[Mixtape] Grammy 2008 Edition

It's Media Month here at Life in Boxes, where we will be focusing on and highlighting various media-related things in our features and regular posts. Music is of course a big part of media, and the 50th annual Grammy Awards are this Sunday, Feb 10th (check local listings, in the NYC area it will air on CBS2 at 8PM). They haven't really confirmed who will be performing, but I'm guessing they'll have big names on hand, since it's the 50th year. Most of the nominees are probably songs/artists you're sick and tired of already (only records released from Oct 06 to Sept 07 are eligible). But in preparation and in celebration, I've compiled some of the standout artists/songs worth another listen.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Like a Star
Not as ubiquitous or as radio-friendly as her debut single Put Your Records On, but it's one of the best songs off her album. It's mellow, lovely, and lyrical. This song is nominated for Song of the Year.


Feist - I Feel It All
Leslie Feist is nominated for the Best New Artist award, even though she's been in the music industry for years. She came into the spotlight in 2007 with her album The Reminder (nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album), which spawned 1,2,3,4 (nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance). The entire album is so good, but I Feel It All is my favorite.


Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running
Montreal band Arcade Fire is sort of hard to place in a category. They're punk-rock, indie folk, string pop- basically, whatever you name, they kind of are. The Grammys chose to recognize them in the Best Alternative Music Album category. I love this song, and apparently a lot of other people do too- it's been covered by the Foo Fighters and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.


Lily Allen - Alfie
A Brit-pop import who's had her fair share of tabloid exposure, I feel like she's been overshadowed by the other Brit-pop import with her fair share of problems, Amy Winehouse. Lily's album Alright, Still is one of my favorites, full of fun, feisty sounds and her knack for storytelling through her lyrics. Unfortunately, unlike Ms. Winehouse, Lily is only nominated in the Best Alternative Album category. The song Alfie is a gem, and while musically it sounds like it could be a song for little children, it's actually about her pot-smoking brother who can't get his life together.


Glen Hansard & Maketa Irglova - Falling Slowly (Once Soundtrack)
Once is a modern-day musical from Ireland, and this is the Grammy and Oscar nominated song from that film. Singers and newbie actors Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova have great chemistry, both on film and in music. This is a great song off the soundtrack, and the film is definitely worth checking out. The Once soundtrack has consistently been on iTunes top 10 albums for the past couple of months.