Our GRAMMY Picks for 2024
In traditional fashion, the GRAMMYs have released the official nominees list for the award ceremony a ludicrous three months early. The excitement and discussion stoked by the nomination announcements will inevitably fizzle out until the ceremony on February 4, by which time no one really cares anymore. Nonetheless, the Atlas Flux editorial team discuss in the below article our picks for the winners in 8 of the 60-odd categories.
Sorry GRAMMYs for criticising your nomination announcement system. I’m sure there’s a great reason. Please grant us a press box next year.
1. RECORD OF THE YEAR Nominees
Jon Batiste – Worship
boygenius – Not Strong Enough (AF WINNER)
Miley Cyrus – Flowers
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?
Victoria Monèt – On My Mama
Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
SZA – Kill Bill
None of the nominations here are particularly awful, though “Worship” is a remarkably average inclusion. Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio was met with a fairly lukewarm reception, though I personally liked the fun and dynamic nature of the LP. For me, “Worship” isn’t even particularly standout within the album’s tracklist, with the more afrorave inspired production on “Raindance” or the tenacious collaboration with Lana Del Rey on the closing track far more memorable offerings.
The pop scene this year has seemed particularly uninspired, and I’m not pretty nonplussed about Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, but the rest of GUTS was an enjoyable listen. Swift’s production collaboration with Jack Antanoff yielded a whole host of inspired bare-bones folk turns in the genre this year, but “Kill Bill” and “Not Strong Enough” are the only two on this list that I keep in my rotation. The latter just pips SZA’s viral hit for this one, with the nostalgic sound and warming chemistry between the boygenius trio a certified indie classic with an early 2000s aroma.
2. ALBUM OF THE YEAR Nominees
Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
boygenius – the record
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Record
Lana Del Rey - Ocean Blvd (AF WINNER)
Jannelle Monàe – The Age of Pleasure
Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
Taylor Swift – Midnights
SZA – SOS
Basically no point debating this one. I love the record, and The Age of Pleasure is fun, but Del Rey’s 2023 release just feels absolutely huge. Rolling Stone’s American Songwriter of the 21st century, she’s getting her flowers more than ever, but her work still feels dismissed and underappreciated. “A&W” is one of the best indie songs in recent history. The collaborations are perfect. The production is restrained but poignant. By far and away the best album on this list.
3. BEST NEW ARTIST Nominees
Gracie Abrams
Fred again.. (AF WINNER)
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Coco Jones
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War And Treaty
Sitting on the fence a little here. Fred Again has been one of the most endearing breakout stars of the last few years globally, and is the first real DJ in a good 20 years to be selling out concerts and festivals with the ease that he has. His versatility is also quite incredible - Secret Life with ambient legend Brian Eno was met with some scepticism from his main core of fans, but as an IDM imbiber I found the whole thing quite beautiful.
Noah Kahan is a very close second here. He’s been an unfortunate victim to engulfing TikTok-ification in recent months, but prior to that he’s released some really intricately put together country music that’s turned my head back to the genre for the first time in a while. As a result, I’ve discovered Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners, fallen back in love with Willie Nelson, and awaited the new Chris Stapleton album keenly. “Northern Attitude” and “Dial Drunk” are some of my favourite records of the year. The internet has been revived from the depths of despair since the arrival of Ice Spice, so shoutout to her too.
4. BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING Nominees
Aphex Twin – Blackbox Life Recorder 21F (AF WINNER)
James Blake – Loading
Disclosure – Higher Than Ever Before
Romy & Fred again.. – Strong
Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan – Rumble
Tight runoff between James Blake and Aphex Twin here. “Blackbox” just about pips the former to our pick, mainly because I think Blake has released better joints than “Loading” this year, and the unerring comeback on Aphex’s side is a pretty big swayer. The title track of EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21F, it’s a subtle and restrained release from the Cornwall-born messiah that marks a pleasant turn from the psychotic mismash of 2014’s Syro, and it’s a track that finds its way into my rotation pretty much daily.
5. BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC ALBUM Nominees
James Blake – Playing Robots Into Heaven (AF WINNER)
The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling
Fred again.. – Actual Life 3
Kx5 – Kx5
Skrillex – Quest For Fire
There’s a reason there was no James Blake on our 20 Songs of the Summer article, and that’s because I forgot. Playing Robots Into Heaven, from start to finish, is an electronic masterpiece. I was always under the impression that Blake gingerly dabbled in ambient music as a side hobby to complement his vocal prowess, but the production on this album is unwaveringly flawless. Opener “Asking To Break” sets the tone, so I’d strongly advise to give that a listen and then decide whether to proceed with the rest. My personal highlight is “Fire The Editor”, the climax to the coss-pollination of Blake’s vocals and angelic beats.
6. BEST RAP PERFORMANCE Nominees
Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar – The Hillbillies (AF WINNER)
Black Thought – Love Letter
Drake & 21 Savage – Rich Flex
Killer Mike, Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane – SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS
Coi Leray – Players
I do like “The Hillbillies”, but I’ve never listened to it at any point and thought “Grammy winner”. Its brilliance comes from its unserious, blasé, “recorded on the voice memos app in the back of a tour bus in 20 minutes” kind of feel. It’s a very doll and clever record, and it’s certainly the best on this list, but perhaps that’s indicative of a shifting in the eyes and ears of the mainstream radio audience away from hip-hop and the absence of particular “bangers” that you can’t escape. “Rich Flex” is another enjoyable track, but it’s at its core a hype intro track to set-up the rest of the collaboration album. “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” is a nice track but probably not deserving of the company of the aforementioned two.
7. BEST RAP ALBUM Nominees
Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss
Killer Mike – MICHAEL
Metro Boomin – HEROES & VILLAINS
Nas – King’s Disease III (AF WINNER)
Travis Scott – UTOPIA (AF WINNER)
At a bit of an impasse with this one. KD3 is absolutely brilliant, and it’s probably the best of all six “reincarnated Nas” projects since he and producer Hit-Boy became acquainted. “Thun”, “Legit”, “Reminisce” and “First Time” are up there with some of the most distinguished ‘90s Nas classics in their swagger and delivery, and it’s undoubtedly the best hip-hop release of the year from a technical perspective.
Equally, UTOPIA has its attributes. It seems rarer and rarer these days for an artist to come back from a professional hiatus and match the impossible standards set by the suspense caused, but the general consensus seems to be that the album represents an adventurous sonic progression in Scott’s career, while retaining some of the rage and banger-potion that led to Astroworld’s inclusion in end-of-year conversations back in 2018. It certainly feels like the biggest hip-hop moment of the year. It got people giddy in a way I haven’t seen in a while.
8. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM Nominees
Kelsea Ballerini – Rolling Up The Welcome Mat
Brothers Osborne – Brothers Osborne
Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan (AF WINNER)
Tyler Childers – Rustin’ In The Rain
Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country
Again, a fairly easy selection. Zach Bryan’s self-titled album is one of my favourite LPs of the year, full stop. He picks his features maturely - The War And Treaty are a pleasant inclusion and complement Bryan’s vocals and guitar seamlessly. Needless to say, Kacey Musgraves glides on “I Remember Everything”, and “Oklahoman Son” is a victorious finale. The other four nominations sound tacky in comparison.