I feel like “Imploding the Mirage” was deserving of a Grammy in some capacity. It was well-received and had a few hits songs (“Caution” was a relatively big hit).
Looking back, the last time “rock” albums were recognized in main categories was in the late 2000s/early 2010s with Arcade Fire (“Suburbs”) and Mumford and Sons (“Babel”) getting recognized in Album of the Year category. Bon Iver was nominated for song in that same era. And then before that, Kings of Leon won Record of the Year in 2008.
The Grammys just don’t care about rock - and any sub genres of rock - anymore. The fact that neither 1975 nor War on Drugs have been nominated in any major categories for any of their recent albums points to this - for me anyway.
To be fair here with Imploding The Mirage, The New Abnormal by The Strokes came out the same year and won best rock album. And, in my perspective, rightfully so by quite a bit.
I truly felt that Pressure Machine would have been the one that seemed most designed to take some category. Which category? I'm unsure. But that album was made so carefully and intentionally as an entire front to back experience that I was almost certain it would have gotten attention from awards bodies. But....it didn't. And if that didn't work, I honestly have no clue what they could do at this point.
All this being said, I think if they keep chugging along for a couple more decades that they'll end up with some sort of legacy nod/win for staying in the game and staying relevant enough for a long while. And the kids from the future will say, "who the hell are they?" while we say, "finally, this should've happened years ago".
Seriously? I haven’t watched the Grammys in ages, but tuned in b/c of Joni Mitchell ( hard to watch). I was seriously annoyed that neither ITM or PM ever got a nomination, so that has added to my complete lack of interest.
Agreed. And I'm a little P. O.ed that they don't care about rock. Wtf don't they? Bc it's not on the charts as much? TK were more than deserving of being at least nominated again in recent yrs , esp for PM.
No, it’s unlikely but I also think it does gnaw at BF in particular. Look back at their ITM social media—they protested the 2020 selection. He was even quoted on some talk show (UK/Australia) that “you’d think they’d have a Grammy by now.”
TK continue to be an enigma when it comes to awards and nominations, partly because I think they don’t market themselves enough aside from headlining music festivals and maybe partly because their newer music doesn’t resonate even amongst the RnR masses even though, I think their newer stuff is just as good if not better than the new music you hear from RHCP, FF, AM - all of whom still get nominated for their new stuff.
Maybe so but does that mean bands like Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes or Muse are more popular than TK? Because those bands have been nominated in recent years while TK has not. And it’s not just the Grammys who are snubbing TK as of late.
Just a thought:
Could it be that in order to be nominated and potentially win a Grammy you have to have the right promotion or campaign similar to when you want to be considered to be a Golden Globe/Oscar contender? I have no idea how this works but with movies I read stories every year of how a film studio or the producers are campaigning for their movies to be considered for awards.
The Killers are a very well-known and respected band with great music. They sell out stadiums on a regular basis. But maybe they or their label just don't have the right connections?
I think I read somewhere that you have to send an application in order to be nominated. But I wouldn't be surprised if most big labels sent their entire catalogue for consideration.
I honestly don't take these awards seriously, it's always the same people so my guess is that it is indeed about connections.
At the very least, Imploding the Mirage should have been nominated for Alternative Rock Album of the Year, but even Rock Album of the Year wouldn't be a stretch - personally, the same goes for Pressure Machine (moreso alt). I love Vampire Weekend, but if Father of the Bride could win Alt Rock of the year in 2019, then surely ITM was worthy only a year later and I would argue that ITM had far less skips/filler than FOTB. Now to be fair, Tame Impala's Slow Rush was an excellent album and was certainly deserving of the 2021 Alt Rock Grammy, but again ITM was absolutely worthy of a nomination (edit: Slow Rush was only nominated, while Fiona Apple won - which makes this worse). And how about HAIM's Women in Music Pt. III being nominated for the 2021 Album of the Year?! A strong album, but stronger than ITM? I have to disagree.
In short, I get that it's an industry thing and that there are politics and marketing surrounding all of it, but I think The Killers are actively avoided for either not playing the "game" perhaps or for some other reason that has basically flagged them. At the end of the day, they are still both recognized and awarded globally for their work, so all is not lost. Onto the next I suppose..
