The Top Worst Hits of 2013 (5-1)

Posted on December 18, 2013 by bgibs122

Let’s get to it!

5. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop” (#17)
You can’t spell “worst of 2013” without “Miley Cyrus”. Metaphorically. Anyway, Miley revived her career with “We Can’t Stop”, a warped dirge of a party anthem if I’ve ever heard one. “We Can’t Stop” sounds less like a crazy party, and more like a thinly veiled cry for an intervention; there’s no joy or even sense of happiness or relief to the song’s sweaty bodies, red cups, and Molly. I know Cyrus is trying to push as many buttons as she can, but “We Can’t Stop” reveals more cynicism than she wants you to see: it’s not fun because it’s a sham, and she knows it. She’s not partying for the hell of it, she’s partying because she needs to stay in the news, and if that means writing tuneless, cold pop songs like “We Can’t Stop”, then that’s the price she has to pay. At least it worked for her; for better or worse, 2013 is going to be remembered as the Year of Cyrus. If you want a picture of the future looking at 2013, imagine a white girl twerking with her tongue out–forever.

4. Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly – “Cruise” (#9)
I know that hip-hop and country intersect way more than people give them credit, but for fuck’s sake, can we stop combining them in the worst ways possible? I am so over this sleeper-hit; the original was on the charts last year, but then the remix with Nelly blew up this summer, probably because Nelly didn’t want Christina Aguilera to be alone in the “early to mid 00s star that fell from grace gets a hit feature” category. Hell, Nelly doesn’t even add that much to the song; he apes in the background of the chorus like it’s 2002 again, and his own verse is just forgettable. There’s messy music, and then there’s “Cruise”, a mess of Southern deep fried AutoTune, two tastes that taste awful together. I don’t get how this one happened.

3. will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber – “#thatPOWER“ (#95)
Holy hell, riffing on this one is too easy. We have one of the worst producers/artists of the year, featuring the most hated pop star currently working, on a song that has a hashtag, and, knowingly or not, loosely references a Kanye West song. Shit like this is why I think will.i.am is a pop version of Nicholas Cage: he will take any idea that sounds awful on paper, and carry it out in all of its awful, audacious execution. For the record, Bieber’s hook on “#thatPOWER” (snerk) isn’t that bad, and I actually find his presence here satisfying. Bieber treats “#thatPOWER” (double snerk) like it’s the birthday party for the dorky kid in class that his mom had to guilt him into attending: he does not want to be here, and he knows that any association he has with this song or will.i.am isn’t going to make him look good. Just watch the video–they hologram him in, and even then, he shuffles around with minimal commitment. When Justin Bieber doesn’t give a fuck about your song, that’s how you know it’s a waste.

2. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines” (#1. Enjoy that.)
You can’t spell “worst of 2013” with Miley Cyrus, but you can come significantly closer with “Robin Thicke”. I don’t know, maybe it works in German. The worst thing about “Blurred Lines” is that it’s not even top ten worst list material as a composition; it’s not a half bad song if you just shut up and dance to it. The revulsion a lot of people, myself included, have for the song comes entirely from it’s leery, pushy, “you don’t have a say in this” bullshit confidence born of Axe Body Spray and a string of drunk, shady one night stands. Even then, I don’t think it would have left as bad a taste in everyone’s mouth if Thicke had issued some insincere half-apology about not meaning to offend anyone, but he kept insisting that there was nothing wrong with it, and that it was even a feminist movement. In other words, we kept trying to tell Robin Thicke no, and he kept telling us, “I know you want it”. Thicke wasn’t a chart player before “Blurred Lines”, and even with a lot of hype, it’s follow-up didn’t do much, so I very much doubt we’ll be hearing from him again. Dbag.

And now, here it is….

1. Ylvis – “The Fox” (#73)
Alright, stay with me on this one. Yeah, “The Fox” is bad–it became a hit because it was bad. But, it’s actually a lot worse than you think. Let’s look back, for a second.

