January is here, which means it’s time to choose my 10 favourite songs of the year and vote in the JJJ Hottest 100 !!
The Drones – Why Write A Letter That You’ll Never Send
My favourite track of the year. Nine and a half minutes of slow building bliss.
Arcade Fire – Reflektor
It took me a few listens to get on board with this one, but now I can’t get enough.
Eels – Bombs Away
After a few disappointing albums, I feel like Eels returned to form with 2013’s ‘Wonderful Glorious’ – most notably on this opening track.
Queens of the Stone Age – Kalopsia
Any year that QOTSA release an album is a good year for music. I had trouble picking just one song (If I Had a Tail and Smooth Sailing came close) but in the end I went with this track because it sounds unlike anything the band have done before.
Cloud Control – Promises
The right combination of great melodies and passionate, rough-around-the-edges vocals make this a winner.
The John Steel Singers – Everything’s A Thread
Catchy and full of manic energy. Great use of falsetto too, which always gets bonus points from me.
The Flaming Lips – You Lust
An extremely long, incredibly repetitive track from a year when the Lips continued their quest to go from everyone’s favourite lovable weirdos to just plain weirdos. ‘The Terror’ is their most challenging album since 1998’s ‘Zaireeka’ (and only because that album had to be played on four CD players simultaneously) and this track in particular pushes all sorts of boundaries. But with it’s bold experimentation and hypnotic vibe, I have a lot of love for it.
Abbe May – Perth Girls
A damn sexy track. It seems like Abbe can do no wrong.
Atoms for Peace – Judge Jury and Executioner
As a Radiohead fan, it’s hard to ignore anything that Thom Yorke is involved in.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street
Another wonderful slow-burner. I loved the rock’n’roll phase that Nick went through recently, but it’s nice to hear him in ‘meandering ballad mode’ again.
So, what do you think? Love these tracks? Hate them? What were your own favourites of the year? (It doesn’t matter whether it’s the kind of music Triple J would play, or not).
Liked this? Check out my Hottest 100 votes of 2012 and 2011 too!
A Hole in the Head 