Things i’ve grown to dislike…

9: Muse - Starlight

I’m a long time fan of Muse and on the one hand I am stoked that they made the top 10, on the other I am a bit dissapointed as this really isn’t their best song. It’s taken Aussies a while to get used to Muse and now that they have I suspect that they’ve missed out on some of Muse’s best work. Muscle Museum got a ranking around 50 (off the top of my head) when it was released, it’s a track that is definitely better than this one. It’s not a criticism of this track, it’s just not a top 10 track in my mind.

8: Gotye - Heart’s a Mess

I hadn’t heard much stuff by Gotye, it strikes me something that I would really like had I got the album BUT again, this song isn’t a top 10 song. It’s strikes me as another artist whose fans love the album so much that they feel compelled to vote for a song off it. Hottest 100 voters need to learn that you can have a brilliant album without having a standout track.

7: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

More of the same from Snow Patrol. It took me a while to respect what Snow Patrol were producing. I can quite happily sit down and listen to their albums and enjoy it but I suspect that I look too deeply into their music, they do make good songs BUT all the songs follow the same formula. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to the listener I suppose, personally I think it detracts from a song if they have so many similar songs. Snow Patrol and Evermore are mirrors of each other on different sides of the world, both commercially successful, both make epic songs but all their songs have that familiar sound to them.

6: Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

This is a brilliant song, though I suspected that it might end up at 1 and thus knocking the handful or more deserving songs out of the top 5. I was surprised that it ended up at 6 which is where I think it should be, JJJ Hottest 100 voters seem to be learning about what constitutes a great song, either that or as I suspect, the fans that in the past would have voted for the most commercial tunes have tuned out from JJJ and the Hottest 100.

5: Scissor Sisters - Don’t feel like dancing

We all knew this was going to be in the top 5. It’s a happy dancy tune deserved of a top 10 spot. I can’t really complain even though its not a favourite of mine.

4: Killers - When you were young

I dont get the killers, and trust me i’ve tried to, it just doesnt strike me as great music, merely good music. Everyone seems to like the Killers but when I hear it it just sounds like high tempo rock-pop music, it’s like Kellogs Just Right, not too heavy, not too light. I’ve yet to hear a brilliant song by them except Mr Brightside, their songs are uncomplicated, unsophisticated, plain and predictable.. but then maybe thats why so many people like them.

3: Hilltop Hoods - Down the hard road

The Hoods, Downsyde and the Herd are the 3 aussie hip hop bands that I can actually listen to without cringing. And its not the usual cultural cringe that some people have at the Aussie accent in rap, its the cringe at really amateurish sampling and production qualities. Admittedly Aussie hip hop has been finding its feet over the past 4 years but only a handful actually make decent tunes.

Personally i’m not that big a fan of hip hop nowadays after going through the early 90s rise of american hip hop but I can at least say that the hilltop hoods are an excellent band.

2: Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails, Red Wine

Yeah no surprise that they would finish in the top 2. Eskimo Joe you can do better, but its just nice enough that everyone would like it.

1: Augie March - One Crowded Hour

I DON’T FUCKIN BELEIVE IT, I finally got a song I liked at no.1. Finally, it was thoroughly deserved by the best australian songwriters in recent history. If you don’t beleive me then just go and listen to Sunset Studies and Strange Bird (their other 2 albums).

I’m truly astounded at the breadth of music tastes that finished in the top 100 and also that very few were commercial pop songs (no Pretty Fly For A White Guy, HOORAY!). I think that maybe, just maybe and quite plausibly, the Hottest 100 and JJJ demographic in general is growing up. It still has it’s young listeners that are its main target but many people who grew up in their teen and early 20s with JJJ are still listening to it.

When I first started listening, it was a fairly one dimensional station supporting mainly alternative rock with the odd hip hop and techno tune thrown in there (probably 1 out of every 50). Now it plays a huge selection of genres.

For a while it went away from the traditional alternative-ness of the station from the 80s when it garnered a bit of a commercial following but now its really got back to being about the music. I like it!

And 3 aussie bands at the top, that’s not bad and I can honestly say that there are no other songs I would have put above these 3.

My only dissapointments were:

Basement Jaxx - Take me back to your house
The Strokes - You only live once
OK Go - Here we go again
TV on the Radio - wolf like me

which i would have liked to have seen in the top 20.

Thank you Mr Bill Gates for pointing out that which has been so obvious to most hardcore internet users for years now.

“In the years ahead, more and more viewers will hanker after the flexibility offered by online video and abandon conventional broadcast television, with its fixed programme slots and advertisements that interrupt shows.”

