It’s now 364 days until the next triple j Hottest 100 countdown which means there’s ample time to reflect the choices made by voters this year and look at some of the deserving tracks that somehow didn’t make the cut.
Artists like St Vincent, Royal Blood, The Presets, Little Dragon, The Delta Riggs and Kimbra all now strangely have at leats one thing in common with Taylor Swift – they all missed out on places in the annual triple j poll.
There are many lessons we can take away from this year’s results, 12 at least, so for the sake of giving these artists the recognition they deserve, we’ve taken a look back at the year that was and collated the 21 tracks that should have, but didn’t, make the Hottest 100 of 2014.
If you missed it the first time round, the Hottest 100 of 2014 will be replayed on triple j from 10am on Saturday, 31st January. The station will then count down the 200th to 101st hottest songs of 2014 from 10am on Sunday, 1st February. Hopefully some of the following will make then cut.
UPDATE 01/02/15: triple j’s 200-101 countdown is on now!
Gallery: 12 Things We Learned From Triple J’s Hottest 100 – A Statistical Listicle
Porter Robinson – ‘Lionhearted’
Considering Porter Robinson has been to Australia six or seven times now and features quite a bit on triple j, it’s unusual that this spacey synthpop track by the EDM star didn’t resonate with voters enough to crack the Hottest 100.
Montaigne – ‘I’m a Fantastic Wreck’
Quite a few triple j Unearthed alum made it into this year’s Hottest 100, and if Sydney’s Montaigne, a finalist for Unearthed High in 2012, continues to release beautifully quirky singles like this one she’s surely a shoe in for Hottest 100s to come.
Art Of Sleeping – ‘Crazy’
Brisbane’s Art of Sleeping may have been a late contender for the top 100, having only released this single in December 2014, but it’s worth a mention for its emotionally soaring vocals, guitars and unrelenting percussion. Stay tuned for their forthcoming debut LP due out mid-2015.
Harts – ‘When A Man’s A Fool’
Having a fan and mentor in Prince, the Purple One, is a pretty decent career kick-starter. This track would have injected some much needed guitar-flavour into the Hottest 100, and the fact that all that is coming from a one-man Melbourne musical machine makes it that much more impressive.
St. Vincent – ‘Digital Witness’
The lack of any St Vincent on the Hottest 100 was a shock. Annie Clark delivered one of 2014’s most universally acclaimed albums with her self-titled fourth release but failed to capture triple j voters, even with this fantastic track about our addiction to social media.
The Presets – ‘Goodbye Future’
This house anthem from the Sydney duo was one of the most played songs on triple j in 2014 but failed to land even in the top 100. It seems a certain other electro duo are knocking The Presets off their throne.
Art vs Science – ‘Create//Destroy’
Similarly, Create//Destroy was the second most played song on triple j in 2014 but somehow failed to crack the top 100. Not only is this track from the Sydney trio a catchy, and thumping certified dance hit, it also has some fairly poignant lyrical content.
Wave Racer – ‘Streamers’
Despite being the the 5th-most-played track on triple j in 2014, Wave Racer’s bright cut Streamers just couldn’t break into the top 100. We’re suspecting you might find the Sydney producer sitting in the next batch of the Hottest 200 of 2014 when they are broadcast.
The Horrors – ‘So Now You Know’
UK outfit The Horrors released their first full-length in four years in 2014 with Luminous, with the aim of making music “you can dance to”. This track with its ethereal guitar noise, synth sounds and a bouncy backbeat achieves that goal but just didn’t rate high enough for triple j voters.
Little Dragon – ‘Klapp Klapp’
Little Dragon sold-out an Australian headline tour last year, stopped by triple j for Like A Version and are back now for a Laneway slot and still, somehow, failed to get any Nabuma Rubberband songs in the Hottest 100.
Rustie – ‘Attak’ (feat. Danny Brown)
As you’ve read in the gallery above, this year’s list was filled with songs with guest vocalists but it seems soon-to-be children’s author Danny Brown and his spit-fire rhymes on this Rustie track was maybe too aggressive for voters.
Northlane – ‘Rot’
2014 was undoubtedly a big year for Northlane – with their frontman leaving the band and holding public, open auditions for a new one. Their very first single with new singer Marcus Bridge was received pretty well upon release but just couldn’t garner enough votes to get in the top 100.
Kimbra – ’90s music’
Any song that’s described as feeling like “Deerhoof hanging on Sesame Street”, deserves a Hottest 100 spot. It’s that simple. Still, this euphoric Matt Bellamy-featured ode to youth and the music of a past decade was one of the many songs by female artists that failed to make the the Hottest 100, yet again.
