tame Impala song which really isn’t a bad thing at all. When I ended up listening to the original it was surprisingly less different than I was expecting, which might explain why this combination feels fairly natural.

Other entry (Miguel):
2012Adorn#83

Other entries (Tame Impala):
2012Why Won't They Talk To Me?#75
2015Let It Happen#4
2015The Less I Know The Better#71
49. Cymbals Eat Guitars - WELL

I was lonely, I was free

A day before I finished my original 2016 list I asked a certain person from this forum if there were any 2016 albums I should hear. Because obviously I could judge if anything from this album could make my list within 24 hours and other people would definitely know my music taste based on two weeks of charts. Anyways, the album I ended up listening to was Pretty Years by Cymbals Eat Guitars and I quite enjoyed it. WELL ended up as my favorite from the album. I don’t think anyone knew this was going to be their last album at the time but at least they went out on a fairly high note.

Other entry:
2014Warning#58
48. Shura - What’s It Gonna Be?

If you let me down, let me down slow

This song made the combined list at the time but I didn’t even contribute to it back then. I don’t think that is how I ended up getting into this as I only listened to the top 25 or so of that broadcast. I certainly heard it before then actually. As usual I’m not sure what I was doing. It is my opinion that if the phrase ‘cute bop’ were to be in the dictionary that this song would be used as the main example.

Other entry:
2015White Light#73
47. D.D Dumbo - Satan

I saw a UFO, on a horse in Mexico

I remember this song getting really hyped up on triple j. Usually I get a bit annoyed when that type of stuff happens but I immediately got it for Satan. It felt fairly unique even within the context of the other stuff triple j was playing at the time. Utopia Defeated was quite a surprising J Award winner at the time but I still think it’s deserved, in fact it might be my favorite album from 2016 that I’ve heard.

Other entry:
2013Tropical Oceans#92
2016Walrus#68
46. Mitski - Your Best American Girl

Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me

The timing of when I actually decide to make my lists is of course a relevant element in how they end up. There’s always one song that I don’t expect to actually make it in but then it ends up growing on me at the very last minute and I actually end up ranking it quite high up. Your Best American Girl was that song this time around. That chorus is just really huge and made it hard for me to not have it somewhere here.

Other entries:
2014First Love / Late Spring#79
2016Happy#91
2018Geyser#6
2018Nobody#32
2018Washing Machine Heart#62
45. Glass Animals - Agnes

You’re gone but you’re on my mind

I could justify this not being in my original list because it wasn’t a single until 2017 but I actually didn’t save it in my Spotify library until 2018 so I was late regardless. The most ambitious song Glass Animals have done, with a serious emotional swell to it. Big closing track energy, of course. Dave Bayley from the band was very proud of it, saying it’s his favorite song from How To Be A Human Being.

Other entry:
2014Pools#35
44. Danny Brown (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul & Earl Sweatshirt) - Really Doe

I was a liar as a kid so now I’m honest as f**k

Just a heaps fun posse cut, of course. It appears I didn’t hear it until the end of 2016 when I listened to Danny Brown’s album which explains its absence in the original list. This is a great menacing beat and all four of them go pretty hard on it. Perhaps my only complaint is that Kendrick’s hook is repeated slightly too often but I guess that happens when you have so many verses.

Other entry (Danny Brown):
2014Attak (with Rustie)#47

Other entries (Kendrick Lamar):
2012F**kin’ Problems (with A$AP Rocky)#42
2012The Art Of Peer Pressure#71
2012m.A.A.d city#85
2014i#16
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#22
2015King Kunta#10
2015How Much A Dollar Cost#28
2015Alright#81
2015Wesley’s Theory#83
2017DNA.#15
2017HUMBLE.#16
2017LUST#51
2017XXX.#96

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43. Chairlift - Show U Off

They don’t make them like you anymore

2016 slightly predates my stanning of Something era Chairlift so I didn’t really pay attention to their album from this year at the time. I would imagine the first time I heard this was during Hijinx’s 2016 broadcast but it could have been one of the few songs I missed because I was eating breakfast. I think that’s somewhat possible because I didn’t go back to it until a few months later and this seems like a song I’d be into rather instantly.