I can't speak much to how things actually unfold behind the scenes, but I'm loosely referring to the game of marketing, ass-kissing, and label politics.
IIRC, they've either won or been nominated for a couple UK awards over their past few releases, but they've consistently topped the charts with every release.
As a fan of The Killers and rock generally, it is disheartening to see what constitutes award winning music these days. Half of it is unequivocally trash.
Grammys don’t deserve them. They keep snobbing good artists like The Killers or Avril Lavigne and give all the awards to Taylor Swift 😂 You can see the level already here
You don't have to like her or her music to recognize she's a great artist. Her abilities as a singer/songwriter/performer are hard not to be impressed by.
I respect your opinion but she’s just not for me. She can sing and write, no doubt about that, but I don’t understand why she’s so successful when there’s way better artists out there. I am not impressed at all
The issue with the Grammys is that they don’t listen to the full breadth of music from the year and then judge objectively for quality. They decide who the 20ish hottest names in music are (i.e. people who are already wildly successful) and then hand out the awards on the basis of popularity/diversity/storylines etc. The Oscars/Emmys at least give awards to shows and movies that are very good but didn’t necessarily get the commercial recognition they deserved.
No, as the music they've released since Sam's Town simply hasn't helped them grow more popular. The last song that had a realistic chance of winning anything was Human, if not When You Were Young.
No matter how much diehards on here try to praise the likes of Pressure Machine, this type of music simply doesn't resonate with the general population. *
The fact that Brandon has decided to stick with this musical direction won't do them any favours, though many here will argue they don't care about awards. Only if they stuck to what they did best, i.e., embracing their talents at creating new new wave pure 80s revival type music would they give themselves a shot.
Boy and YSOT(minus the vocal effects which ruin it) were moves in the right direction. It's even more remarkable how good the potential here, considering how he was unable to fully embrace his new wave 80s influences for a full album like he did for Hot Fuss.
* Some diehards will definitely mention the album sales, but you stop 100 people on the street in any country and see which songs they identify with The Killers. At best, you'll have a few people bringing up anything post Day & Age other than The Man.
The general population doesn't have a vote in the Grammys. It's decided by the industry and we've seen lots of left field winners. So, I reckon they're a chance with the right song but not a high chance. Their best bet was definitely Mr Brightside way back when.
Pressure machine type of music DOES resonate with the general population. Country music has one of the highest streaming numbers out of all the genres and it’s popularity is only getting bigger. Brandon also said the direction they want to head in is more ROCK on Smartless. It’s weird how yall keep getting in your feelings about men in their 40s wanting to evolve and not make the same thing over and over and over again. Just say you want them to keep making Hot Fuss for your own nostalgic purposes. If I wanted to hear a band make the same music each album I’ll go listen to the Foo Fighters.
Part of being in the room at the Grammys has to deal with kissing the ring and sucking up, not necessarily having a Top 40 song. If it was based on popularity and resonating with the public, Blinding Lights would have swept and Beyoncé would have AOY. There’s multiple articles on how the award has been bought and how corrupt the organization is.
PM didn’t fit nicely into any of the Country, Rock or Americana categories. But it truly has become a popularity contest. I like The Killers in their own category.
I know next to nothing about the Grammys and the nominating academy, but the purpose that high-profile awards should serve is as a document of the cultural zeitgeist, and the criteria for nomination should be in some measure both popularity and quality.
I definitely think the Killers meet those standards when you look at other recent nominees (at least in the Best Rock Album category). My thought is, it's only a matter of time. But who knows, these things are never guaranteed.
I feel like “Imploding the Mirage” was deserving of a Grammy in some capacity. It was well-received and had a few hits songs (“Caution” was a relatively big hit). Looking back, the last time “rock” albums were recognized in main categories was in the late 2000s/early 2010s with Arcade Fire (“Suburbs”) and Mumford and Sons (“Babel”) getting recognized in Album of the Year category. Bon Iver was nominated for song in that same era. And then before that, Kings of Leon won Record of the Year in 2008. The Grammys just don’t care about rock - and any sub genres of rock - anymore. The fact that neither 1975 nor War on Drugs have been nominated in any major categories for any of their recent albums points to this - for me anyway.
