Music

[Rant] Why I Hate The Grammy Awards

Published

12 years ago

February 13, 2012

Photo Courtesy

Disclaimer: I did not watch the Grammy Awards nor did I follow the goings on with any sense of scrutiny. These observations are purely personal in nature and might seem a tad disjointed.

Ah, the Grammy Awards. A celebration of the previous year in music. An opportunity for some of the most popular and well-respected musicians to come together and recognize the works of each other. It’s a time to see what true musicians have accomplished and enjoy the anticipation of what the next year will bring. It is also a time to aim the spotlight on up and coming artists who show great promise, ones that will add to the splendor that is music.

Oh wait, that’s what it should be. Instead, what we have is a big circle jerk where known musicians fawn over each other and the public gets to see more of what they’ve been seeing for the past year. Wonderful.

As you can tell, I have some serious issues with the Grammy Awards. So, I’m going to rant about them for a little bit! Warning: strong opinions lie below.

Reaction to Adele winning “Album of the Year”, “Song of the Year”, and “Record of the Year”:

Why are we rejoicing that a real singer is winning awards when we should be mourning that she was pretty much our only choice? No offense to Adele, she’s a fantastic singer and all, but if I hear Rolling in the Deep one more time, I might just go insane. We should be demanding more true musicians, ones that actually know their craft and are able to perform without needing to rely on computers or lip-syncing (I’m looking at you Madonna). Adele put her throat on the line, literally, to be able to continue her craft and passion. She also puts her music well above her physical image and that should be just as highly commended. Here’s a tip Grammy Awards: I don’t care what the artists look like. I care what their music sounds like.

Reaction to Foo Fighters winning “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance”:

Y’know what? Good job Foo Fighters! White Limo is a hell of a song and definitely fits under the category of “Hard Rock”. But why should “hard rock” and “metal” be combined as one category? Hey, I’ve got an idea Grammy Awards! To make next year a bit more interesting, how about you combine “Best Pop Album”, “Best R&B Album”, and “Best Rap Album” into one category? That seems completely fair to the people who listen to those genres! Oh, I’m sorry. Did my sarcasm not come off strongly enough?

Here, let me put it a bit more plainly for you. Would you, even for an instance, say that Pink and Eminem should be in the same category? What about Mumford & Sons against Nicki Minaj? No? That’s because they shouldn’t be matched up against each other. To say that “hard rock” and “metal” are one and the same is a slap in the face to fans of both genres. These are two VERY different genres and both should be recognized and celebrated as such. Prove that you have actual experts working behind the scenes who know how to differentiate the two, would ya?

Next on my rant is issue that video game composers seem to be left completely out of the ceremony. Oh sure, there was Christopher Tin‘s Baba Yetu from Civilization IV which won a Grammy last year. However, the thing was that the song wasn’t recognized for being on a video game soundtrack. Nope, it was on an album that won “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists”. That doesn’t sound anywhere close to a “Best Video Game Music” category. To say that there have been musical cues in video games that have thrilled, terrified, and excited me is an understatement. These composers come up with magic, pure and simple. I’d like to see them recognized for it.

Also, here’s a big issues I have with the Grammy Awards and their award system: why don’t they look further into foreign music for nominations? Yes, I realize that Adele is British. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a moron. However, looking at some of the other big name nominees, almost all of them identify as American musicians. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad but began her musical career here in the States. J. Cole was born in Germany but moved to the States before he was even a year old. In the “Record of the Year” category, only Mumford & Sons are not American artists. Guess where they’re from. Give up? Britain. Hi Adele!

The amount of astonishing music that comes from around the world is astounding. For example, in the “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance”, why not look towards the Scandinavian scene, where there are COUNTLESS of amazing releases every month! How about Japan? What about Africa or South America?

I throw down my gauntlet and challenge the Grammy Awards to show their love of music as being something globally inclusive rather than a gigantic popularity contest. If the Internet has proven anything it’s that people are curious and want to see what the world has to offer. You might lose a couple of million viewers the first few years, but you will gain untold amounts of respect from the REAL music community.

JonathanBarkan

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

139 Comments

Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

1 week ago

April 9, 2024

John Squires

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…