Let’s turn the clock all the back to the matron of viral music videos: Rebecca Black. “Friday” was terrible, but it was home movie or jr. high talent show terrible, like, here’s something that you look back on a few years later and laugh about (Black actually did this recently). That was what made it entertaining; she wasn’t trying to be explicitly funny, she was just a kid who was making a video with a dubious company. “Gangnam Style”, the other viral success, caught on because underneath goofy exterior and wacky video, Psy released a deadly serious dance track complete with “Don’t give a shit, and just have fun” dance with it. It was an invitation to have a blast.

“The Fox”, meanwhile, has none of either song’s charms or unexpected surprises. Like, the first time I watched “The Fox” after someone posted it on Facebook, my first thought was, “They planned for this”. It’s the same thing as Sharknado: someone knew that people like watching bad shit, and deliberately made/marketed the laziest, don’t give a fuck, shit as a way to make a quick buck. “The Fox” isn’t the afterbirth of a viral video because it’s too weird, or because there’s some social commentary that isn’t translating, it’s just a waste of time. They dress in fur suits and make funny noises–be sure to click!

It’s not just that “The Fox” is a one note joke, it’s a badly told one-note joke because Ylvis know they’re too cool for this and don’t commit. For example, Jimmy Fallon’s “The Doors Sing ‘Reading Rainbow'” has it’s entire joke in the title, but it’s still a great watch because Fallon himself gets into it. He thinks, at least for that video, that Jim Morrison mumbling the Reading Rainbow theme song is the best thing ever, while Ylvis slather their video in shit-eating grins that are sneer at the listener instead of with them. “The Fox” is a cynical, downright mean-spirited piece of gimmicky click-bait, and my pick for the worst hit of 2013. Goodbye, and good riddance.

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The Ten Worst Hits of 2013 (10-6)

Posted on December 17, 2013 by bgibs122

Welcome to Day 2 of Listmas 2013, where we’re starting our look at the worst hit songs of 2013! Before we begin, a few quick notes on this and it’s sibling “best hits” list: these are the capital H Hits of the year, as deemed by the official Billboard list, so if you’re mad that, like, anything off the new MGMT record isn’t here, that’s why. Second of all, like last year, I’m going to try to keep this year’s list to the songs that were hits this year, not just the high-ranking carryovers from 2012.

Thirdly, and this is more of a sidenote than anything, but this was a weird list to put together this year. In past years, there was a skew toward an easier time with the worst or the best, but this year, I kind of struggled with both–this was a fairly “eh” year for the charts. For the most part, we’ve weeded out the LMFAOs and Far East Movements of the pop charts, and they’ve been replaced by something…blander. But, don’t worry, there was plenty to roll your eyes at in 2013, starting with…

Dishonorable Mention (11.): Darius Rucker – “Wagon Wheel” (#54)
Question number one when making “worst ____” is does it go on the list because it pisses me off the most, or because it’s the worst? I generally err toward the latter, but could not in good consciousness leave “Wagon Wheel” unmentioned. If you’re a Darius Rucker fan–well, first of all, your existence means I owe someone a bit of money–but know that my issue is less with him, and more with the material at hand. “Wagon Wheel”, the song by walking Cracker Barrel ad Old Crow Medicine Show, is one of maybe five songs that I will unconditionally and irrevocably hate from here until the end of time. Like, seriously, my idea of Hell is a jukebox with nothing but this faux-yeehaw, squeaky clean, middle adulthood escape fantasy on it. Rucker’s cover is a serviceable take on the original, but still worse because he added an entire fucking minute onto the song, meaning that I have to listen to it that much longer. Chuck this thing in the Mississippi River, and never let it get found again.


10. Baauer – “Harlem Shake” (#4)
Let me say this upfront: “Harlem Shake”‘s placement here isn’t a reflection on the meme it spawned.

In fact, before I started listening to the Hot 100 for this list, I even forgot “Harlem Shake” existed. But, as soon as I heard that “CON LO TERRORISTA” shout again for the first time in half a year, I felt a wave of nausea as everything in me said “never again”; eight months later, and I am still Harlem Hungover. Even as EDM, “Harlem Shake” isn’t stellar: it blows its load far too early (everything you need to hear is in those first 30 seconds), and it never builds or shifts any over its runtime. It just builds toward one admittedly kinda cool drop, and then spends forever and a day flopping around, like someone in its videos.