The Delta Riggs – ‘The Record’s Flawed’
2014 wasn’t the year for guitars, that much is clear and so the sword also fell on Melbourne rockers The Delta Riggs and their protest song. Jimmy Page would not be pleased.
Mac DeMarco – ‘Passing Out Pieces’
Not even having a grotesque, murder-filled accompanying video could sway voters enough to throw enough support behind Mac DeMarco’s otherwise very pleasant Salad Days single.
Foster The People – ‘Are You What You Want To Be?’
To the delight of many fans, last year Foster The People finally delivered the follow up album to their hit 2011 debut. While they scored a number of Hottest 100 spots with tracks from that album, their 2014 release didn’t manage a single one.
The Black Keys – ‘Fever’
Here the rockers lost out again and not a single track from The Black Keys’ 2014 release Turn Blue was deemed to be amongst 2014’s top tracks for triple j voters. Not even this bluesy, foot-stomper with a psychedelic bent.
Royal Blood – ‘Ten Tonne Skeleton’
Royal Blood’s lack of presence anywhere at all on the countdown was shocking to many listeners. This guitar-driven track by the UK rockers, and Mercury Prize nominees, somehow did not resonate with voters.
Slipknot – ‘The Devil In I’
2014’s Hottest 100 wasn’t a good year for Soundwave acts and despite coming back reenergised after six years with new band members and an album inspired by their late bassist Paul Gray, Slipknot just couldn’t crack the top 100.
RL Grime & What So Not — ‘Tell Me’
Social Hottest 100 predicted this collaboration between the US’ RL Grime and Australia’s What So Not, which was an internet sensation, would nab the 54th spot on this year’s poll, but it did not even manage to crack the top 100.
Interpol — ‘All The Rage Back Home’
Interpol have found themselves on Hottest 100s multiple times in previous years, but the New York post-punk revivalists just couldn’t quite crack this year’s top 100 with their surf-rock inspired El Pintor single.
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triple j count down the next 100 songs from this year’s poll from 10am Sunday, 1st February — live updates here.
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Triple J Hottest 100 Of 2014 Statistical Listical
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Allday
1. Triple J Really Does Love Australian Music: The Hottest 100 of 2014 saw a record number of Aussie acts make it onto the list, with 59 of the 100 songs coming from home-grown musicians. Previously, the record for the most Australian artists sat at 52, which occurred in 1999 - when Powderfinger's 'These Days' took top spot - and in 2007, when Muse's 'Knights Of Cydonia' claimed the crown. -
100 Sticky Fingers
This time around, a large number of Aussie acts also garnered multiple entries in the Hottest 100, including Allday, Hilltop Hoods, Flight Facilities, Meg Mac, Vance Joy, Kingswood, Ball Park Music and Sticky Fingers. Aside from Australian acts, the rest of 2014's Hottest 100 saw 15 tracks from the US, 14 from the UK, and smaller contributions from New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Iceland, France and Canada. -
Voting Facebook
2. The Hottest 100 Is More Popular Than Ever: The 2014 Hottest 100 saw a record number of votes cast - 2,099,707 votes from 258,762 music fans in 188 different countries, and that's not counting the individual votes for the disqualified entry 'Shake It Off' - suggesting that the Hottest 100, and the influence of triple j, isn't slowing down any time soon. -
001
3. Chet Faker Is Now Australian Music Royalty: Melbourne producer Nick Murphy (aka Chet Faker) scored three tracks in the top 10 this year, equaling a record set by Powderfinger in 2003. With 'Talk Is Cheap' at #1, 'Gold' at #7 and '1998' at #8, as a solo artist Murphy has secured his place in Australian music history. Oh and his 'Like A Version' cover of Sonia Dada's '(Lover) You Don’t Treat Me No Good' also placed at #21. -
Dave Youtube
4. Triple J Loves Dave Grohl Almost As Much As We Do: Dave Grohl made his 32nd (!!) appearance in the Hottest 100 this year, thanks to the Foo Fighters track 'Something From Nothing', which placed at #84. His past entires span both Nirvana and Foo Fighters tracks, and other Grohl guest appearances over the years. Foo Fighters now also sit equal first with Powderfinger as the most-featured band in the history of the Hottest 100. Not bad, Dave. -
Milky
5. Australia Might Have A Problem With Guitars: Half of 2013's top ten consisted of bands which routinely rely on guitars. In this year's top 10, only the folktronica of Milky Chance's 'Stolen Dance' can, kind of, make that claim. In fact, the highest-ranked guitar-led rock track comes in at #19 with Ball Park Music's 'She Only Loves Me When I’m There', which is in stark contrast to last year's top 20. Also, although four metalcore tracks hit this year’s Hottest 100, three of them were from the same band — The Amity Affliction (#22 'Pittsburgh', #64 'Don’t Lean On Me', #71 'The Weigh Down'). The other track was 'Drown' by Bring Me The Horizon, which came in at #68. -
