Adele Returns To The Top Of The ARIA Chart

Adele returns to number one in 2012, in this week’s uninspiring (apart from Foster The People) ARIA chart.

The queen of the chart in 2011 has reclaimed her throne in 2012, 21 returning to number one this week. It’s a flashback all around (not least due to the dearth of new releases): LMFAO at number two, Reece Mastin at three, Coldplay at four and Bruno Mars at five.

Triplej’s Like a Version, Gotye’s Making Mirrors and the Black Keys shoot back up to the next three spots, with One Direction and Florence + The Machine rounding out the top ten.

The only new entries are the Chipwrecked soundtrack at 42 and Skrillex’s Bangarang EP at 44.

Unsurprisingly, Buble’s Christmas album plummeted from number one last week to number 29, but that still means people were buying it in the week after Christmas.

LMFAO’s ‘Sexy And I Know It’ retains the top spot on the Singles Chart.

But the big story is Foster The People’s incessant ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ single is finally all the way up at number two, 15 months since its initial release.

Can they make it to number one? We’ll have to wait until next week.

Skrillex is just killin’ it

Lots of usual suspects popped up on the just-released roster of Grammy nominations — Adele, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, the Foo Fighters.

But who, folks might wonder, was the wild-maned artist who calls himself Skrillex, who logged no less that five coveted nominations?

First, the 23-year-old born Sonny Moore in Los Angeles was a band member (in From First To Last), then a top-flight producer (he just finished working on the upcoming Korn album). Now, he’s a solo artist, as well, with his recent “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” nabbing a Grammy nod for Best Dance/Electronica Album.

Skrillex also got a nom for Best Music Video (“First of the Year (Equinox)”), and he now owns the honor of being the first electronic musician to ever be nominated for Best New Artist.

Chalk it up to his insane work schedule, perhaps — over the past year, Skrillex has also: released two EPs, played over 300 performances, collaborated with Kaskade, made the cover of Spin Magazine, and even launched his own “Watership Down”-inspired label OWSLA, and signed hot new artists like Bristol’s dubstep maestro Koan Sound, singer Alvin Risk, and San Francisco’s own M Machine.

The guy should be throwing one helluva crazy New Year’s party!

New Genres, Talents Keep Grammy Awards Relevant

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards are turning out to be a race between musical powerhouses. While commercial success is always a factor in the Grammy nominations, talent was clearly the ultimate decider for this year’s nominations.

Kanye West leads with seven nominations, most of them in the Rap category, but he did achieve a Song of the Year nomination with his hit “All of the Lights.” Perhaps West deserved more major nominations, especially for his critically acclaimed album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but there’s no doubt he will walk away with Grammy gold, even if it is categorical gold. Kanye’s multiple nominations prove that while the man obviously has personality issues, his musical prowess cannot be denied.

Adele and Bruno Mars each snagged 6 nominations and will go head to head for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Album. Mars has done well this year; his album Doo-Wops and Hooligans has spawned several chart-topping singles. While his lyrics may not be deeply moving, people like his music and the man has got staying power. His popularity in the music industry certainly makes him worthy of Grammy nominations.

However, Adele is definitely set up to win it all: her album 21 was a commercial and a critical darling and her hit single “Rolling in the Deep” dominated the charts this year. It is no wonder that Adele is nominated in all of the major categories, for the singer’s vocal range is out of this world and her lyrics are poignant and relatable. Adele’s combination of vocal talent and vast commercial appeal will surely guarantee well deserved Grammy night success.

Pop mainstays Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga fill out the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories as expected. While these ladies may not be the most lyrically or vocally gifted, they each have massive followings and their catchy songs define the music of our time. How could the Grammy’s recognize musical achievement without acknowledging the year’s major pop acts? Even while rewarding these entertainers with nominations, the 2012 Grammy's come with major recognition of other genres as well.

Folk band Bon Iver and rock band Mumford and Sons have each earned Song of the Year and Record of the Year nominations. Mumford and Sons’ unique blend of folk and rock, as well as their hopeful lyrics, on their hit single “The Cave” certainly deserves Grammy recognition. The peaceful melodies and soothing lyrics on Bon Iver’s “Holocene” garnered worthy acknowledgment for the band’s innovative style.

Bon Iver also earned a Best New Artist nomination along with The Band Perry, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole and (surprise!) electronic dub step group Skrillex. Skrillex actually has 5 nominations total, but the fact that an electronic group is up for Best New Artist reiterates the Grammys’ commitment to recognizing talent on all fronts, and not just in pop music.

This year’s nominations show that the Grammy's remain relevant, but are willing to reward musical achievement and talented artists across various genres. The range of artists in each of the major categories will make the 2011 Grammy Awards an interesting race to watch.

A Grammy Nominations Rundown

The 2012 Grammy nominations were released Wednesday Nov. 30:

Kanye West topped the charts receiving seven nominations, including "Song of the Year," "Best Rap Album," "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" and "Best Rap Performance."

Following West's seven nominations, Adele, Bruno Mars and Foo Fighters all received six nominations.

Coming in third in number of nominations, DJ Skrillex and rapper Lil Wayne tied with five nominations each.

Amusingly enough, this year's Grammy crowd is actually carried by one of the oldest members of the crew, West, who is 34.

With four of five of the artists up for "Album of the Year" under the age of 26, Adele, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, it seems that the Grammy Awards may finally be shifting to the younger generation of artists picking up the year's largest prizes.

Nominations for "Best New Artist" include:

Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
J. Cole
Bon Iver
The Band Perry
And for "Song of the Year:"
Adele
Bruno Mars
Bon Iver
Mumfor & Sons
Kanye West ft. Rihanna
Fergie

Despite West's impressive seven nominations, spotlights have actually been shining on Adele, as her six nominations shout loud and proud as she recovers from vocal surgery after cancelling her remaining shows for this year.

One of America's beloved sweethearts, Taylor Swift, actually slipped under the radar this year picking up only two nominations, for "Best Country Solo Performance" and "Best Country Song."

Nominations for "Best Rap Performance" include:

Lupe Fiaso
Wiz Khalifa
Nicki Minaj and Drake
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Chris Brown with Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes
And for "Best Rap Album:"
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Lil Wayne
Lupe Fiasco
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West

Two of the largest controversies surrounding this year's nominations actually include two of the top recipients, as well as America's country sweetheart once again.

The world was shocked to find out Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was not nominated for "Song of the Year," and equal emotions were felt as West and Swift both missed nominations for "Album of the Year."

According to a poll on CBS.com, fans believe Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" will end up as the "Album of the Year" winner, as all other nominees trail her high percentage in the poll. Metrolyrics.com has similar predictions; "Song of the Year Predictions" names "Rolling in the Deep" as the top contender.

Apparently, West's high number of nominations won't make a difference, according to The Atlantic. Their predictions appear quite similar to others with Adele taking home the top prizes and West's songs coming out far from the top.

Although some shocks and surprises were shared, as they are every year, this year's Grammy's look to be a competitive, exhilarating and monumental competition that will match some very talented artists up against one another.