After a while, I finally got all of the winners sorted out. So read, agree, disagree. Here they are. By the way, I did it Emmy style as far as the songs go. That means I put in five or six songs for each of the top a albums like when a series submits five or six episodes when it has series nomination. Likewise, I did the same thing with the nominees, focusing their work into one sample.
Best Album
WINNER -Transatlanicism
("A Lack of Color"&"Title and Registration","The New Year"&"The Sound of Settling","Transatlanticism"&"Passenger Seat")
For being the epitome of a groups' body of work, having a diverse quality of each song, and for simply being awesome, I crown Transatlanticism the best album in the last decade.
(Rest of the nominees)
-American Idiot
("Holiday"&"Boulevard of Broken Dreams","Letterbomb"&"Wake Me Up When September Ends", "Jesus of Suburbia")
-Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace
("The Pretender"&"Let it Die","But, Honestly"&"Erase/Replace","Stranger Things Have Happened"&"Home")
-A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
("The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage"&"London Beckoned Songs Made by Machines","Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks"&"Camisado","I Write Sins Not Tragedies"&"I Constantly Thank God for Esteban")
-Funeral
("Neighborhood #1 (Tunnel)"& "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)","Une Annie Sans Luminere"& "Wake Up", "Haiti" &"Rebellion (Lies)")
-Give Up
("The District Sleeps Alone"&"Nothing Better","Such Great Heights"&"We Will Become Silhouettes","Clark Gable"&"Brand New Colony")
-In Rainbows
("15 Steps"&"Bodysnatchers","All I Need"&"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi","House of Cards"&"Jigsaw Falling Into Place")
-Oh No
("Invincible"&"No Signs of Life","Here it Goes Again"&"Television, Television","Oh Lately It's So Quiet"&"Crash the Party")
-Once: Music from the Motion Picture
("Falling Slowly"&"When Your Mind's Made Up","If You Want Me"&"The Hill","Once"&"Say It to Me Now")
-Plans
("Marching Bands of Manhattan"&"Soul Meets Body","What Sarah Said"&"Brothers on a Hotel Bed","Different Names for the Same Thing"&"I Will Follow You Into the Dark")
Best Artist
WINNER -Green Day - American Idiot & The Postal Service - Give Up
One group made the best concept album of the decade, and it was an album that was great because it could be put into any sort of context. The other winner mixed fun, great sounded electronic music with Ben Gibbard's lyrics that are so hard not have some image conjured in your head.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Arcade Fire - Funeral
-Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
-Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace
-Ok Go - Oh No
-The Postal Service - Give Up
-The Swell Season - Once: Music from the Motion Picture
Best Body of Work
WINNER -Green Day
(Warning, Shenanigans, American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown)
For the best punk group, the best repertoire of work.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Death Cab For Cutie
(We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, The Photo Album, Transatlanticism, Plans, Narrow Stairs)
-Fall Out Boy
(Evening Out With Your Girlfriend, Take This To Your Grave, From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High, Folies a Deux")
Phoenix
(United, Alphabetical, It's Never Been Like This, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
-Radiohead
(Kid A, Hail to the Thief, Amnesiac, In Rainbows)
-The White Stripes
(De Stijl, White Blood Cells, Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan, Icky Thump)
Best Vocalist
WINNER - Ben Gibbard - Plans ("I Will Follow You Into the Dark")
He takes something scary, big, real, and something that would create some hysteria in a person, and calmly explains that everything will be okay. It's almost like when your mother or father would reassure you that things would turn out fine.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Billie Joe Armstrong - American Idiot ("Wake Me Up When September Ends")
-Ben Gibbard - Give Up ("The District Sleeps Alone") -Dave Grohl - Echoes Silence Patience & Grace ("The Pretender")
-Glen Hansard - Once: Music from the Motion Picture ("Say it to Me Now")
-Marketa Irglova - Once: Music from the Motion Picture ("The Hill")
-Thome Yorke - In Rainbows ("Bodysnatchers")
Best Guitarist (Lead or Rhythm)
WINNER -Ben Gibbard - Plans ("I Will Follow You Into the Dark")
All it is is a few chords, but they create a sense that is sad, but happy all in the same light.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Billie Joe Armstrong - American Idiot ("Jesus of Suburbia")
-Johnny Greenwood - In Rainbows ("Weird Fishes/Arpeggi")
-Glen Hansard - Once: Music From the Motion Picture ("Falling Slowly")
-Chris Shiflett - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace ("The Pretender")