Other entries:
2012I Belong In Your Arms#1
2012Ghost Tonight#8
2012Grown Up Blues#38
2012Take It Out On Me#59
2012Wrong Opinion#66
2012Frigid Spring#84
2015Ch-Ching#25
42. Paul Dempsey - Morningless

Don’t tell anyone you’re alive

This feels like the opposite of Idiot Oracle in the sense that it’s kind of a banger. I would say that this rocks harder than any Something For Kate song I’ve heard but I’ve really not heard (or am familiar with) all that many Something For Kate songs so get a huge grain of salt with that take. I feel like I must have forgotten about this when I made my original list since it seems like a huge omission for a song I was very familiar with at the time.

Other entry:
2016Idiot Oracle#97
41. Ball Park Music - Whipping Boy

If I become a target, will you miss me?

I don’t recommend shaking hands with everyone around here at the moment. You could argue Every Night The Same Dream doesn’t have any obvious singles but it certainly makes sense to me that this was one. Catchy with a memorable riff and it doesn’t go for overly long. Perhaps the subject matter is a bit more obtuse than usual though. Considering one of the aspects Ball Park Music usually seem to get praised for is their relatability.

Other entries:
2014She Only Loves Me When I’m There#14
2014Error Playin'#25
2016Blushing#80
2018The End Times#14
40. ScHoolboy Q - Groovy Tony

Y'all don't Hear me, I want tHe money right

One of my most played song tHe first montH tHat I started using last fm. It kind of feels like an artifact from tHis period of time but tHis Has actually ended up Higher tHan in tHe original list. (ALTA - Plans & Dorsal Fins - Sedated were two other songs I played a lot tHat montH and tHey are a lot lower tHan in tHe original) It’s just a very good menacing Hip Hop banger tHat I still get a lot of joy out of.

OtHer entry:
2013Man of THe Year#89
39. Hazel English - Make It Better

All of these thoughts I have negate each other

Okay good my keyboard is back to normal. This is obviously a song of Massive Historical Significance as it was the very first song to be a #1 on my chart. Perhaps it’s a bit generic indie rock hours but I feel like I felt that way at the time as well and I do still get a lot out of it. Those lyrics are fairly relatable after all. This also taught me to pay more attention to triple j’s spot adds as it was that a few weeks before being playlisted properly.
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38. Shura - What Happened To Us?

I was never ready, it was never meant to be

Whenever this comes up on shuffle I tend to think this is a The War On Drugs deep cut I forgot about at the start. While I must have been familiar with it at the time through triple j, I don’t think I got into it until I listened to the album. A notably more reserved moment compared to some of the dance pop leaning stuff on the rest of Nothing’s Real. That instrumental moment that starts 2 minutes and 20 seconds in is quite excellent.

Other entries:
2015White Light#73
2016What’s It Gonna Be?#48
37. Danny Brown - When It Rain

You ain’t heard it like this before

I just remember hearing this on the radio, when I had probably already heard this dozens of times, and thinking ‘wow, this is really good’. I’m not even sure I’d say it was because it ended up growing on me, it felt more like I just did not register how much I was into it up until that point. But maybe ‘grower’ is an accurate term since it ended up higher here than its already decently high original placement.

Other entries:
2014Attak (with Rustie)#47
2016Really Doe#44
36. The Big Moon - Cupid

Time to turn and run from romance, I’m backing out

I do wonder if Your Light being such a massive song for me helped this endure more for me. This is fairly mundane in comparison but it’s still really catchy and always a great way to remind me of my 2016 triple j listener experience. Worth noting that the album this was on is part of my rather small CD collection. I remember counting down the original version of this list in chat was probably the first time I realized that the name The Big Moon could be a butt reference after someone (probably savagegrant?) said something about it.

Other entries:
2019Your Light#2
2019Take A Piece#88
35. Young Thug (feat. Wyclef Jean) - Kanye West

and I’m Kanye West

The ultimate plot twist is that this is my favorite Kanye West song of 2016 now. This is the first of the two songs in this list that I first heard in 2020. I decided that I wanted to hear JEFFERY in full based on the song Wyclef Jean that unfortunately does not feature Kanye West. I just really love that brief piano that appears in the chorus and also Wyclef’s ‘Jeffery’ adlibs. It impressively does not overstay its welcome for me despite being nearly 6 minutes long.