“Certain things like elections or the Olympics really point out how TV is terrible. You have to wait for the guy to talk about the thing you care about or you miss the event and want to go back and see it,”

Yeah, look it might be stating the obvious, but TV Stations still don’t get the idea that there is this medium out there that rather than shunning, they should be researching on how they can use it to their advantage. I’ve long sinced stopped watching TV on the Television and started getting shows from other people, without ad’s and ON TIME. The mere fact that the number of people doing this is increasing steadily should be enough of a sign for TV Networks to let go of their inflexible programming schedules and embrace online content.

It’s quite simple really:

- People have more to do nowadays: sport; work; dinner; pubs; clubs; any number of events that they choose to engage in with higher disposable incomes and an increasing number of options available, I don’t see TV gaining any ground. I for one cannot watch tv in prime time on tues, wed, thurs and fri due to sport and work drinks and even mondays are touch and go depending on what time my indoor soccer game is.

- I don’t want TV stations dictating to me when I should watch TV, why should I have to free up 7:30 - 8:30 on a monday to watch Top Gear (a show which i love), just cos you tell me to. I really don’t like investing time in a show when I don’t know if I can watch every episode, an issue which is probably more relavant to shows that have a continuing story line.

- TV stations are forever changing tv show times. Usually is either the case that a TV show you like becomes popular so they try and put it in a prime time spot on another day in the hope it will beat the rivals stations program, both Smallville and Survivor were pushed to weekends after being successful on week nights. The other case is when a brilliant tv show is either not publicised enough or the TV stations just dont get it and the show is pushed to a late night slot after it doesnt become an instant hit. Scrubs, Arrested Development and Buffy are evidence of this attitude, little advertising and a demographic that is probably out doing other things during prime time has meant that they were all pushed back to late night slots and often taken off air without warning. I think the example of futurama and family guy are prime instances where they were good shows that became more famous over time and once the Australian public got to watch them, they liked them and they were eventually put back on air in normal time.

- TV stations also have the bad habit of lying about a shows episode order. I always watch smallville before it comes out here, so it struck me as odd that half way into a 26 episode season the TV station was advertising the next episode as the season finale. They’ve also announced the second last lost episode as the last episode at the end of season 1. This shows a lack of respect for their viewers. Often other shows have been shown out of sequence or series have been replayed out of order just to fill time.

- My biggest beef is with us showing TV series out of whack with the US or UK. SBS started showing the last season of TOP GEAR the day that BBC started showing the next series. The Amazing Race had shown series 7 then 9 and started 8 when season 10 was starting in the US. The next season is starting soon and no doubt they will show season 10 during season 9.

There is nothing like a stupid OS (operating system) article, stating the obvious:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/vistas-dominance-take-a-long-view/2007/01/23/1169518692444.html

Yes, shock horror, it will take a while for Windows Vista to replace Windows XP in popularity, not least of the reasons being that most non computer literate people know that it even exists.

It doesn’t take an expert to tell you that there are alot of computer novice users who have struggled over time to get used to XP and have no reason to change. Not to mention the fact that there is little reason to change to Vista for a novice user (or an expert for that matter, i’ve used both and I can safely say that while I like Vista if all you’re going to use is the internet and Microsoft Word then you dont need Vista).

So it’s no surprise that its going to take a while to overtake XP.

And what article on OS’s is complete without mentioning Linux, ahhh Linux, where for art thou? It’s actually right though, Linux isn’t going to overtake Microsoft, not a chance. I’ve heard the arguement for years, that Linux is the best OS etc etc, you can do more with it blah blah blah.. yes this is my reality check for Linux lovers.

Look there is nothing wrong with Linux, i’ve used it, its quite good but why would I change to it when I can do everything I need in Windows. And i’m a programmer who knows about computers, so imagine what the general public who use windows is going to think. They’re definitely not going to install Linux.

Geeks love jumping on the non-conventional band wagon just to seem cool which is quite ironic as it makes them infinitely uncool to the rest of the world. Dont use IE, use Netscape, Dont use Netscape use Mozilla, Dont use Mozilla use Firefox… its a web browser ffs.

Now all the cool kids DONT want an iPod cos iPods are too popular, so gotta find some obscure mp3 player.

Don’t use Windows, Microsoft are evil, use Linux.

You know what, fuck Linux. There is something that comes with these products that are released by massive “evil” companies, you get a fairly decent product that does what you want it to do well.

