Death Cab grammy nom

Blogger warning: What follows is a disorganized stream of thought.

You've probably heard by now that Death Cab For Cutie snagged a grammy nomiation for "Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal." Their competitors in the category are a motley crew of artists... the nominees are:

My Humps, Black Eyed Peas
I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Death Cab for Cutie
Over My Head (Cable Car), the Fray
Is It Any Wonder?, Keane
Stickwitu, Pussycat Dolls

On one hand, I suppose it's encouraging that three of the five nominees (DCFC, The Fray and Keane) are not prefab, disposable pop groups. On the other hand, anyone want to place bets against either Black Eyed Peas or Pussycat Dolls? The Peas are a group that I can occasionally appreciate, and they've done a few songs that I've genuinely enjoyed when I come across them on the radio dial. But, seriously, my humps is definately among the worst songs written in the past decade. And don't get me started on the Pussycat Dolls... But, in this race, my money is on one of the two.

Anyway, complaining about the Grammys is like shooting fish in a barrel. So, I won't bore you with more there. Rather, I want to comment on the interesting shift that DCFC has experienced. Namely, last year they were in the "alternative album" category and this year it's the "pop song" category. I suppose that's reflective of their success with the Plans album and a lucrative 2006 in general. But, it's interesting to look at the 2007 alternative album nominees:

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Arctic Monkeys
At War With the Mystics, the Flaming Lips
St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley
Show Your Bones, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Eraser, Thom Yorke

Perhaps it's perspective. But, one might argue DCFC still belongs here moreso than the pop song category. Now, I know the latter is recognizing songs and the former is recognizing albums, and I know that Plans was already a 2006 alternative album nominee. It's all still kind of facinating to watch.

I suppose the nomination itself is an award, of sorts, as it seems to recognize a certain plateu of success has been reached. So, in the end, a hearty congrats to DCFC on their nomination. I'll be pulling for you on the inside, while recognizing that fergie's humps may just be insurmountable, if you know what I mean.