Other entry (Young Thug):
2015I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)#91
34. Babaganouj - Sorry

You can't make up your mind, you waste all of my precious time

Babaganouj’s main legacy aside from “having made various songs that Australian-charts dot com user villages likes quite a bit” is that Hatchie was in this band before she started making her solo material. With that said, I’m pretty sure she is not the vocalist on this song. That would be Ruby McGregor, the other female member of the band. I don’t remember how I first heard this but I assume triple j had something to do with it. That main riff is pretty good.

Other entry:
2014Bluff#46
33. Holy Holy - Darwinism

I left the living and took off with the dead

I remember the triple j promo for the show that premiered the song noted that there would be a swear in it. It feels like an odd thing to bring attention to given it’s only one line in the verses. This was the song that made me really pay attention to Holy Holy beyond being one of those bands I occasionally saw on the playlist of triple j. The opening lyric is commonly thought to be ‘I fell asleep on the couch watching Rage’ but it’s actually ‘while she read’.

Other entries:
2015You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog#51
2017That Message#69
2019Maybe You Know#10
32. D.D Dumbo - The day I first found god

Back then I never thought he would come

Utopia Defeated really was the first album I remember being excited to listen to when it came out. Somehow it managed to live to the high expectations I myself set to it. 6 songs from it made my original 2016 list and while that amount has halved here it has aged quite well for me. I think this was always my favorite but I ranked Satan higher in my list because I voted for that in the Hottest 100 and didn’t want to look stupid or whatever. The day I first found god features some of his strongest hooks. I do also love the way it fades out even if you could see that as a cop out potentially.

Other entry:
2013Tropical Oceans#92
2016Satan#47
2016Walrus#68
31. Jessy Lanza - Going Somewhere

Took my time and tried to make sense of it all

I didn’t really listen to albums all that much in 2016. Partially because I didn’t have Spotify premium yet so it was a bit bothersome. Largely because of my liking of one song I did listen to Jessy Lanza’s Oh No album the day it came out. This song stood out to me rather immediately. It was possibly the first time I got into an album track without any outside influence. I like this minimalist vibe that still has a sense of progression. I dare say it goes somewhere.

Other entry:
2016Oh No#77
30. Miranda Lambert - Vice

Said I wouldn’t do it but I did it again

This is the other song that I only first heard this year and it is perhaps an even bigger outlier than Kanye West (song). I have certainly been aware of Miranda Lambert for a while but I had never actually listened to any of her music prior to this. I’ve had a few country leaning songs in my lists the past few years but none quite as high as this one. (though I have to see how a certain 2019 song that didn’t reach #1 on my chart until 2020 holds up in end of decade) This having a bit of a rock edge with that big guitar moment towards the end perhaps helped it for me.
29. Childish Gambino - Redbone

Redbone, so mellow. F**k round be cutting you

I actually wasn’t all that into this at first. It seemed a bit too slow and the vocal style felt rather off. After hearing it on the radio several times I started to get into it and then when I listened to it on Spotify again I got massively shook by the last two minutes. (which aren’t included in the triple j edit) It ended up growing on me early enough to end up high on my original 2016 list but not early enough to make my Hottest 100 vote but then it probably didn’t need me there. Actually kind of wild how well it did there considering this was prior to its unexpected slow burn meme success.

Other entries:
20133005#58
2014Sweatpants#39
2016Me And Your Mama#66
28. Sue The Night - The World Below

You had a little out there, but used to think you had a lot

I believe Sue The Night is the only Dutch artist to appear in multiple year ends of mine, which I guess is a decent achievement. This was perhaps an obvious one for me to get into as it really does sound a bit like The War On Drugs to me. (and not just the intro this time) It rather quickly surpassed the two previous singles of theirs I was familiar with. This came out well over a year before the rest of the album because they were quite proud of how it turned out and wanted to release it as soon as possible. Can’t disagree with them there.

Other entries:
2014Top Of Mind#96
2015The Whale#79
27. The 1975 - The Sound

What does it matter if I lie to you?

And there it is. Originally this was the #3 of this list, which ended up being 33.3% (or perhaps slightly less, I know how math works) of the reason it made the combined top 20. I actually managed to be there for that moment, which was cool. The placement of this was one of the bigger question marks for me when I decided to redo this list. I think my ultimate conclusion is that while it doesn’t quite have the same magic for me that it did in 2016 it’s still really good.