From Wikipedia:

“A podcast is a media file that is distributed by subscription (paid or unpaid) over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. ”

“Though podcasters’ web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital audio formats by its ability to be downloaded automatically, using software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.”

I never understood the huge cafuffle about podcasts, in the same way that I didn’t understand the fuss about blogging a couple of years ago when I had been using it for years, in the same way that I didn’t understand the dot com boom since I had been writing web pages since 1995.

Usually it seems like people discovering something new and hyping it up beyond what it really deserves.

Podcasts are merely, MP3’s you can download via a subscription, why they require a term like podcast is beyond me. I don’t know many people who listen to podcasts, i download podcasts/mp3’s from podcast sources but rather than do it automatically, i do it depending on if I feel like it. JJJ radio shows, BBC 5 Live football talkback etc.

Why would I want to download every episode of something, i would barely have time to listen to my music AND my downloaded podcasts.

But then what do I know?

Lucas Neill is almost everyones favourite Socceroo, and one of mine too, and all this despite his stupid tackle at the end of the game with Italy in the World Cup.

Lucas Neill recently signed for West Ham United (the closest premier league team to where I was born) and turned down an offer from Liverpool to join them. Liverpool sit 3rd on the ladder, are still in the Champions League and face the worlds best team Barcelona in the next round, are the most successful team in English football, 18 Championships, 5 European Cups, 3 UEFA Cups, 7 League Cups, 7 FA Cups, 3 Super Cups, 15 Community Shields. West Ham currently sit 3rd last and in the last relegation spot should they not improve this season, they’ve won 3 FA Cups and 1 European Cup Winners Cup. His current team sit 10th out of 20 teams on the ladder and are always around that spot after having won their only Championship in 1994, unlike West Ham who have been promoted and relegated numerous times.

To put it in perspective for an AFL player, it would be the equivalent of a solid up and coming Western Bulldogs player getting to the peak of his career and choosing to go to the Roos (sorry Richard, i’m solely looking at the ladder positions).

Now you may think that being a Liverpool suppport whose team was snubbed by Neill, i’m just annoyed that he chose another team. Far from it, I always knew he was being brought in as cover should other players get injured BUT I knew that should he do well and he would cos he’s a good player, that he would step up and be world class. Benefitting not just Liverpool but more importantly the Socceroos. Now he’s effectively gonna play out his career for a lower table team who are struggling to survive.

All for a few extra bucks and cos West Ham really showed him they wanted him. Of course they did, they are desperate, if in the workplace, a crap company that could possibly go under, came to you and said we really really want you to work for us, dont work for the really big successful company for less money, I for one wouldn’t go.

In football you become the best by playing and training with the best, a big club isn’t going to come and grovel at your feet when you’re no more than a solid player, they’ll give you an offer and it’s your one chance to make it. Lucash Neill bottled it and I think in the interests of all Socceroos fans bottled it as far as being our captain.

The Irony is that Craig Moore isnt as good as Neill and he is constantly injured and earning wads of cash at a big club, the same Club that apparently also wanted to sign Neill.

His decision baffles!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/oh-baby-allegras-star-rises/2007/01/19/1169095971843.html

Read it, apparently people want to get photos of Jessica Rowe’s baby…. what the fuck for, its a baby, they all look the same, just cos it’s Jessica Rowe’s, a news readers baby doesnt make it any difference.

This is fuckin ridiculous.

If you wanna see a baby go down to your local hospital.

I take back all i said about the radio crew getting sacked after that lady died from water intoxication in that Wii competition:

You can listen to what they were saying on the radio here.

A small snippet:

DJ> “Eva what did you want to say”

Eva> I want to say that the people drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication.

DJ> We’re well aware of that

DJ2> They signed releases so we’re not responsible, it’s OK.

This is from graham

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/11/13

See, I was right!!

I think i’m partly justified in my criticism of Evermore after listening to song 9 on their second album called “The Great Unknown” where I keep waiting for them to break into the chorus of “Running” on the same album, “Running” being the song that I think sounds like you could “It’s too late” over the top of.

I hope this band isn’t around for Evermore!

I just listened to their first album for the first time after previously having heard their 2 big songs off the album. It’s utter rubbish apart from those songs.

There’s no question about their ability to play instruments or sing, the question is in their song writing. Most songs are a catchy riff for a chorus played over a slight modification of the sound from their other songs and linked together by inane versus whose tunes seem to be written by a 12 year old.

It seems that they couldn’t find enough creativity to write the verses so just sung whatever melody popped into their heads.

Evermore are definitely strongest when there are few lyrics and holding onto long power notes such as in “It’s too late”.