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by Eddie Sayago
We are in the middle of my favorite season of the year: awards. There are so many awards shows and ceremonies, most of them for film and actors. Music’s so-called biggest night, the Grammy Awards, is often overlooked by some (me) awards spectators due to its usually out-of-touch picks for its trophies.
And this isn’t new. There’s a clip from the 5th season of The Simpsons where Homer tries to give away his Grammy to a bellhop who then tosses it off the balcony (“Hey, don’t throw your garbage down here.”)
The (American mainstream) music industry’s most coveted prize is the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Is is known as “The Big Award.” A lot of people can benefit from this award, and not just to put something shiny to put on a shelf.
This award is given to the artist, band or group, the producers, songwriters, the mastering engineers, the recording engineer or mixer, and featured artists. All these people get a boost in the business that will lead to attention and hopefully more work and opportunities.
Most albums return to the charts and get more sales and ears for their overall work. Admit it, you are intrigued when you see (insert award) Winner at the top of the bill, poster, or album cover. (I definitely am.)
These seven albums have won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and were found coincidentally at various record shops around town.
by Alanna Miller
Right away, Squid’s 'Crispy Skin' deceives the listener. The composition is uptempo with keyboard that recalls Mario Kart sounds. The drum marches fast and the keys and synths build to draw you into a magical world. Then, primary vocalist Ollie Judge’s voice appears like spoken word in a manner that feels creepy, like an enunciated whisper. He’s playful and toying with you. 'Am I the bad one?/ Yep, yes, I am.'
The vocal delivery is sometimes pouty and sometimes emphatic. The instruments are played as if in conversation with Judge, playful riffs snuck in between lyrics. The rapid tonal shifts feel dizzying and manipulative. Altogether, the song feels like you’re watching an acid-washed 80s horror movie where everything seems just fine...until it isn’t.
Over two minutes into the track, the song slows down almost to a stop, building palpable tension. Judge chants to you, taunting, which is perhaps the first time you realize the title of the song you’re listening to is "Crispy Skin." You can’t hide from it when every syllable is enunciated over acoustic instrumentals.
As the music builds back up, your excitement grows. You’ve fallen down the rabbit hole now. You don’t even mind that this song is about cannibalism.
Squid tells a story that feels intoxicating. The music is cinematic, and the lyrics are daring. The record has a certain of Montreal experimental art rock sound that is wonderfully weird and masterful. Also I’m a Scorpio, so anything with a scorpion on it will appeal to me.
Cowards, the third album release from the British post-punks, is a concept album, with each song exploring stories about the macabre. Suffice to say, it will surely be a scary good release.
by Alanna Miller
Blondshell’s ‘T&A’ is Sabrina Teitelbaum at her best. The second single released from the artist’s sophomore record If You Asked for a Picture has all the markers of what Blondshell listeners have come to expect.
There’s a blatant, 'I won’t take your sh*t,’ attitude combined with a '90s pop-rock sound that recalls the music of Sinead O’Connor, Liz Phair, and Alanis Morsiette. Plus, she’s a skilled storyteller ("Salad" is my generation’s "Goodbye Earl.") and isn’t afraid to get raw. Many songs off her debut discussed themes like self-worth, casual sex, and sobriety with a poetic finesse that has become a Blondshell signature.
"T&A" and its companion single, "What’s Fair," achieve an impressive level of consistency in both sound and appeal to Blondshell’s self-titled debut released in 2023. With a witty, indignant rock anthem, Teitelbaum finds in "T&A" affirmation that she is right in her lane.
The title of the song, '"T&A"- an acronym more often used by rappers than girl rockers- is an overt reference to the sexual objectification of women. The lyrics describe feelings of shame, desire, and perversion. 'But I started taking my shirt off/ and facing the wall,' she laments.
And then it bursts. In the chorus, Teitelbaum belts 'Why don’t the good ones love me?' emoting the desperation felt when lust and toxicity combine. But our narrator’s not entirely innocent in all this. After all, she’s "Letting him in." Sometimes, we just can’t pull ourselves away from a harmful love, which is what makes "T&A"s' lyrics so provocative.
"T&A" is clever, somewhat pessimistic, and evokes angry, slicing, rock n’ roll feelings in a manner that is a natural extension from her debut. If You Asked for a Picture, set to be released in May, will surely be a highlight of the year.