“Bangarang,” Skrillex (Big Beat/Atlantic)

When Esperanza Spalding was announced as a nominee for Best New Artist in advance of last year’s Grammy Awards, she was universally dismissed as a non-contender against her much-better-known competition that included Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence + The Machine and Mumford & Sons.

Of course, Spalding won — which is still a head-scratcher, frankly.

At any rate, some mainstream observers might mistakenly regard Skrillex as this year’s Esperanza Spalding, a Best New Artist nominee against the Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole and Nicki Minaj. Yet don’t be surprise if Skrillex, aka Sonny Moore, is revealed as the winner at the Feb. 12 show.

Major clue: Skrillex landed five nominations, including for Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronica Album, which clearly indicates that Grammy voters recognize his trailblazing in electronic music, even if millions have never heard of him.

Unlike the other Best New Artist nominees, Skrillex has unquestionably advanced his genre.

But where are his pioneering ways leading? His latest release, “Bangarang,” doesn’t really indicate.

Skrillex is typically categorized in the “dubstep” subgenre of electronica, but the label only fitfully suits him. For the uninitiated, his sound generally smashes together elements of a chopped-up dance song and overwhelmingly aggressive synthetic assaults and bass drops. Traditional continuity is out the window and vocals are rarely more than minor props, if they’re even used: This listener experience is all about marveling at the man and his machine(s), something equivalent to watching a champion playing a videogame (and often just as disengaging). Some have a primal response to his jarringly disjointed drama, while others struggle to make any emotional connection to the austere commotion.

“Bangarang” hijacks its listeners in typical Skrillex fashion, skittering about between aural air raids in a gamer’s claustrophobic realm of faux sirens, slapping beats and random vocals. Apart from the penultimate track “Summit,” featuring alluring vocals by Ellie Goulding, and a surprising “orchestral suite” finale, “Bangarang” is similar, too similar, to Skrillex’s previous work.

If he’s going to prove worthy of Best New Artist, Skrillex is going to have to step up his innovation — dubstep or not.

Rating (five possible): 3