Trouble in the Arcade

What are we to make of Arcade Fire’s Grammy victory? I don’t think anyone is going to argue that it was undeserved but what are the implications of such an underdog snagging one of mainstream music’s most prestigious awards? Maybe it means nothing.

It seems strange that The Suburbs would be pitted against pitted against Lady Gaga and Eminem etc. When Arcade Fire’s efforts are culled from the most vanilla and mainstream of music I don’t know if them winning really means anything. Of course it wasn’t a definite that they would win knowing the tastes of the academy and narrow spectrum of music they normally choose from but why Arcade Fire? There are hundreds of influential indie efforts released every year that never make it into the running. So why do they matter now?

Inevitably lots of people are going to begin saying that Arcade Fire has “sold out” or has been absorbed into the great rock and roll swindle of the mainstream record industry. Capricious young indie kids will probably spit on them for winning and they’ll either need to remain silent or at least really quiet to reclaim their “cred”. Whether this will mar or magnify Arcade Fire’s influence in the context of modern music is uncertain.

But seriously, why Academy? Why now? Does this mean you’ll give more consideration to slightly less mainstream musicians or is this just a desperate attempt to remain relevant long after we’ve all realized that only the biggest pop stars and biggest hip hop acts stand a chance at the Grammys? Unlikely. It’s all very confusing.