9. Imagine Dragons – “Demons” (#62) 
In 2012, Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney made a comment that mainstream rock was in the can because people were ok with the biggest band in the world being shit (full disclosure: he was talking about Nickelback). As of 2013, mainstream rock seems to be in the can because people are ok with the biggest band in the world not wanting to be a rock band. I mentioned this in my review for “Radioactive”, but Imagine Dragons sound more like the idea of a band than an actual one. The less polite way of saying this is that they are painfully generic, and that’s never come back to bite them like it does on “Demons”. “Demons” is a black hole of a song that comes across as a faded Xerox of Coldplay at their most maudlin; it leaves exactly nil as a lasting impression. The chorus is limp, the melodies are weak, and the lyrics are completely forgettable–this sounds closer to Katy Perry snoozefest “Unconditionally” than a rock song. Who’d have thought a song called “Demons” would be so light?


8. Taylor Swift – “22” (#71)
I need to talk to someone in charge, because I don’t think I got the same 22 that Taylor Swift did. My friends and I ditched the cool kids’ scene because their bar has a cover, and IHOP for breakfast at midnight is deceptively expensive. When I look back at being 22, I think of large chunks of it being fun, but those fun times were a result of everything not being shit for once, not this cooing Thought Catalog schlock. The music even has that overly chipper, “I have all the answers” bland warmness to it; with the dopey I-IV-V chord progression and big, bright synth in the chorus, it sounds more like the opening theme for a Disney channel show than anything else–this just sounds like someone’s saccharine idea of Fun instead of actual fun. But, it’s the first time that Taylor Swift explicitly talks about wanting to bed someone, so there’s that.


7. Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment” (#36)
I can’t believe we’re still giving faceless “I’m so great” club pop the go ahead in 2013. “Feel This Moment” drew the short straw for being on this list, but it doubles as a stand in for “Pour It Up”, “Scream & Shout”, “I Cry”, and songs like “Work, Bitch” that didn’t make the year-end cut. It’s empty headed, graceless, and not even that much fun to dance along to; this is just DJ filler for when everyone’s hitting the bar. Pitbull’s his typical moronic “let’s keep the party going!” self, and Christina, desperate to be part of a hit, belts the hook devoid of all personality and presence. “Feel This Moment”‘s only defining characteristic is a lazy, bastardized “Take on Me” sample that isn’t even rage worthy, making this a tired song in a dead horse genre. It’s over, club pop. It’s not us, it’s you. Leave the charts, take the cannoli. Pack your knives, and go. Run. Run away, and never return. Shit, who am I kidding? I might as well RSVP this slot for “Timber” next year.


6. Passenger – “Let Her Go” (#97)
I’m actually a little impressed that “Let Her Go” managed to bag a spot on the year-end list, mostly because it saves me the trouble of having to wait another whole year to make fun of this whiny, inert piece of tear-soaked acoustic guitar rock. Break up songs admittedly have an uphill climb, but “Let Her Go” is just pathetic–Passenger sounds like Kenny G could probably beat him up for his lunch money. In addition to being poorly written/sung/made, it’s so clearly reaching for this mind-shattering gravitas and importance (see: the fade out where Passenger mumbles “And you let her go…” one last time in utter silence) that it has no possible way of getting. It’s just too…waffling as a song to work; the lyrics are sad and weepy, but the music is upbeat and downright cutesy. Please God, let this be a one hit wonder.


Listmas 2013
December 16th: Favorite Albums
December 17th: 10-6 Worst Hits of the Year
December 18th: 5-1 Worst Hits of the Year
December 19th: 10-6 Best Hits of the Year
December 20th: 5-1 Best Hits of the Year
December 21st: The Gibby Fifty–My 50 Favorite Songs of the Year
December 22nd: Odds and Ends

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Top Ten Favorite Albums of 2013

Posted on December 16, 2013 by bgibs122

Welcome to Listmas 2013, where Ranting About Music counts down the best there was of this past year. Today, we’re kicking the week off by looking at my favorite albums of the year!

It’s been interesting to see publications/blogs change the language of their year-end lists. The typical “best” still shows up, although “favorite” has been gaining popularity, as has the vaguely amiable “top”. For my part, I always think of it as “favorite”, because that’s what these are: my favorites. Inevitably, there’s something better out there somewhere, but these are the albums that made an impact with me, and stuck with me throughout the year. And in 2013, there were a lot of them–I’ve done lists of 5 to 7 for 2010, 11, and 12, but I had to expand the field to ten this year, just because I couldn’t parse it down anymore. Enjoy!

10. Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
I don’t think anyone was surprised that Trent Reznor reformed Nine Inch Nails, but I don’t think anyone expected them back this soon, or this good. On Hesitation Marks, Reznor puts forth his most sophisticated material that feels like a culmination of what he’s done before both in and out of Nine Inch Nails while still exploring new sounds. It never gets as heavy as some of the group’s other material, but then again, old NIN didn’t do much as nuanced as “Copy of A” or as taut as “All Time Low”. Throw in a few alt rock singles (“Came Back Haunted”) and sky’s the limit ballads (“I Would For You”), and Nine Inch Nails has entered their legacy years still making some of their best work.

9. Savages – Silence Yourself
The mainstream will likely regard 2013 as the year of neo-folk, but it was a heavy year just left of the dial, and few did loud better than London post-punk group Savages on their debut album Silence Yourself. It’s a testament to the band’s skill that Silence Yourself doesn’t burn itself out–there’s not a quiet spot to be found  until closer “Marshal Dear”, which still keeps the unending sense of tension. Those first ten songs are overstuffed with punishing riffs and some of the best bass playing I heard all year, not to mention raw anger and aggression that’s not so much convincing as it is compelling. Buzz bands are a dime a dozen, Savages is sure to prove something different. So shut up, and listen.

8. Paramore – Paramore
Losing two founding members would gut most bands, but for Paramore, the departure of the Faro brothers was a cleansing. Paramore granted my long-standing wish for Paramore to be this decade’s Blondie or No Doubt: a niche group that jumped from their sinking-ship genre to be a free-wheeling power pop group that dabbled in a little bit of everything. There’s still plenty of pop-punk to be had, but Paramore excels when the band takes adventures, like the glam stomp of “Fast in My Car”, the 80s soul on “Ain’t It Fun”, and the New Wave pop ecstasy of “Still Into You”. Paramore is the sound of a group with renewed passion discovering how far they can push themselves, and it’s an utter treat to watch what they can do.

7. Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time
A great deal was written this year about the “monogenre”–the point where artists so thoroughly blend together aspects of different genres into one style that it becomes a singularity. The conversation has focused on Lorde or HAIM, but Night Time, My Time is my favorite of the bunch. The electro-pop/rock/hip-hop of Sky Ferreira’s debut is a little rougher around the edges, and has a hint of desperation to it; Ferreira’s faced a number of personal battles to get the album finished, and she sounds committed in a way her peers don’t. On top of that, the music is absolutely stellar: Night Time, My Time boasts some of the strongest pop hooks from “Boys” to “You’re Not the One” to “I Will”, while still hitting hard. And, of course, Ferreira’s vocals seal the deal from start to finish. There were multiple pop letdowns this year, but Night Time, My Time more than makes up for them.

6. Kanye West – Yeezus
“Soon as the like you, make’em un-like you!” West snarls on “I Am a God”, and it might as well be Yeezus‘ statement of intent. Yeezus is one of the year’s most outright unfriendly albums; West spends the 40 minute runtime at his angriest, most paranoid, most depraved, and most absurd (“HURRY UP WITH MY DAMN CROISSANTS”), while the music is loud and abrasive behind him. And it works. From the onslaught of “On Sight” and “Black Skinhead” to the twisted but beautiful outro of “Hold My Liquor” to the failed romance/”Strange Fruit” sampling epic of “Blood on the Leaves” and ending on the distorted romance of “Bound 2”, Yeezus is an utterly bizarre, musically delirious trip through Kanye’s mind that I couldn’t stop listening to all year.

5. Allison Weiss – Say What You Mean
There are some records that fit certain moods, and then there are records that somehow fit every mood, and Say What You Mean falls into the latter camp. There’s plenty of catchy power-pop to be had for when you need a pick me up, a few slower, more somber cuts, and plenty of heart to go around. Weiss’ greatest of her many strengths is that she’s an immediately likeable performer; even if you aren’t in the exact same situations she is in her songs, you just get what she’s talking about. Say What You Mean spins tales of romance and loneliness, but it’s never a downer–hell, it’s one of the peppiest albums of the year. Weiss is still young in her career, and I can’t wait to hear what comes next.

