So the Grammys are this Sunday, and before the ceremony I wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about it. Basically, I’ve mentioned my disdain for the Grammys before. They get things right about 10% of the time, with the other 90% devoted to a popularity contest rather than any sort of artistic merit. I mean, just look at the Album of the Year category, which features Sara Bareilles, Daft Punk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. Only Kendrick’s album seems worthy of that nomination, and I have little to no expectations that it will win. Of course 2011 was a landmark year, seeing as how voters actually got it right by handing the Album of the Year award to Arcade Fire (and prompting millions to ask, “Who is Arcade Fire?”). So largely for reasons of personal indifference and disdain for most of the night’s winners, I don’t watch the Grammys. This year though, they’re trying their hardest to tempt me into tuning in. Again, most of the nominees and winners don’t concern me, but they’re advertising performances from people like Daft Punk with Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar with Imagine Dragons and Paul McCartney with Ringo Starr. If someone wants to watch the ceremony for me and then edit it down to just the performances and awards that I really want to see (probably 20-ish minutes total), that would probably be most satisfying. Otherwise I’m stuck watching 3+ hours of sheer nonsense hoping that something I really want to see will happen next. So what I want to say, in a nutshell, is damn you Grammys for putting together enough of a decent lineup to make me want to watch. You’re evil geniuses. Where the real and potentially future Grammy winners can be found are in the Pick Your Poison posts. Let’s get this week started right with tracks today from Andrew Foster, Anna Rose (covering The Stooges), Engloria, Keep Shelly in Athens, Passenger Peru, Rainbow Jackson and Warm Soda. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bibio, Charli XCX, Elephant, Sam Smith, Volcanoes and Youth Lagoon.
Andrew Foster – Personal Legend
Anna Rose – Gimme Danger (The Stooges cover)
Great Hare – Rock n Roll Dreams
How to Dress Well – Teenage Spaceship (Lil Star Dweller Remix)
Keep Shelly in Athens – Old Time Glory
Moons – Bloody Mouth (Kauf Remix)
Oiseaux-Tempête – La Traversée
Rainbow Jackson – Nightcrawler
Warm Soda – Young Reckless Hearts
xSDTRK – Chaos
SOUNDCLOUD
Bibio – Down to the Sound
Charli XCX – Allergic to Love (Snuffed by the Yakuza cover)
Disclosure – Latch (La’Reda Remix)
Elephant – Elusive Youth
Sam Smith – Make It To Me
Volcanoes – When We Melodise
Youth Lagoon – Worms