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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Sage 703 on December 09, 2005, 10:38:00 am
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I have to say...the Grammy Awards did okay with their Best Alternative Album of the Year nominees - at least by Grammy standards....
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Beck - Guero
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
The Arcade Fire and Death Cab nominated for GRAMMY Awards???
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Beauty's in the ear of the beholder (http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=429c1f03-a8df-4342-884d-470652d4ae0d&k=83868)
The list of Grammy finalists seems absurd
Adam Radwanski, National Post
Published: Friday, December 09, 2005
With the host for the 2006 Grammy Awards yet to be announced, we can still hold out hope that it will be Chris Rock.
Unlikely though his appointment may be, no show needs Rock more than the music industry's night of self-congratulation -- not so much for his stand-up skills, but for a repeat of last year's pre-Oscars rant in which the first-time host pronounced that "awards for art are f---ing idiotic."
If Rock thinks trying to choose between apples-and-oranges flicks like Million Dollar Baby and Sideways is dumb, he should have a look at yesterday's Grammy nominations. Take the Album of the Year category. The geriatrics and industry weasels who make up the Recording Academy won't be choosing the best of five comparable discs; instead, they'll more or less be asked to choose their favourite genre. There's mainstream rock (U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), adult-oriented pop (Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard), rap (Kanye West's Late Registration), R&B (Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi) and whatever exactly it is that one calls Gwen Stefani's dance-rock hybrid (Love.Angel.Music.Baby). If he doesn't win, Kanye will no doubt go into a post-awards snit to beat the one he threw two years ago. But if besting McCartney is how he measures his hip-hop credentials, he's got less cred than Tom Green.
If the list of finalists seems absurd, consider that the entire creative output of thousands upon thousands of musicians has somehow been boiled down to these five in the first place. The Oscars, at least, are a little more clearly defined -- since the Best Picture category is mostly limited to serious Hollywood dramas, only a couple dozen films per year could reasonably be expected to have any chance. But virtually every album release is meant to be taken seriously. There aren't many musical versions of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo -- low-brow efforts that even their makers don't mistake for serious art. If there are, you'd think Love.Angel.Music.Baby would qualify -- and it somehow got nominated.
As always, music critics will dismiss this year's nominations as hopelessly uncool. And considering that Mariah Carey has come out the big winner with eight nods, that's pretty tough to argue. But the Grammys would be no less ridiculous if critics were the ones who chose them; in fact, they might be even more so.
According to Metacritic, the popular Web site that tracks critics' response to new releases, the five best-reviewed albums of 2005 have been Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, My Morning Jacket's Z, Isolee's Wearemonster, Antony and the Johnsons' I Am a Bird Now, and Lightning Bolt's Hypermagic Mountain.
These are all delightful releases, made by people who've resolutely stayed clear of the industry's commercial clutches and are swimming in artistic integrity. They also collectively represent the tastes of perhaps 1% of the music-buying North American public, tops. If they had been announced yesterday as the contenders for Album of the Year, the Grammys would have gone from too broad to being so narrow that virtually every genre would have been disqualified.
No matter what the category or voting method, metings out awards for merit in music -- as subjective as any art form gets -- is an offensive proposition. From the Grammys to the Junos to smaller ceremonies like Canada's recently dispensed new-rock CASBYs, award shows fail to recognize that the beauty of music in the ears of the beholder. There is one show, however, that is a notable exception. Earlier this week, Green Day and 50 Cent dominated the Billboard Music Awards -- a ceremony that focuses its attention solely on commercial success.
The Billboard Awards celebrate the very thing most musicians, critics and hard-core fans hate about the industry. But give them this much: We know where they're coming from, and there are no pretenses of being a higher authority on quality. They may be soulless, but at least they're not f---ing idiotic.
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Originally posted by callat703:
I have to say...the Grammy Awards did okay with their Best Alternative Album
The Arcade Fire and Death Cab nominated for GRAMMY Awards???
Oh, your just sooooooooooooooooo indie, aren't you? Aren't you a proud member of the alternate herd?
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Give callat703 a chance to explain. I just assumed he was shocked that such blah albums were up for an award.