4. The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation
“Existential 20-something angst” could practically be its own subsub-genre in pop punk, but then you hear an album like The Greatest Generation, and you realize why everyone wants to make something that good. A 50 minute outpouring of free-wheeling emotion and immaculately made pop-punk, The Greatest Generation leaves behind some of TWY’s previous sububan sad sack baggage behind for broader themes of family and finding your purpose in life–of feeling stuck while not knowing where you need to go. If the music wasn’t so lively, the concept might sink, but from pop-punk barnburners like “Passing Through a Screen Door” and “Teenage Parents” to slower numbers like “Dismantling Summer”, “The Devil In My Blood Steam”, and seven minute, operatic closer “I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral”, The Greatest Generation makes you want to do something, well, great.

3. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Around the 2:40 mark of Reflektor‘s title track, a distorted blurt of synth appears in the mix. The same tone is used in “Yeah” by LCD Soundsystem (Reflektor producer James Murphy’s main gig), and in both cases, it means the same thing: shit’s getting crazy. Coming after the band’s proper breakthrough–if anyone really “breaks through” anymore–with The Suburbs, Reflektor is a self-consciously weird, arty album (see: “Supersymmetry”, “Awful Sound”, “Flashbulb Eyes”) that could double as Arcade Fire’s Big Dumb Rock Album (“Joan of Arc”, “Normal Person”). The band zig-zags between fun subversion and serious art a little too gracelessly for Reflektor to hit transcendence, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t fun to hear a group try this hard to be something different.

2. My Bloody Valentine – mbv
In a year that saw a staggering number of surprise albums (obligatory Beyonce shoutout: check), none were as unexpected as mbv. After 22 years of production, mbv‘s release is a small miracle in itself, but the fact that it’s brilliant is even better. The production is to die for throughout, with the droning guitars and swooning vocals here sounding possibly better than they did on Loveless, and the band’s songwriting hasn’t lost any luster in the two decades since that album’s release. But, what elevates mbv is its last trio of songs, all of which push the band’s sound into new, punishing territory–“in another way” and “nothing is” both pack a wallop, and “wonder 2” could be described as a band falling from an airplane in the best possible way. Even without the history/baggage behind its creation, mbv is a masterpiece. Please, guys, just don’t take 22 years on the next one.

1. Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady
I don’t think anyone that’s heard of Janelle Monae doesn’t think she deserves to be bigger, and now that she’s 2 for 2 on ace records, it’s getting harder to ignore her. The Electric Lady is a little more accessible than 2010’s The ArchAndroid, but Monae’s impeccable songcraft is just as strong here as it was there. From orchestrated suites to infectious singles to emotional slow jams, there’s not a note out of place on the album (especially the murderously tight rhythm section), and the thing has like, nine songs that would be my favorite song on a lesser album. The Electric Lady nails every one of its targets: it’s conceptually solid, masterfully created, and infinitely listenable. Check this one out, it’s far and away my favorite for the year.

Listmas 2013
December 16th: Favorite Albums
December 17th: 10-6 Worst Hits of the Year
December 18th: 5-1 Worst Hits of the Year
December 19th: 10-6 Best Hits of the Year
December 20th: 5-1 Best Hits of the Year
December 21st: The Gibby Fifty–My 50 Favorite Songs of the Year
December 22nd: Odds and Ends

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2014 Grammy Nominees and Predictions

Posted on December 8, 2013 by bgibs122

Adding to the year-end list madness, the Grammys–self-proclaimed as “Music’s Biggest Night”–announced their nominations for the 2014 ceremonies yesterday. Yeah, the Grammys threaten to slide into irrelevance every year, but there’s always some “how did they pick that?” morbid curiosity, and easy shots to land at the association as the personification of a slightly dweeby, out of touch point-dexter, which are almost entertaining enough in themselves. Anyway, here are the nominations/my predictions for the major categories.