Other entry:
2016This Must Be My Dream#58
26. Bon Iver - 33 “GOD”

We had what we wanted: your ass

The 2016 Hottest 100 mostly worked out pretty well for me but this did just narrowly miss out of the top 100 by landing at #102. Funnily enough I was fairly certain this would not be #101 since it was mentioned that the #101 artist (which turned out to be Trophy Eyes) would be interviewed on the afternoon show the week after. The weirdest thing about this song is the brief sample of Iron Sky by Paolo Nutini, a song that briefly charted here after the Charlie Hebdo shooting in early 2015 and has been a high placer in the Top 2000 every year since. Bon Iver actually has the most entries in this list with 4, semi-appropriate since Bon Iver was my most listened artist during my first year of last fm. Also notable since I remember a lot of artists had 5+ entries in the original version of this list and now there are none.

Other entries:
20168 (circle)#51
2016I Need A Forest Fire (with James Blake)#74
201622 (OVER S∞∞N)#88
25. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

I could make it all go away

My history with this song is so weird. I listened to it and thought it was fine but it felt like something I should be really into so I gave it several more chances. I listened to the album towards the end of 2016 but I was barely paying attention to it while listening to it because I was in chat here for the first time and I was extremely nervous. I listened to it again a few weeks after finishing my list and now I really liked it. It was actually the main catalyst to rework my list the first time because I wasn’t sure it would make combined. It was clear I didn’t know how combined worked at this stage because it would have easily made it without me anyways.

Other entry:
2014Windows#95
24. Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales

It’s not too late, turn off the engine

For most of 2016 the only Car Seat Headrest songs I was familiar with were Vincent and Fill In The Blank because those were the ones that got played on triple j. When I joined this website however, it quickly became clear that it doesn’t have to be like this. I still like those songs quite a bit but I clearly preferred this. The Killer Whales hook is such a nice surprise the first time you hear it. I didn’t listen to this album before I made my original list which turned out to be a questionable decision for one particular reason.
23. Babaganouj - Star

Life’s got me on the ropes tonight, I need you in my arms tonight

This was released at the end of November 2016 but the EP it’s from came out in February 2017. Spotify had put the song Star on New Music Friday Australia but it out turned out there was a KIDS SEE GHOSTS situation and all the songs from the EP were mislabeled. I used this obviously large boost in relevance to chart this song since it had grown on me after the first time I heard it when it came out. I excluded it from my 2017 list since I decided it was too old and it was only a minor hit on my chart anyways. But now it has ended up aging better than Sorry for me causing this very high placement. Oh, and Hatchie does sing on this one I believe.

Other entries:
2014Bluff#46
2016Sorry#34
22. Jessy Lanza - VV Violence

I say it to your face but it doesn’t mean a thing

I think a big part of why I placed this so high originally was the fact that it was just rather different from anything else I listened to. I’d say that’s probably still true to an extent actually. It’s kind of a perfect middle point of the contrasting elements of chaotic and minimalistic. A playful and very fun tune. I thought Going Somewhere would finish above this for a while but it didn’t turn out that way. To this day I do not know what a VV is. Unless the artist behind Shark In The Water just changed her last name.

Other entries:
2016Going Somewhere#31
2016Oh No#77
21. Daughter - How

Moving on, just moving in slow motion

I blame triple j not playing this all that much despite this being a single from an album that they featured for it not making my original list. I don’t remember exactly how I got into it but I do remember it getting played on triple j at some point in 2017 and the host noting that it reminded them of Beach House’s music, which honestly I can kind of hear that. It was also in an episode of The Mole Belgium which is neat. I definitely knew it at that point because I remember getting excited about it.

Other entry:
2013Youth#61
20. Warpaint - The Stall

Love is a, love is a place for it

There are several options as to how I exactly ended up getting into this song. Option 1: It was a fairly instant stand out the first time I listened to the album. (this is unlikely because I listened to the album before I finished my original list and I don’t think this was on my radar then) Option 2: It came up in my shuffle playlist that featured a bunch of random albums and maybe other stuff. I’m still not entirely sure what I was trying to achieve with that. Option 3: I relistened to this after I noticed it on the BBC Radio 6 playlist. Regardless, a great tune from Warpaint. I dare say it’s so g- no, I’m not up to that yet.