Originally posted by Hanover Fiste:
Originally posted by callat703:
I have to say...the Grammy Awards did okay with their Best Alternative Album
The Arcade Fire and Death Cab nominated for GRAMMY Awards???
Oh, your just sooooooooooooooooo indie, aren't you? Aren't you a proud member of the alternate herd? [/b]
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If Fall Out Boy does not win for best new artist, I'm going to go into a snit. Love those guys. Them, Hawthone Heights, and the All American Rejects. Fuck yeah.
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Originally posted by nkotBaba:
Give callat703 a chance to explain. I just assumed he was shocked that such blah albums were up for an award.
Originally posted by Hanover Fiste:
Originally posted by callat703:
I have to say...the Grammy Awards did okay with their Best Alternative Album
The Arcade Fire and Death Cab nominated for GRAMMY Awards???
Oh, your just sooooooooooooooooo indie, aren't you? Aren't you a proud member of the alternate herd? [/b]
[/b]
I'm really not even sure what being a proud member of the alternative herd means. But I guess I should have expected as much.
But my surprise is more that the industry is giving recognition to these artists specifically - it just seems odd after years of watching a band like Death Cab put out great album after great album. I guess that's what happens when you make a jump to a major label - and again, I'm not bemoaning this at all. Just very surprised to see it.
Speaking more specifically, if you're going to be choosing from a less mainstream realm of music, I'm surprised that Plans is nominated, because it isn't a fantastic album. Funeral, on the other hand, is wonderful (albeit released in 2004). I'm particularly surprised to see it there because it is still an independent release, to the best of my knowledge - no major label backing.
But knowing what the Grammy Awards usually nominate, I'm just happy to see that some artists that people on this board tend to love are on the list; the Grammys have a long way to go to redeem themselves, but still.
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Originally posted by callat703:
I'm really not even sure what being a proud member of the alternative herd means to the best of my knowledge
Do you carry a laminated card in your wallet/purse? Then you are a card-carrying member. Understand now..?
<img src="http://www.chez.com/bilbo/metal5.jpg" alt=" - " />
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with everbody changing their names so often, I have no idea who anybody on this board is anymore.
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Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
If Fall Out Boy does not win for best new artist, I'm going to go into a snit. Love those guys. Them, Hawthone Heights, and the All American Rejects. Fuck yeah.
Oh come on, the award should surely go to Keane. Best "New" artist obviously means "the band that's been around the longest that Grammy voters had never heard of before."
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WHERE IS RILO KILEY
WHERE????!
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no rilo kiley, that album stopped being great around track 5.
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Originally posted by britton m:
no rilo kiley, that album stopped being great around track 1.
Amen.
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Perhaps the fact that their most recent album was released August 17, 2004 might have something to do with it?
Originally posted by you be betty:
WHERE IS RILO KILEY
WHERE????!
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For recordings released during the Eligibility Year October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005
Note: More or less than 5 nominations in a category is the result of ties. For recordings released during the Eligibility Year October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005
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i couldn't care less about the grammys.
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Originally posted by callat703:
I have to say...the Grammy Awards did okay with their Best Alternative Album of the Year nominees - at least by Grammy standards....
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Beck - Guero
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
these 5 albums make total sense ... like GGW's article said, grammy's aren't picked by how good an album was, but how much it sold or how much mainstream buzz it received ... these 5 albums were the big time "indie" releases of the year, it doesn't matter if they were any good or not (and most of them are pretty good) ... did Rilo Kiley get more buzz than any of these albums? definitely not ...
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Originally posted by distance:
i couldn't care less about the grammys.
<img src="http://bestsmileys.com/signs11/13.gif" alt=" - " />
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Who the hell is SugarLand and Ciara?
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While looking through the list I also noticed Kraftwerk is nominated! cool, man.
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Originally posted by pickup hiccup stickup:
While looking through the list I also noticed Kraftwerk is nominated! cool, man.
yeah, but it's for a live album. i don't think that an album full of stuff that was released 20+ years ago previously is going to win? i don't know. seems a bit cheap to me. i have the album, though and i love it.
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Originally posted by pickup hiccup stickup:
Who the hell is SugarLand and Ciara?
I don't know SugarLand, but isn't Ciara that medicine for dudes who can't get it up?