Record of the Year
Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
Lorde – Royals
Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven
Robin Thicke ft. TI and Pharrell – Blurred Lines
“Record of the year” refers to production values and engineering; which song had the best “sound”. Two songs embraced the sound of the future, while two ran for the comfort of the past. Only one hit both, and it’s the luxuriously produced “Get Lucky”. Sidenote: this category doubles as “the five 2013 songs that will never, ever go away”.

Album of the Year
Sara Bareilles – The Blessed Unrest
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A A.d. city
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
Taylor Swift – Red
The schedule to be considered for the Grammys runs from October 2012 to September of 2013, hence why 3/5 of the category is from last year. No matter who actually wins, the association looks good with these choices: T.Swift, Daft Punk, and Sar-Bare are all safe picks from an institutional standpoint, Kendrick is a great one for relevance, and Macklemore gets “progressive” points (he also gets all the “white guy rapper” perks that Em gets, but sans Em’s baggage). I’m gonna guess Macklemore for the award, although he’s probably fourth in terms of actual quality.

Song of the Year
P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – Just Give Me a Reason
Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven
Katy Perry – Roar
Lorde – Royals
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – Same Love
The only of the “Big Three” categories that ended up as a lose/draw this year. In a somewhat meh field, I’m going to go with “Same Love” for the message, with “Royals” as a second pick. The Grammys have a history of shunning Mars, and “Roar” and “Reason” are far too sleepy for consideration.

Best New Artist
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: there is no discernible reason for Lorde to not be included here. “Royals” is up for three awards, and Pure Heroine is up for Best Pop Vocal Album; she has enough pull for this to be a snub. Kendrick is apparently this year’s designated Coo Kid Choice, and I’d love to see him win, but I feel like the Mack is going to bag this one.

Best Pop Vocal Album
Lana Del Rey – Paradise
Lorde – Pure Heroine
Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Jukebox
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience – The Complete Experience
Lorde deserves to walk away with this one clean. Pure Heroine wasn’t without flaws, but it’s a solid album in a category where most everything else could be described as “uneven” if you’re being generous. The only thing that might get in her way is JT’s clout, although 20/20 pt. 2 might have burned through enough of his critical goodwill.

Best Dance/Electronica Album
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Disclosure – Settle
Calvin Harris – 18 Months
Kaskade – Atmosphere
Pretty Lights – A Color Map of the Sun
The dance/electronica category’s always worth a looksee, mostly because EDM is in the same “Idk, is this what the kids listen to?” Grammy ghetto that rap spent most of the 90s in. As fun as it’d be to see Disclosure go from slumming it in UK garage to Grammy winners in one album, I have a feeling Daft Punk will get this one, or maybe Calvin Harris if the Grammys want to go with a more radio-friendly choice.

Best Rock Album
Black Sabbath – 13
David Bowie – The Next Day
Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull
Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day
Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork
Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
I could gripe about the half dozen or so missed nominations here in favor of a fucking Led Zeppelin live album from a 2007 concert (what, did Robert Plant want a new summer house?), but I guess the Grammys had to dump all of their classicism somewhere. I could see Black Sabbath getting the win just because 13 was generally better than expected, but some similar could be argued for The Next Day. I’d be happiest to see …Like Clockwork walk away with it, but it’s probably gonna be safe with Led Zeppelin. 

Best Alternative Music Album
Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
The National – Trouble Will Find Me
Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Vampire Weekend – Vampires of the Modern City
Another category where any of these could be justified. My gut is gonna say Neko Case because she has the vaguely folkie, singer-songwriter vibe that the Grammys tend to drool over.  Tame Impala have something similar going in the throwback category, so they’re likely my second pick. Either way, this might be my favorite category overall.

Best Rap Album
Drake – Nothing Was the Same
Jay Z – Magna Carta…Holy Grail
Kendrick Lamar – Good kid, m. A. A. d. city
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
Kanye West – Yeezus
Even though I perceive Macklemore being the frontrunner, I’m gonna vote Kendrick Lamar on this one. Good kid made waves for the better part of two years, and while Macklemore’s been a hit, he’s mostly been confined to singles. Yeezus walking away with it wouldn’t out of sheer critical brute strength wouldn’t shock me, but it wouldn’t be Kanye’s first snub. Just please, not Macklemore.

Grab the rest of the nominees here, and tune in to the Grammys next month!

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