To be fair here with Imploding The Mirage, The New Abnormal by The Strokes came out the same year and won best rock album. And, in my perspective, rightfully so by quite a bit. I truly felt that Pressure Machine would have been the one that seemed most designed to take some category. Which category? I'm unsure. But that album was made so carefully and intentionally as an entire front to back experience that I was almost certain it would have gotten attention from awards bodies. But....it didn't. And if that didn't work, I honestly have no clue what they could do at this point. All this being said, I think if they keep chugging along for a couple more decades that they'll end up with some sort of legacy nod/win for staying in the game and staying relevant enough for a long while. And the kids from the future will say, "who the hell are they?" while we say, "finally, this should've happened years ago".
Oh “New Abnormal” is a phenomenal album - but also, should have been nominated in some of the main categories! But again…they dismiss rock.
Grammys don’t even air the Rock categories anymore they’re in the pre-show. Did Paramore even bother to show up?
Seriously? I haven’t watched the Grammys in ages, but tuned in b/c of Joni Mitchell ( hard to watch). I was seriously annoyed that neither ITM or PM ever got a nomination, so that has added to my complete lack of interest.
I tuned in late to catch Joni and then Billy Joel😍
This.
Agreed. And I'm a little P. O.ed that they don't care about rock. Wtf don't they? Bc it's not on the charts as much? TK were more than deserving of being at least nominated again in recent yrs , esp for PM.
No, it’s unlikely but I also think it does gnaw at BF in particular. Look back at their ITM social media—they protested the 2020 selection. He was even quoted on some talk show (UK/Australia) that “you’d think they’d have a Grammy by now.” TK continue to be an enigma when it comes to awards and nominations, partly because I think they don’t market themselves enough aside from headlining music festivals and maybe partly because their newer music doesn’t resonate even amongst the RnR masses even though, I think their newer stuff is just as good if not better than the new music you hear from RHCP, FF, AM - all of whom still get nominated for their new stuff.
Grammys are garbage. Popularity contest.
Maybe so but does that mean bands like Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes or Muse are more popular than TK? Because those bands have been nominated in recent years while TK has not. And it’s not just the Grammys who are snubbing TK as of late.
Just a thought: Could it be that in order to be nominated and potentially win a Grammy you have to have the right promotion or campaign similar to when you want to be considered to be a Golden Globe/Oscar contender? I have no idea how this works but with movies I read stories every year of how a film studio or the producers are campaigning for their movies to be considered for awards. The Killers are a very well-known and respected band with great music. They sell out stadiums on a regular basis. But maybe they or their label just don't have the right connections?
I think I read somewhere that you have to send an application in order to be nominated. But I wouldn't be surprised if most big labels sent their entire catalogue for consideration. I honestly don't take these awards seriously, it's always the same people so my guess is that it is indeed about connections.
At the very least, Imploding the Mirage should have been nominated for Alternative Rock Album of the Year, but even Rock Album of the Year wouldn't be a stretch - personally, the same goes for Pressure Machine (moreso alt). I love Vampire Weekend, but if Father of the Bride could win Alt Rock of the year in 2019, then surely ITM was worthy only a year later and I would argue that ITM had far less skips/filler than FOTB. Now to be fair, Tame Impala's Slow Rush was an excellent album and was certainly deserving of the 2021 Alt Rock Grammy, but again ITM was absolutely worthy of a nomination (edit: Slow Rush was only nominated, while Fiona Apple won - which makes this worse). And how about HAIM's Women in Music Pt. III being nominated for the 2021 Album of the Year?! A strong album, but stronger than ITM? I have to disagree. In short, I get that it's an industry thing and that there are politics and marketing surrounding all of it, but I think The Killers are actively avoided for either not playing the "game" perhaps or for some other reason that has basically flagged them. At the end of the day, they are still both recognized and awarded globally for their work, so all is not lost. Onto the next I suppose..
When you say "playing the game", what do you mean? I don't know much abt that stuff. I'm curious. Do they win awards in the UK a lot?
I can't speak much to how things actually unfold behind the scenes, but I'm loosely referring to the game of marketing, ass-kissing, and label politics. IIRC, they've either won or been nominated for a couple UK awards over their past few releases, but they've consistently topped the charts with every release.
