Lopez Blogs

Swedish Grammy awards nominations were announced yesterday and already there has been some controversy in the Swedish press regarding a) the lack of nominations for Per Gessle (1) and Magnus Uggla (0), and b) the eight nominations for Salem Al Fakir. Draw your own conclusions, but I think you can guess what I feel about it. (Over in my parallel universe, http://planetsalem.blogspot.com I'll be going into a rant shortly)

Anyway here are all the nominees, initially ten in each category which will be narrowed down to five by a public vote prior to the Grammisgalan on 09.01.08.

Best album:Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala / Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden / Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava / Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure / Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing / Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am / Säkert! - Säkert! / The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend / The Hives - The Black And White Album / Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande
Best dance/hip-hop/soul:Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing / Dogge Doggelito - Superclasico / Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle / Fjärde Världen - Världens Ände / Ken - Äntligen Hemma / Mange Schmidt - Känslan Kommer Tillbaks / Million Stylez - From A Far / Petter - God Damn It / September - Dancing Shoes / Vincent - Lucky Thirteen
Best group:Eldkvarn - Svart Blogg / Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden / Mando Diao - Never Seen The Light Of Day / Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing / Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills / The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend / The Hives - The Black And White Album / Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed / Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block / Weeping Willows - Fear & Love
Best hard-rock/metal:Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant / Candlemass - King Of The Grey Island / Clawfinger - Life Will Kill You / Crashdiet - The Unattractive Revolution / Dark Tranquillity - Fiction / Entombed - Serpent Saints / Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' In A Casket / Lillasyster - Hjärndöd Musik För En Hjärndöd Generation / Mustasch - Latest Version Of The Truth / Takida - Bury The Lies
Best songwriter:Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling / Annika Norlin - Säkert! / Benny Andersson - Bao 3 / Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here, I Saw Here From Her / Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld - Tillbaka Till Samtiden / José González - In Our Nature / Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure / Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend / Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block / Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Best female artist:Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling / Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång / Jaqee - Nouvelle D'amour / Laleh - Prinsessor / Louise Hoffsten - Så Speciell / Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me / Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky / Sonja Aldén - Till Dig / Sophie Zelmani - Memory Loves You / Säkert! - Säkert!
Best live act:Benny Anderssons Orkester / Jens Lekman / Lars Winnerbäck / Lena Ph & Orup / Parksommar / Per Gessle / Peter Jöback / Takida /The Hives /Timbuktu
Best song:Lars Winnerbäck & Miss Li - Om Du Lämnade Mig Nu / Mange Schmidt Feat. Petter - Giftig / Markoolio - Ingen Sommar Utan Reggae / Martin Stenmarck - 100 År Från Nu (Blundar) / Måns Zelmerlöw - Cara Mia / Sahara Hotnights - Cheek To Cheek / Salem Al Fakir - Good Song / Sonja Aldén - För Att Du Finns / The Ark - The Worrying Kind / Ola - Natalie
Best male artist:Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here, I Saw Here From Her / Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala / José González - In Our Nature / Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava / Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure / Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For... / Peter Lemarc - Kärlek I Tystnadens Tid / Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am / Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande / Timo Räisänen - Love Will Turn You Around
Best newcomer:Abalone Dots - From A Safe Distance / Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing / Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling / Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me / Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For... / Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed / Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am / Sonja Aldén - Till Dig / Säkert! - Säkert! / Vincent - Lucky Thirteen
Best producer:Benny Andersson - Bao 3 / Björn Olsson - Never Seen The Light Of Day / Björn Yttling - Writer's Block & What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing / Jari Haapalainen - Svart Blogg / Jon Joshua Schuman & Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden / José González - In Our Nature / Laleh - Prinsessor / Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me / Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am / Vincent Pontare - Lucky Thirteen
Best lyrics:Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling / Annika Norlin - Säkert! / Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång / Jason Diakité - Oberoendeframkallande / Joakim Berg - Tillbaka Till Samtiden / Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava / Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend / Peter Lemarc - Kärlek I Tystnadens Tid / Plura Jonsson - Svart Blogg / Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Whatever your views are about the above nominations, it just proves the diversity and quality of pop and rock music coming out of Sweden these days. Apart from the obvious favourite of mine (guess who!!!) I'm hoping that some of my favourite acts make it to the final five in each category. What a great awards ceremony it's shaping up to be.