-Christopher Walla - Plans ("Crooked Teeth")
-Jack White - Elephant ("Seven Nation Army")
Best Guitarist (Bass)
WINNER -Mike Dirnt - American Idiot ("Jesus of Suburbia")
Though it's not super prevalent, at least sonically, I can't imagine the song, a ten minute punk ballad, being better, or at all effective as a piece without it.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Mike Dirnt - American Idiot ("Homecoming")
-Michael "Flea" Balzary - Stadium Arcadium ("Dani California")
-Colin Greenwood - In Rainbows ("All I Need")
-Nick Harmer - Plans ("Summer Skin")
-Nate Mendel - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace ("Let it Die")
Best Percussion
WINNER -Tre Cool - American Idiot ("Jesus of Suburbia")
A drummer is very key part of a band, and in such a changing song, it's especially important. It's fun to listen to, and isn't monotonous. It's the kind of drumming that, among other components, you wouldn't mind if the song were a little longer.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Tre Cool - American Idiot ("Holiday")
-Taylor Hawkins - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace ("The Pretender")
-Jason McGerr - Plans ("Different Names for the Same Thing")
-Chad Smith - Stadium Arcadium ("Dani California")
-Meg White - Elephant ("Seven Nation Army")
Best Pianist
WINNER-Ben Gibbard - Plans ("Different Names for the Same Thing")
Sure, the best parts don't even come in until half way, but when it gets good, especially at the end, it's so fun to listen to and completely makes a good song amazing.
(Rest of the Nominees)
-Ben Gibbard - Transatlanicism ("Transatlanticism")
-Dave Grohl - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace ("Home")
-Marketa Irglova - Once: Music from the Motion Picture ("The Hill")
-Rob Cavallo - American Idiot ("Jesus of Suburbia")
-Thom Yorke - In Rainbows ("All I Need")
Best Album (Concept or Soundtrack)
WINNER -Once: Music from the Motion Picture
This is the kind of music that is respected. This is a collection pieces that aren't popular or well known, but it's the kind of thing you wouldn't want anyone to know about anyway. It's like you have your own little piece of musical gold.
(Rest of the nominees)
-American Idiot
-The Black Parade
-A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
-O Brother Where Art Thou?
-Plans
-Slumdog Millionaire
Best Album (Non Concept)
WINNER (tie) -Transatlanticism & Funeral
It was hard to choose just one winner from a pool of amazing candidates, but I settle on the two that I found to be among the best. Transatlanticism is an indie rock gem, and will not soon be forgotten. Funeral is a fine compilation of slow songs, fast songs, loud songs, quiet songs, and they're even in two languages (English, and French respectively.) Very hard to choose.
(Rest of the nominees)
-Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace
-From Under the Cork Tree
-Give Up
-In Rainbows
-Oh No
Best Music Video
WINNER -"Such Great Heights" - Give Up
I love the idea that so little is going on in the space of four minutes. The video takes a small movement, and stretches it out.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"Dani California" - Stadium Arcadium
-"Grapevine Fires" -Narrow Stairs
-"Here it Goes Again" - Oh No
-"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
Best Single Shot Video
WINNER -WTF? - Of the Blue Color of the Sky
It's the most fun video to watch out of all of Ok Go's weird assortment, but it's certainly a lot of fun to watch.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Here it Goes Again" - Oh No
-"A Million Ways" - Oh No
-"Single Ladies Club (Put a Ring On it)" - I Am... Sasha Fierce
Best Direction for a Video
WINNER -"Such Great Heights" - Give Up
Stretching everything out was a pretty cool concept, and then furthering the meaning of the song and video by taking a small piece, and seeing the large part it truly played isn't bad either.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"21 Guns" - 21st Century Breakdown
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"Dani California" - Stadium Arcadium
-"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
-"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
-"The Sound of Settling" - Transatlanticism
Best Editing for a Video
WINNER -"Such Great Heights" - Give Up
It's especially cool when everything moves at the same time as the song.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"Dani California" - Stadium Arcadium
-"Grapevine Fires" - Narrow Stairs
-"I Will Possess Your Heart" - Narrow Stairs
-"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
-"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
-"The Sound of Settling" - Transatlanticism
Best Cinematography for a Video
WINNER -"I Will Possess Your Heart" - Narrow Stairs
It's lush, it's well lit, and there are just a bunch of shots that are just the coolest things.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"21 Guns" - 21st Century Breakdown
