Various Artists
Triple J’s Hottest 100 vol. 15
42 Track, DVD (2008, ABC Music)
Related: Architecture In Helsinki, Silverchair, John Butler Trio.
Hmmm … some ear and eye candy for a change. Although the sleeve notes of Triple J’s Hottest 100 vol.15 try to present this as a representative selection of 2007’s music, there’s a bit of a game going on here.
Whereas the “Songs Most Chosen By Rage Guest Programmers” series is free to cast a net far and wide, this series is restricted to tunes on the JJJ playlist only. Added to that closed shop starting point is the sheer circularity of the exercise, which runs in a cycle thus: listen to JJJ, watch JTV, vote for songs via the JJJ website, listen or watch or go to the countdown, then buy the CD or DVD. Rinse and repeat annually. That kind of brand loyalty (and merchandising moolah) must warm the stony hearts in the JJJ marketing department.
But onto the content. First up, there are only 42 songs on this. That’s right, kids, The Man stole 58 of your hard-thought choices – and the 42 here aren’t even the top 42. Further, barely half of them are by local acts. And the two best clips on it are from overseas (take a bow, M.I.A, take some blow, Amy Winehouse). So how do those few locals left in the mix stack up overall, in a quick personal poll?
Architecture In Helsinki (‘Heart It Races’) – a video as annoying and distracting as the song itself.
John Butler Trio (‘Better Than’) – does anyone still fall for his dreadlocked Jesus eco-warrior schtick?
Silverchair (‘Straight Lines’) – the U2 of Cowra Showgrounds (another JJJ production) outdo themselves for earnestness on a ridiculously overdone set. (And speaking of the ‘chair, at least we are spared Powderfinger’s ludicrous ‘Little Day Out’ effort for ‘I Don’t Remember’ -- the ‘finger don’t have an entry here at all).
The few new breeds here – The Presets, The Panics, Midnight Juggernauts, Gyroscope – are variously arty, moody, dull and turgid. Missy Higgins just looks uncomfortable during ‘Steer’, especially in contrast to the madly joyful Pitt Street mall antics of bluejuice’s ‘Vitriol’ immediately preceding her.
And finally (envelope, please) the surprise winner is … Operator Please, whose direct approach for ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ really shines here. Its simple in-your-face clip matches relentlessly upbeat mood and visuals with relentlessly upbeat and silly music perfectly. It’s still too bright for a Saturday morning though.
by Trevor Block
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