Other entries:
2013Love Is To Die#15
2014Drive#80
19. Radiohead - Identikit

I don’t want to know, I don’t want to know

A Moon Shaped Pool was a Double J feature album but Radiohead were still a big enough deal in 2016 for triple j to regularly play various tracks from it shortly after it’s release. Of those album tracks Identikit quickly ended up catching my ears. The intricate instrumentation was rather instantly memorable to me. Not to discredit anything Thom does on this though. Those broken hearts really are making it rain after all.
18. Holy Holy - Elevator

No, you don’t look back

I honestly wonder if the reason True Lovers was a big Hottest 100 hit while this and Darwinism did totally nothing is that the former has an obvious title that is in the chorus but the other two very much do not. This is probably me being incredibly biased towards the other two but it’s something to consider. It’s interesting that Darwinism was higher in my original list. This came out reasonably late in 2016 so perhaps this just hadn’t fully settled in with me. I admittedly do confuse parts of this with Darwinism so maybe I did at the time as well. I don’t know if I prefer this to Maybe You Know or not.

Other entries:
2015You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog#51
2016Darwinism#33
2017That Message#69
2019Maybe You Know#10
17. Shura - Nothing’s Real

I see my heart beat inside a television screen

Unlike the previous two Shura songs, this was always in the list. Yes, her total of entries here has been increased from one to threeeee. The title track and essentially also the opening track from Nothing’s Real, I was rather immediately taken by its throwback sound which is perhaps not a surprise. triple j initially played various songs from this album regularly but eventually pivoted to largely playing 2014 single Touch. To be fair, they also occasionally played a remix of Touch that featured Talib Kweli that did come out in 2016.

Other entries:
2015White Light#73
2016What Happened To Us?#38
2016What’s It Gonna Be?#48

(ooh nice the Fetty Wap combo position)
16. The 1975 - Somebody Else

I took all my things that make sounds, the rest I can do without

As it turns out, I have pivoted towards the consensus of Somebody Else being the best The 1975 song. Honestly, it is kind of a surprise that the indulgent long song wasn’t always my favorite but I did always like it a lot. It being their biggest hit without actually being all that big on the charts could be attributed to its slow burn status I guess. Actually, I think at the time it might have only been a promo single. (whatever that means nowadays)

Other entry:
2016The Sound#27
2016This Must Be My Dream#58
15. DOPE LEMON - Uptown Folks

Back to the garden we will go

Slightly before I started actually listening to triple j, I listened to a few songs from the hitlist playlist on Spotify and this was the one I really got into. An Angus Stone song about gardening perhaps isn’t the most exciting concept in the world on paper but this just really did it for me. I’m actually not sure if I knew it was Angus Stone the first time I listened, I think the ‘Uptown F___’ title drew me to it. During the Hottest 100 there was a bumper that mentioned something about kissing your nearest grandparent when a song you voted for makes it in. Uptown Folks played directly afterwards. It was my granddad’s birthday too!
14. Sarah Belkner - Cellophane

You don’t wanna be here, you don’t want it to come to this

One thing I didn’t realize prior to this is that Time is seemingly by far the most popular Sarah Belkner song based on Spotify plays. I think this is the main reason I could find relatively little information about this one. I don’t think I checked to see if this came out prior to December 2016 when I did my original list but it seems that it came out in November so I guess 2016 me can be okay with me putting this in the 2016 list. As a side note, I actually completely forgot Sarah Belkner released a song in 2019 prior to researching this list.

Other entry:
2016Time#62
13. Frida - Everything (Is You)

Casual and cruel in my head and I know she's right

Speaking of niche Australian artists that have two songs that I really like. I think I listened to this because it was a minor hit towards the end of 2016 for a certain member of this website. For whatever reason I didn’t listen to it again until early 2018 which is when I really got into it. I love that it has a nice dreamy sound but that it also manages to be a bit dramatic at the same time. Even when So Simple was a #1 for me I think I knew I still preferred this. Speaking of, So Simple still has less than a 1000 plays on Spotify which is unfortunate.