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"Dani California" - Stadium Arcadium
-"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
-"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
-"WTF?" - Of the Blue Color of the Sky
Best Art Direction for a Video
WINNER -"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
How could I deny a recreation of Stanley Kubrick's classic horror adaptation? The homage to The Shining was pretty cool, and couldn't go unrewarded.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Bad Romance" - The Fame Monster
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"Dani California" - Stadium Arcadium
-"I Will Follow You Into the Dark" - Plans
-"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
Best Costume Design for a Video
WINNER -"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
The costumes in this video are elaborate, haunting, elegant, and help create the sort of theme the band may have been trying to create with the whole album.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Bad Romance" - The Fame Monster
-"Dani California" - Stadium Arcadium
-"Holiday" - American Idiot
-"Hot'n Cold" - One of the Boys
-"The Sound of Settling" - Transatlanicism
-"We Will Become Silhouettes" - Give Up
Best Choreography for a Video
WINNER -"Here It Goes Again" - Oh No
No question. Why not give it to one of the largest internet sensations, or to a band that went dancing on treadmills?
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Bad Romance" - The Fame Monster
-"Hot'n Cold" - One of the Boys
-"A Million Ways" - Oh No
-"Single Ladies Club (Put a Ring On it)" - I Am... Sasha Fierce
Best Sound Design for a Video
WINNER -"Such Great Heights" - Give Up
The video moves slow, but watching all of that machinery with it, is very nice. The idea that you hear the music moving everything along almost seems brilliant to me.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"Grapevine Fires" - Narrow Stairs
-"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
-"The Pretender" - Echoes, Silence Patience, & Grace
-"Wake Me Up When September Ends" - American Idiot
Best Song from a Concept Album or Soundtrack
WINNER -"Falling Slowly" - Once: Music from the Motion Picture
This wins only due to sentimentality. No more, and no less.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"All is Love" - Where the Wild Things Are
-"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
-"I Will Follow You Into the Dark" - Plans
-"Jai Ho" - Slumdog Millionaire
-"Man of Constant Sorrow" - O Brother Where Art Thou?
-"Welcome to the Black Parade" - The Black Parade
Best Song from a Non Concept Album
WINNER -"The District Sleeps Alone" - Give Up
It's fun, it's sad, and a great way to start off a fantastic album.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"15 Steps" - In Rainbows
-"Here it Goes Again" - Oh No
-"A Little Less Sixteen Candles a Little More Touch Me" - From Under the Cork Tree
-"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" - Funeral
-"The Pretender" - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace
-"Title and Registration" - Transatlanticism
Best Single
WINNER -"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - American Idiot
To be honest, it's not my favorite single, but it is the best in the wake of its monumental, almost annoying success. It's a very good song, and as a single samples to the public just what else they can experience if they dig just a bit deeper into it.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"The District Sleeps Alone" - Give Up
-"Drive" - Make Yourself
-"Here it Goes Again" - Oh No
-"Holiday" - American Idiot
-"House of Cards" - In Rainbows
-"I Will Follow You Into the Dark" - Plans
-"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
-"The Kill" - A Beautiful Lie
-"Lisztomania" - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
-"The Pretender" - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace
-"Title and Registration" - Transatlanticism
-"Wake Up" - Funeral
Best Non Single
WINNER -"Marching Bands of Manhattan" - Plans
This song is good for being deep, and sort of complex. I'm not terribly intelligent, so I didn't quite get it for a while. When one, or some person like myself, does finally understand the meaning the lyrics and music are trying to get across, you are able to see the sort of depth and ability that the songwriter has.
(Rest of the nominees)
-"15 Steps" - In Rainbows
-"Clark Gable" - Give Up
-"Falling Slowly" - Once: Music from the Motion Picture
-"Home" - Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace
-"If You Want Me" - Once: Music from the Motion Picture
-"Nothing Better"- Give Up
-"Overweight" - Foiled
-"Time to Dance" - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
-"Transatlanicism" - Transatlanticism
-"XO" - From Under the Cork Tree
