Once again, it’s time for the Grammys, for whatever that’s worth.
This year, it’s the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Jan. 31, 2010. And like every year, the pickings are pretty slim, and I have to work hard to feel motivated to care.
It’s not that I totally despise the Grammys – it’s just that I see them for what they are. The Grammy Awards are not about music, they’re about the music industry. Once you make that distinction, music has lost in this battle.
Even so, I did manage to wade through the lengthy list of nominees, populated mostly by Top 40 pablum entirely devoid of substance and mostly devoid of style, to find the nominees of note.
Here are my picks:
Best New Artist Nominee – The Silversun Pickups
This category is one great example of what I find wrong with the Grammys. It’s a misleading category, because it seems to prescribe to the idea that “If I ain’t heard it, it’s new to me.” Such is the case with the Silversun Pickups.
This is a band that’s been around since 2003 and already have two albums and a handful of EPs, so they hardly qualify as a new anything. Even so, they deserve the recognition. I saw them play at SXSW this year, and was blown away by their live show. The Pickups have a sound and show similar to the Smashing Pumpkins, if the Pumpkins weren’t boring.
Best Metal Performance – Ministry - “Señor Peligro”
It’s a mediocre song from a mediocre album by a band that peaked in their industrial days. Even so, it’s nice to see the band’s final release get noticed in some way.
Best Rock Instrumental Performance - Brian Setzer Orchestra - “Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin”
The former frontman of the Stray Cats has discovered career longevity as a guitar-toting big bandleader. He’s up against other old-timers like Jeff Beck and Steve Vai in a category that generally gets little notice, but it still warrants mention based on his roots in rockabilly and his devotion to style of music that exudes class over gratuitous guitar work.
Best Rock Song – Green Day – “21 Guns”
Best Rock Album – Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
Every year at the Grammys, due to a lack of a punk category, punk bands get lumped in the rock, metal or alternative category. This year, the alternative category is devoid of anything worth mentioning, so the majority of the weight for any punk rock rests on Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool from a “Punk Rock Opera” album that’s more powerpop than punk, and for a song that’s slow and melodic, lacking little in the way of punk hooks. Green Day is no stranger to the Grammys, if they take one home; it will be the band’s 4th.
Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media – Paramore – “Decode”
The kids really love their teenage vampire romances, and they love this pop punk band. Will either amount of love allow Paramore to prevail? Who knows, as Hayley Williams' song from the soundtrack of the latest incarnation of Twilight is pitted against some other artists that the kids also really like, including Beyonce and Hannah Montana.
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package – “Janes Addiction - A Cabinet Of Curiosities
If you’ve not seen the packaging for this boxed set, you should check it out, as it’s really cool (Compare Prices). It’s also really cool to see this seminal band reflected in the Grammys, but whether or not it wins is a moot point to me, as this award is not for the quality of the music, but the fanciness of it’s packaging, and as such Jane’s Addiction is not nominated here. Instead, the art directors who designed the package are up for the award.
This award helps point out that the Grammys pinpoints that these awards are less about celebrating music than it does about celebrating the music industry. This is why you won’t see a punk category anytime soon (the industry isn’t ready to reward a style of music that prides itself on being anti-industry), and when a punk band makes the list of nominees, it’s most likely to be one on a major label.
I’ll keep an eye on these, and let you know who, if any, of my picks makes the final cut. That way, you don’t need to concern yourself with sitting through the show.