Other entry:
2018So Simple#24
12. Tash Sultana - Notion

Screaming out in vain singing hallelujah

After the 2017 Hottest 100 there was a triple j article that noted that Angus & Julia Stone and Tash Sultana did particularly well with international voters. This was particularly relevant to me as I voted for both Uptown Folks and Notion back in 2016. It was clear that the Hottest 100 success of this was somewhat lifted off of the success of Jungle but I was more than okay with that. I feel like I never pay enough attention to this but it has aged wonderfully for me, the guitar work is sublime.
11. Radiohead - Burn The Witch

Sing the song on the juicebox that goes

Radiohead released their first proper single in five years and I was immediately impressed even though my knowledge of their prior work was rather limited. Even now a lot of their non-Kid A 2000’s work is a bit of a question mark for me. Of course, I’m inclined to really love almost any song that prominently features strings. They are used to particularly great dramatic effect here. This was a big highlight of the 2016 Hottest 100 for me. Probably the last they’ll be appearing in any non-all time type list from triple j.

Other entry:
2019Identikit#19
10. Hannah Georgas - Waste

I’m never gonna do right in your eyes

This was released as a single not long after I ended up hearing Don’t Go and this ended up overshadowing that for me quite a bit. While this already had a rather strong showing in the original list it has jumped over some significantly more well-known songs (and perhaps a few more obscure) to crack the top 10. This was originally written as a piano ballad and while I’m sure that version would have been fine, the chaotic brass energy of this instrumental is what makes it really stand out for me.

Other entry:
2016Don’t Go#71
9. Frank Ocean - Nights

Round your city, round the clock. Everybody needs you

While channel ORANGE had more entries for me I would say I prefer Blonde as a whole overall. When I made the previous version of this list I had no idea if I preferred this or Ivy so I just put them next to each other with Ivy actually being higher. Nowadays I decidedly prefer this one though. My favorite part is definitely the production of the first half but really everything after the switch up is great too. It was quite wild when this turned out to be the only Blonde entry in the Hottest 200 of the Decade considering it even being on the voting list in the first place was such an arbitrary decision.

Other entries:
2012Pyramids#19
2012Lost#34
2012Thinkin Bout You#40
2016Ivy#53
2017Slide (with Calvin Harris)#53
8. Crying - Wool In The Wash

Pearly white mystery appeared before my eyes

You can thank Bridget Hustwaite for this entry. Back when she did mid dawns on triple j she played this song and it ended up being an early 2017 hit on my chart. I knew it was from 2016 at the time but there wasn’t much new stuff so I decided it was okay. This has ended up aging really well for me as a song that is really upbeat and happy but manages to not totally fall into overt corniness. (I certainly understand if it does for other people though) I wouldn’t say all the other songs in this top 10 are massive depression-core or anything but this certainly stands out.

Other entry:
2016Premonitory Dream#85
7. Sunflower Bean - Easier Said

But I'm not scared to take the blame, it's not your fault and that's okay

I remember hearing this on triple j breakfast around the time I started listening and instantly loving it. This must have been towards the tail end of its regular rotation as I didn’t hear it that much afterwards. I ended up voting for this in the Hottest 100 even though I knew it had no chance. (then again I thought the same thing about a certain other song and I was wrong about that) I always classify this song as being a bit generic in my mind but this slight melancholy vibe really does it for me. Not sure if I expected this to age as well for me as it has.

Other entry:
2018Twentytwo#64
6. Braids - Joni

We don’t know where we are going, I wanna be fine with not knowing

Considering that a fair amount of this list is Double J discoveries I should perhaps be paying a bit more attention to what they are playing now. I think it only recently hit me that ‘Joni’s playing in the car on a highway’ probably means that someone is listening to Joni Mitchell in their car and not that someone named Joni is playing games in a car. Joni was the main song from Braids’ EP Companion which featured various songs that didn’t quite fit in with their 2015 album Deep In The Iris. I kind of understand why it wasn’t on there as this does feel a fair bit more upbeat than most of that album. Deep In The Iris is still really good though, even if nothing from it cracked my 2015 list.
5. Warpaint - So Good

You always seem to make my heart stop

I listened to Heads Up shortly before the end of 2016 and I enjoyed it. It was far less of a departure than New Song seemed to imply. (it’s not in this list but I still like New Song even if we are definitely at the point where the title is a lie) Not that I had heard their previous album at this point so this wasn’t the most informed take. I included this in my first ACI vote as a song on the voting list that I had heard before and vaguely remember liking. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I actually listened to it again and then I realized it was an absolute banger. I dare say it’s The Stall. Wait a min- ah, it’s too late now. It’s a shame I didn’t have the sense to put this at the same heights as now at the time as I’m pretty sure it would have combined if I did. (I wouldn’t have been awake for it though) It did have a fairly decent ACI run in the end at least.