Chet Faker Lav
6. Occasionally You Have To Ride Some Coattails: 17 of the tracks in the top 100 also featured guest vocalists, demonstrating the prominence of genres like electronica and hip hop - which often rely on guest singers - in this year's poll. The Hottest 100 of 2014 also featured three cover songs, three 'Like A Version' entries from Chet Faker, CHVRCHES and Meg Mac, and another Meg Mac cover of Bill Withers' 'Grandma’s Hands'. -
Hoods
7. Hilltop Hoods Are Always The Bridesmaid, Never The Bride: With 'Cosby Sweater' taking the #3 spot this year, Hilltop Hoods have come in third on the Hottest 100 for a third time, after picking up bronze for 'The Hard Road' in 2006 and 'Chase That Feeling' in 2009. The three-piece also placed three times in this year's countdown, with 'Won't Let You Down' coming in at #36 and 'Walking Under Stars' at #57. Still, all things considered, third place is not a bad result for "the most unfortunately named song of 2014". -
Vance
8. Solo Artists Are Making Themselves Heard: Last year, the Hottest 100 consisted of 70 percent musical groups and 30 percent solo artists. This year, only 59 percent were groups whilst 41 percent were solo artists, including the likes of Vance Joy, Chet Faker, ZHU, The Kite String Tangle, Lorde and Meg Mac. At least according to the voting public, 2014 was a strong year for solo acts. -
Sia
9. Sia Is The Leading Lady In A Male-Dominated Hottest 100: This year, Sia was the only female artist to have a song in the top ten, thanks to her runaway hit, 'Chandelier'. Conversely, 2013 saw songs from Lorde, Lana Del Rey and female-fronted groups The Preatures and London Grammar reach the top ten. Despite a pretty even voter split of 48 percent females and 52 percent males this year, the Hottest 100 remains dominated by male musicians. 13 songs by female acts placed in the Hottest 100 this year, with 19 songs from female-fronted bands and a whopping 68 tracks from male artists. -
Tkay
10. Triple J Is Still Helping Up-And-Comers Get Their Big Break: Despite being seven less than last year, the fact that 35 artists made their debut in the Hottest 100 this year proves that triple j are still more than able to help up-and-coming artists increase their popularity. The 35 debuts this year saw tracks from the likes of Meg Mac, DMA's, Japanese Wallpaper and Tkay Maidza. -
Meg
This year's countdown also demonstrated that triple j take care of their own, with a number of Unearthed alum finding their way into the Hottest 100. 2013's Unearthed winner Meg Mac was one of the most outstanding performers, landing three tracks in the top 100. Other Hottest 100 artists previously championed by triple j Unearthed include Thelma Plum, Japanese Wallpaper, Tkay Maidza, SAFIA, DZ Deathrays, Hopium, Kingswood as well as Ball Park Music and Sticky Fingers - who each also landed three tracks in the top 100. -
100 Peking Duk
11. Spoiler Lists Might Be A Thing Of The Past: The publics' chances of accurately predicting the final outcome of the Hottest 100 seem more and more slim. This year, the Social Hottest predicted Peking Duk's 'High' to take the top spot, and wasn't very accurate throughout the rest of the list either. -
Hottest
What's more, there appears to be little correlation between the songs triple j plays the most and the songs which claim the top spots in the annual Hottest 100. Although the two most played songs on triple j, according to data compiled by AirCheck, - Peking Duk's 'High' and Future Islands' 'Seasons (Waiting On You)'- did well, neither the equal second, third, fourth or even fifth most played song on triple j in 2014 actually made it into the Hottest 100. Only three other tracks on Aircheck's top 10 list made the cut and all three of those were in the bottom 30, signalling that airplay doesn't necessarily translate to votes. -
Tay Youtube
12. "The World's Biggest Musical Democracy" Isn't Really That Democratic After All: While they reserve the right to determine the parameters of their own poll, some of the reasons triple j outlined in their Buzzfeed-style listicle of why they decided to exclude Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off' seem to defy their "democratic" mantra. -
Shake It Off
According to the station, had the votes for 'Shake It Off' been counted it would have nabbed the number 12 position, knocking Tkay Maizda out of the top 100. "You know what that would be? It’d be a travesty," wrote triple j. So effectively, you can vote for whoever you like but you can't be certain each vote will count.
