2010 Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album nominees
•Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, David Byrne & Brian Eno
•The Open Door, Death Cab For Cutie
•Sounds Of The Universe, Depeche Mode
•Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
•It's Blitz!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Best Alternative Album is one category at the Grammy Awards where the voters usually get it right. Radiohead and the White Stripes have each captured the award three times. Other deserving winners have included Beck (twice), Coldplay (twice), the Beastie Boys, and Nirvana.
If the Grammys reward the most deserving album this time, the trophy will go to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for It's Blitz!, a record that included catchy rock hits like "Zero" and "Heads Will Roll" and more atmospheric tracks like "Soft Shock." It's a great album, one of the five best of 2009.
Not far behind is Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by French band Phoenix. Even those who aren't familiar with the band have surely heard "1901" in commercials over the past several months. Phoenix could have enough support to pull the upset.
The other three nominees in this category just seem odd. It's a shame Depeche Mode, Death Cab for Cutie, and David Byrne & Brian Eno got nominated ahead of more acclaimed projects by Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Matt & Kim, and Grizzly Bear.
Depeche Mode are a quality veteran act, but is Sounds of the Universe Grammy-worthy? I'm willing to bet most people aren't even aware the band released an album last year.
Death Cab for Cutie's entry The Open Door was just a five-song EP. Clearly, The Open Door was simply chosen based on the band's name recognition.
The album from former Talking Heads singer David Byrne and producer Brian Eno was released way back in August 2008, so they'll have to hope Grammy voters have great memories.
The prediction here is that the Academy recognizes the excellence of It's Blitz! by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
2010 Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album prediction
Should win: It's Blitz!
Will win: It's Blitz!
The 2010 Grammy Awards air on CBS on January 31.
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Comments
Can't wait to see who will win.
Third culture kids examiner
Seattle stay-at-home moms examiner
I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!
I love Depech Mode, but you're right, I did not know they released a new album! The Yeah yeah Yeah's are great too!
Brian Eno is one of my heroes --My daughter would have been named Eno if she'd been a boy. Good thing she wasn't --might have led to some schoolyard beatings.
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