Another year, and another WTF from me as far as the Grammys go. Of course the Beyonces and Taylor Swifts garner the most nominations. That is to be expected of the songs that torture me on Top 40 radio throughout the year. Kings of Leon received several nominations for crossover hit "Use Somebody" even if Only By the Night came out last year. Not really sure why Silversun Pickups and MGMT are up for Best New Artist when SSP are on their second full length album and MGMT have been kicking around for several years as well. Gotta root for Keri Hilson in that category, just so SSP, MGMT, and The Ting Tings don't get the only curse worse than the curse of the Madden cover.
Moving on to the Rock and Alternative categories, there are some big hits and some big misses. Yay for Phoenix and Yeah Yeah Yeahs in the Alternative Album category, but a sub-par Depeche Mode album is a bit iffy. As usual, U2 and Green Day get their nominations, even if they weren't the strongest songs they have put out. Here's the categories and nominees for the Rock and Alternative categories:
Field 4 — Rock
Category 15
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Bob Dylan
Track from: Together Through Life
[Columbia]
* Change In The Weather
John Fogerty
Track from: The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
[Verve Forecast]
* Dreamer
Prince
Track from: LotusFlow3r
[NPG Records]
* Working On A Dream
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: Working On A Dream
[Columbia]
* Fork In The Road
Neil Young
Track from: Fork In The Road
[Reprise]
Category 16
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Can't Find My Way Home
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
Track from: Live From Madison Square Garden
[Reprise]
* Life In Technicolor II
Coldplay
Track from: Prospekt's March EP
[Capitol]
* 21 Guns
Green Day
Track from: 21st Century Breakdown
[Reprise]
* Use Somebody
Kings Of Leon
[RCA Records]
* I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
U2
Track from: No Line On The Horizon
[Interscope]
Category 17
Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
* War Machine
AC/DC
Track from: Black Ice
[Columbia]
* Check My Brain
Alice In Chains
Track from: Black Gives Way To Blue
[Virgin]
* What I've Done
Linkin Park
Track from: Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes
[Warner Bros.]
* The Unforgiven III
Metallica
Track from: Death Magnetic
[Warner Bros.]
* Burn It To The Ground
Nickelback
Track from: Dark Horse
[Roadrunner Records]
Category 18
Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Dissident Aggressor
Judas Priest
Track from: A Touch Of Evil — Live
[Epic]
* Set To Fail
Lamb Of God
Track from: Wrath
[Epic]
* Head Crusher
Megadeth
Track from: Endgame
[Roadrunner Records]
* Señor Peligro
Ministry
Track from: Adios...
[13th Planet]
* Hate Worldwide
Slayer
[American / Columbia]
Category 19
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)
* A Day In The Life
Jeff Beck
Track from: Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scott's
[Eagle Records]
* Warped Sister
Booker T. Jones
Track from: Potato Hole
[ANTI]
* Playing With Fire
Brad Paisley
Track from: Play
[Arista Nashville]
* Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin'
Brian Setzer Orchestra
[Surfdog Records]
* Now We Run
Steve Vai
[Favored Nations Entertainment]
Category 20
Best Rock Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)
* The Fixer
Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready & Eddie Vedder, songwriters (Pearl Jam)
[Monkeywrench; Publishers: Innocent Bystander, Jumpin' Cat Music, Theory of Color, Write Treatage Music.]
* I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge & Larry Mullen Jr., songwriters (U2)
Track from: No Line On The Horizon
[Interscope; Publishers: Universal Music Publishing, Upala Music.]
* 21 Guns
Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool, songwriters (Green Day)
Track from: 21st Century Breakdown
[Reprise; Publishers: WB Music Corp./Green Daze Music.]
* Use Somebody
Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
[RCA Records; Publishers: Martha Street Music/Songs of Combustion Music/Music of Windswept, Followill Music/Songs of Combustion Music/Music of Windswept, McFearless Music/Bug Music, Coffee, Tea or Me Publishing/Bug Music.]
* Working On A Dream
Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)
Track from: Working On A Dream
[Columbia; Publisher: Bruce Springsteen]
Category 21
Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)
* Black Ice
AC/DC
[Columbia]
* Live From Madison Square Garden
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
[Reprise/Duck]
* 21st Century Breakdown
Green Day
[Reprise]
* Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King
Dave Matthews Band
[RCA Records / Bama Rags Recordings, LLC.]
* No Line On The Horizon
U2
[Interscope]
Field 5 — Alternative
Category 22
Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
* Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
David Byrne & Brian Eno
[Yep Roc Records]
* The Open Door
Death Cab For Cutie
[Atlantic]
* Sounds Of The Universe
Depeche Mode
[Capitol]
* Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix
[Loyaute/Glassnote Records]
* It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
[DGC Records/Interscope]
Check out the full list for yourself HERE and watch January 31, 2010.