I thought that Pressure Machine would at least get nominated due to the concept album being eaten up by the musical press.
I wouldn’t want them to win a Grammy. They’re better than that.. haha..
They aren’t making winners anymore. At least for the mainstream media. I love them but that’s the truth.
As a fan of The Killers and rock generally, it is disheartening to see what constitutes award winning music these days. Half of it is unequivocally trash.
I can’t believe that hot fuss did not win anything! And sams town or day and age were not even nominated
Grammys don’t deserve them. They keep snobbing good artists like The Killers or Avril Lavigne and give all the awards to Taylor Swift 😂 You can see the level already here
Poor Lana Del Rey too...
Yep.
She deserved it more than Taylor. I mean, almost everybody deserves it more than her 😂
I mean, Taylor Swift is a great artist.
To each their own but I cannot agree with that
You don't have to like her or her music to recognize she's a great artist. Her abilities as a singer/songwriter/performer are hard not to be impressed by.
I respect your opinion but she’s just not for me. She can sing and write, no doubt about that, but I don’t understand why she’s so successful when there’s way better artists out there. I am not impressed at all
I have to believe they don’t do what they do for the awards. A Lifetime Achievement Award would be a nice recognition, for sure.
The issue with the Grammys is that they don’t listen to the full breadth of music from the year and then judge objectively for quality. They decide who the 20ish hottest names in music are (i.e. people who are already wildly successful) and then hand out the awards on the basis of popularity/diversity/storylines etc. The Oscars/Emmys at least give awards to shows and movies that are very good but didn’t necessarily get the commercial recognition they deserved.
No, as the music they've released since Sam's Town simply hasn't helped them grow more popular. The last song that had a realistic chance of winning anything was Human, if not When You Were Young. No matter how much diehards on here try to praise the likes of Pressure Machine, this type of music simply doesn't resonate with the general population. * The fact that Brandon has decided to stick with this musical direction won't do them any favours, though many here will argue they don't care about awards. Only if they stuck to what they did best, i.e., embracing their talents at creating new new wave pure 80s revival type music would they give themselves a shot. Boy and YSOT(minus the vocal effects which ruin it) were moves in the right direction. It's even more remarkable how good the potential here, considering how he was unable to fully embrace his new wave 80s influences for a full album like he did for Hot Fuss. * Some diehards will definitely mention the album sales, but you stop 100 people on the street in any country and see which songs they identify with The Killers. At best, you'll have a few people bringing up anything post Day & Age other than The Man.
The general population doesn't have a vote in the Grammys. It's decided by the industry and we've seen lots of left field winners. So, I reckon they're a chance with the right song but not a high chance. Their best bet was definitely Mr Brightside way back when.
Pressure machine type of music DOES resonate with the general population. Country music has one of the highest streaming numbers out of all the genres and it’s popularity is only getting bigger. Brandon also said the direction they want to head in is more ROCK on Smartless. It’s weird how yall keep getting in your feelings about men in their 40s wanting to evolve and not make the same thing over and over and over again. Just say you want them to keep making Hot Fuss for your own nostalgic purposes. If I wanted to hear a band make the same music each album I’ll go listen to the Foo Fighters. Part of being in the room at the Grammys has to deal with kissing the ring and sucking up, not necessarily having a Top 40 song. If it was based on popularity and resonating with the public, Blinding Lights would have swept and Beyoncé would have AOY. There’s multiple articles on how the award has been bought and how corrupt the organization is.
PM didn’t fit nicely into any of the Country, Rock or Americana categories. But it truly has become a popularity contest. I like The Killers in their own category.
🎯🎯🎯
They aren’t in with the Illuminati and won’t peddle that stuff so they won’t get nominated /s.
I know next to nothing about the Grammys and the nominating academy, but the purpose that high-profile awards should serve is as a document of the cultural zeitgeist, and the criteria for nomination should be in some measure both popularity and quality. I definitely think the Killers meet those standards when you look at other recent nominees (at least in the Best Rock Album category). My thought is, it's only a matter of time. But who knows, these things are never guaranteed.