2020 Grammy Nominations

The annual Grammy nominations list is out, and as I was told this morning by the screen in our elevator, Lizzo and Billie Eilish have dominated the nominations.  Which is all very exciting, and probably correct, except for the fact that Lizzo has been making music for years, and so yet again nominating her for Best New Artist in 2020 is freaking weird.

Anyway, some random observations:

• Album of the Year somehow includes fucking Lil Nas X.  Which is unbelievable.  I mean, give the guy a nod for "Old Town Road" being the catchiest track of the year, but anyone who considers his album (the 18 minute long 7) anything other than forgettable is crazy.  Otherwise, this list is kind of whack - Bon Iver, Lana Del Rey, Eilish, Ariana Grande, H.E.R., Lizzo, and Vampire Weekend?  I guess Lizzo and Eilish are the favorites there - those two blew up this year - but that just feels like a really weak slate.
• Best new artist includes Austin band Black Pumas!  That is kind of exciting, even if likely would never happen.  Having Yola and Maggie Rogers in there is very cool as well.  BUt this one is either going to Eilish or Lizzo.
• My favorite anger-inducing piece of this announcement is always to go look at the Rock nominations and get all steamed about how dumb they look.  Best Rock Performance.  Gary Clark Jr. makes rock.  That one is OK.  Bones UK makes industrial electronic, there is no way that Karen O and Danger Mouse are making rock and roll (edit, I heard it, and its not better than any of the other retro rock things on the Black Keys album), and I've never even heard of Rival Sons.  How do they do this every year - find some unknown random band (oh no, wait, it couldn't be because this is all for profit and some agent or producer or something bought this nom?  NO way.).  It makes no sense at all that "Lo/Hi" isn't on this list.  Much less something off the new Cage the Elephant, Tool, or some other band actually playing rock and roll you have heard of.
• The Best Rock Song includes one by the 1975.  Which is 98% synth beat track and 2% high pitched guitar noodling.
• The Best Rock album has something called Bring Me The Horizon (which sounds like emo), Cage the Elephant, The fucking Cranberries, something called I Prevail, and then that same Rival Sons band.  Cranberries?  Three bands I've never heard of (and I listen to a bunch of rock and roll).  So weird.
• Alternative isn't much better - Bon Iver, James Blake, Big Thief, Vampire Weekend, and Thom Yorke.  I mean, I suppose "alternative" can mean anything, but the radio stations that we grew up on, listening to "alternative" play Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins and others in the edge of the rock world, James Blake has nothing at all to do with that world.  Bon Iver and Thom Yorke really don't either.  This is weird.
• I don't think I have ever heard any of the songs nominated for Rap Performance.  Best Rap Album nominates something called Dreamville, the yelped garbage that is Meek Mill, the mumbled trash that is 21 Savage, the confusing R&B meanderings of Tyler the Creator, and something called YBN Cordae.  Really?  Was there no good rap this entire year?

This entire thing is crazy pills.