Other entries:
2013Love Is To Die#15
2014Drive#80
2016The Stall#20
4. Olympia - Fishing Knots / Blood Vessels

Some ships must be seen to sink in peace

Olympia’s Self Talk was one of the feature albums from the first month that I started listening to triple j. I really enjoyed a lot of what I was hearing from it on the radio, several of those songs turning out to be singles from 2015. I was worried when the album wasn’t available on Spotify here the Friday of its feature week that it wouldn’t be coming out here but it turned out to be a rare album that triple j featured more than a week in advance of its release. I did already hear all of it during the traditional 3 AM on a Friday full feature album play on triple j. I believe shortly afterwards the news that Prince had died broke. I sometimes forget about this with how much I love the 3 main singles but this has always been on a similar level for me and that hasn’t changed. Weird Fishes / Arpeggi is shook honestly.

Other entries:
2015This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things#3
2015Tourists#5
2015Honey#30
2016Somewhere To Disappear#75
2019Come Back#25
3. Car Seat Headrest - Cosmic Hero

You won’t go to heaven, I won’t see you there

I shuffled around the top 25 or so a fair bit before I was fully satisfied with it but the top 3 was never really in any doubt. This means that I knew that the greatest #3 suspense troll moment (barring someone really getting into @@@@@) was coming for quite a while. I had not actually listened to Car Seat Headrest’s Teens Of Denial album in 2016 so the first time I ended up hearing this was in Hijinx’s 2016 broadcast. I was just absolutely amazed when I listened to it. I remember chat being rather quiet when this was playing aside from me freaking out. I assume everyone used this as their opportunity for a bathroom break as the nearly 9 minute song is a fairly logical time to slot that in. This seemed like a serious #1 contender for a bit but I guess that top 2 is just difficult to crack.

Other entry:
2016Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales#24
2. Camp Cope - Lost (Season One)

It’s just me staring at couples across the street and they look so clean and happy

My experience with #1 and #2 are quite similar really. I started hearing this on triple j thinking it was just okay. This didn’t seem as unique as Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams. After a while I really started loving it though and it ended up as one of my favorites of the year. While I included it in my Hottest 100 vote I didn’t really think it had much of a chance as I thought Camp Cope probably weren’t a Hottest 100 and even if they were I assumed Done was more popular anyways. (I like Done too, to be clear) I was glad to be wrong, it felt great to have one of my favorites of the year resonate with a lot of other people too. My mom did watch Lost (the tv show) when it was thing, I remember getting particularly invested in some type of episode involving time travel but I don’t know if it was from season one.

Other entries:
2016Keep Growing#54
2016Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams#81
2017The Opener#91
2018UFO Lighter#34
2018How To Socialise & Make Friends#48
1. Olympia - Smoke Signals

Everyone sees it different, differently now

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This list has changed significantly from its original form but the top 2 has ended up not changing at all. This could perhaps go down as the most successful case of Stockholm syndrome of all time. I thought this was just a bit too weird when I first started hearing this but I really thought that there was something there the whole time. (maybe I thought the guitar solo was cool. I mean it is) After a while it just clicked, perhaps the other songs I heard from Self Talk being a bit more instant helping me. After a few months I just had a moment where I was like ‘wait a minute this is my favorite song of 2016’ and I ended up sticking with that. Aside from being my favorite song of this year, I think it is also very important for me in the sense that it ended up being the gateway for me liking songs that are a bit more out there.

Other entries:
2015This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things#3
2015Tourists#5
2015Honey#30
2016Fishing Knots / Blood Vessels#4
2016Somewhere To Disappear#75
2019Come Back#25


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