Recommendations of the Editorial team
On the way to the Grammy nominations
Until the announcement of the Grammy nominations on November 7th Rolling Stone Ten different categories. For everyone, it is predicted which nominated opportunities have and who in the end actually – and who deserves it.
The Grammys are not easy this year when choosing the best rock album. Long -term favorites such as Foo Fighters, U2, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Matthew’s band have not published any new records. There was also nothing of the Rolling Stones, Paramore, Ozzy Osbourne, the Strokes or Cage the Elephant. That means: We get a field that is unusually eclectic for Grammy conditions, difficult to predict, with acts that often fly under the radar. Even if they have been filling stadiums for decades.
Best rock album-our forecasts
- David Gilmour, “Luck and Strange”
- The Cure, “Songs of a Lost World”
- Wet leg, “Moisturizer”
- Machine Gun Kelly, “Lost Americana”
- Yungblud, “Idols”
Who will win?
David Gilmour, “Luck and Strange”
David Gilmour has been making music and touring the world since 1967, when he joined Pink Floyd. But the only Grammy on his shelf is an instrumental award for “Marooned” (1995). (Yes, neither “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Wish You Were here”, “The Wall” nor another Floyd album or a single ever got a Grammy. And yes, their only award may apply to the obscure song of the catalog.)
The Grammys treated the Rolling Stones similarly disrespectfully until they promised them “Best Rock Album” for “Hackney Diamonds” last year. Something comparable could happen at Gilmour this year. It would be recognition that “Luck and Strange” is one of the best solo albums in his career. A great shop window also for his daughter Romy, but also a subsequent reply. (As with Martin Scorsese, who finally got the Oscar for “The Departed” after decades of ignoring, this is likely to win.) “Mr. Gilmour will probably win,” says Jason Squires, program director of KFRR in Fresno. “It is a very good album, he gets his flowers and a small round of honor. They appreciate his whole career.”
Who should win?
Wet leg, “Moisturizer”
The border between “Best Alternative Music Album” and “Best Rock Album” is very thin in the Grammy world. In 2023, the British indie rock band Wet LEG won the Grammy for its self-titled debut in the Alternative category. However, her successor “Moisturizer” is even stronger. “If you thought they would suffer from a difficult second album, you were wrong,” wrote Rob Sheffield in the Rolling Stone in his four-star criticism. “They turn the drums louder, as if they wanted to hang in rather dodgy rock clubs – a sound that targets the floor.”
If the Grammy gods are moving them into the rock field this time-like back then at Beck-they deserve it. “I love these ladies,” says Justin Kade, a SiriusxM-DJ specialized on skirt and alternative. “You have a sense of humor, you can rock. And you have this Throwback Vibe to nineties groups like Belly or the Breeders.” ‘Mantegotout’ is a great song on the album: “I have no idea what they’re talking about, but it is funny. If they are nominated, it would be well deserved.”
Forecast for the rest of the field
The Cure experienced worse treatment from the Grammy voters than Pink Floyd or the Stones. Two nominations for best alternative album, zero victories. But “Songs of a Lost World” is an overwhelming work and her first album in 16 years. “It was released in November last year and felt like the world at the time,” says Kade. “Dark, bleak and beautifully worked out.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Machine Gun Kelly is with “Lost Americana”. His 2023 album “Mainstream Sellout” has already been nominated for Best Rock Album. Could he win this time? “I think his time is over,” says Kade. “During Covid it went well for him, otherwise not much happened. But now there is a counter reaction.”
Yungblud, Paramore and Hayley Williams
A much fresh name is Yungblud. In the past few months he appeared at Black Sabbath’s farewell concert and recorded an EP with Aerosmith. This strengthens the chances of his album Idol. “He is more hugged by the rock audience than guys like Machine Gun Kelly or Grandson,” says Kade. “He sells tickets, people have passion for him. Keep him in view of 2026.”
In 2024, paramore giants like Metallica, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age and won with “This Is Why” Best Rock Album. Front woman Hayley Williams also released her strong solo album “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” shortly before the end of the Grammy window. She too is a hot candidate – you shouldn’t underestimate her.