Liveblogging the 2014 Grammys

7:17 Smart move by Lorde to put a different spin on a song that people have a hundred times over by now. Sparse, haunting and with plenty of room to show what she can do vocally. It also sends a message that she's interested in sticking around for a while.

7:25 Closing in on the half-hour mark and only one award has been handed out. I could think of several awards that I would rather see than a Hunter Hayes performance.

7:40 Katy Perry and Juicy J take the stage for "Dark Horse." Never been too high on the song, but the performance featured some interesting set pieces. Very witch influenced. Unfortunately I'm still not sold on the song.

Grammy Winner Predictions for 2014

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will air this Sunday on CBS. As always, here's who I think will take home some hardware. Check back here during the ceremony for my live blog of the event.


Record of the Year

Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams - "Get Lucky"
Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive"
Lorde - "Royals"
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out of Heaven"
Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams - "Blurred Lines"

Will win: Daft Punk - "Get Lucky"
Should win: "Get Lucky"
Overlooked: Kendrick Lamar - "Swimming Pools (Drank)," Kanye West - "Black Skinheads"


Album of the Year

Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest
Daft Punk- Random Access Memories
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, m.A.A.d City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist
Taylor Swift - Red

Will win: Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Should win: Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
Overlooked: Haim - Days Are Gone; Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park; Kanye West - Yeezus

Most Anticipated Albums of 2014

After plowing through my year-end lists, it's time to turn the focus onto what 2014 will bring. Along with albums that have confirmed release dates, I've also decided to include those that seem very likely to see the light of day this year. I feel that 2013 will go down as an extraordinary and very loaded year, but regardless, there's always something to look forward to as long you've got a healthy, adventurous love for music.


15. Cibo Matto - Hotel Valentine
Long-awaited comebacks were in fashion last year (My Bloody Valentine, David Bowie, Justin Timberlake) and Cibo Matto looks to continue that trend with their first new album since 1999's Stereo * Type A. A lot has changed since then, but they now find themselves in a music landscape where their trippiness might be even more welcome.




14. Clipse's fourth album
What could possibly be bigger news than Pusha T rejoining his brother No Malice in the recording studio? The fact that Pharrell Williams AND Chad Hugo will be joining them. The output with these four men has always been strong and the potential for a classic is high.