Grammys Preview & Predictions

Tonight, the 56th annual Grammy awards will be held to look at back at the best in music of 2013. Or, to be more accurate, the best in music from October 2012 through September 2013, due to the September 30th cutoff date for albums to be considered for nomination. This stipulation means that some of the year's most celebrated releases, including Lorde's Heroine and Arcade Fire's Reflektor, won't be eligible until next year's Grammys. This is a pretty big flaw in a system that's already struggling, judging by the confusing nature of and general displeasure with what's been nominated. Today, I will be using the less-than-revolutionary format of "what will win" vs. "what should win" (with an added twist of "who wasn't nominated) to look at how several major categories may pan out this evening. Then, I'll be talking about performances and other parts of the show to look forward to. A list of all nominees & performers can be found here.Without further delay, here's this year's Grammy awards preview.

Album of the Year
The Blessed Unrest - Sara Bareilles
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City - Kendrick Lamar
The Heist - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
Red - Taylor Swift
Who should win:
Daft Punk's album was great. A cool fusion of dance, disco, electronic, funk, and pop, it produced some of the year's best singles in "Doin' It Right," "Lose Yourself to Dance," and of course the inescapable "Get Lucky." "Instant Crush" featured Strokes singer Julian Casablancas on vocals and rode a tasty groove, and "Contact" closed out the record in an epic, fiery blaze. Of these five, Daft Punk's album was the most enjoyable. I wouldn't mind if Kendrick won either; it was one of the best-received rap albums of this Grammy cycle, and it'd be nice for the Grammy awards to finally give a hip-hop artist Album of the Year honors for the first time since Outkast won in 2004 for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
Who will win:
Neither of those two. The Grammys are notorious for playing it safe in this category, as evidenced by past victories by  Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, and Christopher Cross over the likes of Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, U2, and Pink Floyd. Macklemore will probably take this, as the voters will think they're giving a hip-hop album some recognition when really The Heist is mostly full of pop songs. Swift has a chance, but I think the amount of time that's passed since the actual release of her record (October 22, 2012) will hurt her cause. If Bareilles wins, it'd shock everyone, as nobody expected her to be nominated at all.
Who wasn't nominated:
My favorite album of 2013, Reflektor, didn't come out in time to be considered for AotY honors. I honestly wouldn't have expected it to be nominated either, though their win for The Suburbs maybe left the door open for a repeat. One record I honestly expected to see, however, was Modern Vampires of the City. That album was superb; it was also pretty universal, as I have trouble imagining anybody who wouldn't be entertained by this record. I even though it had a shot at winning, but unfortunately its not an option. I also think Kanye's Yeezus should be nominated, if not for its merit as a unique rap album then simply for its boldness.

Albums of the Week: "Shelter" by Alcest and "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" by Against Me!

This week, two different albums caught my attention for two completely different reasons. One is a shimmering piece of shoegazing bliss, the other is a soul-bearing punk record that punches you in the teeth and pulls at your heartstrings. Shelter is French-bred Alcest's best work yet, as the band strays further and further away from its black metal roots. Transgender Dysphoria Blues' title states up front the issues discussed in the album's lyrics; the first Against Me! release since singer Laura Jane Grace began living as a woman. Obviously, there are some hugely emotional and personal topics for Grace to sing about, and she lets it fly on Transgender Dysphoria Blues. I've decided today to review both albums because I think each one is special for varied, but equally important reasons: Shelter sounds beautiful, while the content on Transgender Dysphoria Blues makes it one of the most unique, raw, and important albums in a long, long time.