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How could they pick five albums based on how good they were?
Try as Metacritic might to quantify "good", music is not a science. Quality is a matter of tastes, and tastes differ. There's no best flavor of ice cream, and there's no best five albums.
Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
Originally posted by callat703:
I have to say...the Grammy Awards did okay with their Best Alternative Album of the Year nominees - at least by Grammy standards....
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Beck - Guero
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
these 5 albums make total sense ... like GGW's article said, grammy's aren't picked by how good an album was, but how much it sold or how much mainstream buzz it received ... these 5 albums were the big time "indie" releases of the year, it doesn't matter if they were any good or not (and most of them are pretty good) ... did Rilo Kiley get more buzz than any of these albums? definitely not ... [/b]
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Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
Try as Metacritic might to quantify "good", music is not a science. Quality is a matter of tastes, and tastes differ. There's no best flavor of ice cream, and there's no best five albums.
You aren't normally like this.
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I think Rhett's in the holiday spirit! Peace on earth and goodwill to men!
Originally posted by econo:
Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
Try as Metacritic might to quantify "good", music is not a science. Quality is a matter of tastes, and tastes differ. There's no best flavor of ice cream, and there's no best five albums.
You aren't normally like this. [/b]
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Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
How could they pick five albums based on how good they were?
Try as Metacritic might to quantify "good", music is not a science. Quality is a matter of tastes, and tastes differ. There's no best flavor of ice cream, and there's no best five albums.
the same way that any art awards program (books, movies, music, etc) does, the personal opinions of judges ... and some programs actually pick based on personal preference of quality, rather than a sales record
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I'm just happy that I finally got my King Kong shirt that I got for free with five UPC symbols from Kellogg's box tops. I'm on my fourth box of Corn Flakes at the moment with no help from my wife with eating the stuff.
King to the motherfucking Kong!
Originally posted by nkotBaba:
I think Rhett's in the holiday spirit! Peace on earth and goodwill to men!
Originally posted by econo:
Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
Try as Metacritic might to quantify "good", music is not a science. Quality is a matter of tastes, and tastes differ. There's no best flavor of ice cream, and there's no best five albums.
You aren't normally like this. [/b]
[/b]
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Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
I'm just happy that I finally got my King Kong shirt that I got for free with five UPC symbols from Kellogg's box tops. I'm on my fourth box of Corn Flakes at the moment with no help from my wife with eating the stuff.
King to the motherfucking Kong!
Keep aiming for the stars Rhett.
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Sugarland...country pop.
Here is where I destroy my indie cred.
Shamefully, I was actually at their first ever show at Eddie's Attic in Decateur, GA back in 2003. I was in town visiting a friend and looking for something to do. I must admit it was a hell of a show...some pretty catchy stuff to hear live in a small venue. And, the fact that the lead singer is absolutely stunning never hurts.
All of the musicians had been in previous bands (Billy Pilgrim, anyone?) and were sick of living as struggling musicians. They even stated at the first show that their intention was to sell out stadia and make a lot of money...I respect that. It looks like they are on their way.
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Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
Perhaps the fact that their most recent album was released August 17, 2004 might have something to do with it?
Originally posted by you be betty:
WHERE IS RILO KILEY
WHERE????!
[/b]
Of course...I was at the cd release party. But then I saw THE ARCADE FIRE...Didn't both of those albums come out around the same time? Or was Arcade Fire's a couple of months later?
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Originally posted by Etan de Balzac, Footie Ball Player:
King to the motherfucking Kong!
There is only one King Kong, and Slim is his prophet:
<img src="http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/pics/drstrangelove3.gif" alt=" - " />
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<img src="http://austinwm.club.fr/HTLM/Photos/K/King_Kong_Bundy/King_Kong_Bundy_-_Christopher_Pailles_07.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by allmy$to930:
Sugarland...country pop.
a bunch of my friends in high school were into the whole athens/atl singer/songwriter scene, and i haven't heard anything that sugarland has done, but the three members (ex-soul miner's daughter, ex-billy pilgrim) are all really heavy hitters in that scene ... billy pilgrim had one song i really liked, "insomniac," but it was mostly pretty schmaltzy stuff
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Death Cab is everywhere lately. Bet they will win.