Double J is spending this month trapped in the '90s, celebrating an era unlike any other through a series of specials, features and other initiatives to give listeners a chance to revisit the age of Discmans, Reebok Pumps and The Ferals all June long.
To kick off their celebrations, the team have put their heads together to come up with a list of what they consider to be the top 50 Aussie songs of the decade, which will undoubtedly be received with universal agreement and not cause anybody to offer their furious opinions about the rankings, because that's how these things generally go, right?
At any rate, there are certainly plenty of bona fide classics on the list, with commercial and cult favourites alike getting nods from the discerning crew. The evergreen You Am I top the list with seminal tune Berlin Chair, beating out some hot competition from the likes of Regurgitator, whose ! (The Song Formerly Known As) takes the #2 spot, ahead of the remaining top-five cabal of Itch-E & Scratch-E (Sweetness & Light), Clouds (Hieronymous) and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (Red Right Hand), but even the lower ranks still contain some highly memorable tunes.
If anything — from Powderfinger, Kylie Minogue, Custard and Crowded House to Silverchair, Grinspoon, The Living End, Something For Kate and Spiderbait to Jebediah, TISM, Archie Roach, Front End Loader, Christine Anu, The Superjesus and even Sonic Animation — the list just proves how ludicrously strong the local music scene was in the '90s. Not that we're suggesting it's gotten any weaker, despite what the ARIA Charts might show.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg for the aficionados out there, who can journey along with the station as they spend Thursdays through Sundays highlighting '90s music, offer up curated countdowns (with Caz Tran and Machine Gun Fellatio's Chit Chat), release some special features, roll through the most overlooked songs, most important female artists and best live acts of the decade, and go deep with The J Files, kicking off with tonight's exploration of grunge with Richard Kingsmill.
Some classic albums of the era will also get some special focus from Tran, with Radiohead's OK Computer, A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory, Portishead's Dummy and Regurgitator's Unit — which turns 20 this year — all getting time in the spotlight. Plus, Spiderbait's Kram will serve as the station's artist-in-residence all month, and there'll be archival Live At The Wireless shows each Tuesday, starting with the late, great Jeff Buckley on 6 June.
Knowing a good idea when they see one, even rage has got in on the gig, putting aside time on Saturdays throughout June to play some '90s specials in honour of Double J's month-long tribute.
If this all sounds like your jam, you can get across the full spread of anachronistic awesomeness here.
Double J's Top 50 Australian Songs Of The '90s
50. Primary — Young
49. The Meanies — Ten Percent Weird
48. Sidewinder — Titanic Days
47. The Superjesus — Down Again
46. Dirty Three — Better Go Home Now
45. Christine Anu — Island Home
44. Front End Loader — Pulse
43. Dave Graney & The Coral Snakes — Rock'n'Roll Is Where I Hide
42. Sonic Animation — Theophilus Thistler
41. Deadstar — Deeper Water
40. Archie Roach — Took The Children Away
39. Tumbleweed — Sundial
38. Ammonia — Drugs
37. Max Sharam — Coma
36. INXS — Suicide Blonde
35. Beasts Of Bourbon — Chase The Dragon
34. The Fauves — Dogs Are The Best People
33. TISM — (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River
32. Not From There — Sich Offnen
31. Deborah Conway — Alive & Brilliant
30. Ed Kuepper — The Way I Made You Feel
29. Ratcat — Don't Go Now
28. Grinspoon — Just Ace
27. Single Gun Theory — Fall
26. Died Pretty — D.C.
25. Jebediah — Leaving Home
24. Augie March — Asleep In Perfection
23. Frente — Labour Of Love
22. Spiderbait — Buy Me A Pony
21. The Cruel Sea — The Honeymoon Is Over
20. Severed Heads — Dead Eyes Opened
19. Magic Dirt — Ice
18. The Living End — Prisoner Of Society
17. Underground Lovers — Losin' It
16. Paul Kelly & Kev Carmody — From Little Things Big Things Grow
15. Something For Kate — Captain (Million Miles An Hour)
14. Falling Joys — Lock It
13. Gerling — Enter Spacecapsule
12. Silverchair — Tomorrow
11. Midnight Oil — Blue Sky Mine
10. Crowded House — Fall At Your Feet
9. Custard — Apartment
8. Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me
7. Powderfinger — These Days
6. Yothu Yindi — Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix)
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Red Right Hand
4. Clouds — Hieronymous
3. Itch-E & Scratch-E — Sweetness & Light
2. Regurgitator — ! (The Song Formerly Known As)
1. You Am I — Berlin Chair
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