By Jared Murray 

This year’s Record of the Year category is shaping up to be a battle royal between chart topping artists and indie folk bands. The coveted Record of the Year award goes to the producers of the song, whereas the Song of the Year award goes to the songwriters. Nominees for this award include Adele, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Mumford and Sons and Bon Iver.

Record of the Year marks one of three awards Adele’s gospel-tinged thumper “Rolling in the Deep” has accrued at this year’s ceremonies. The song opens with just Adele and a guitar, but soon transforms into a piano-driven, hand clap heavy musical behemoth. This, however, is all background to Adele’s powerful, scorn-ridden vocals, which add a sense of calamity to this excellent track.

Also nominated is Bruno Mars’ number one single “Grenade.” Lyrically, the song tells the tale of unrequited love between Mars and a lady friend, whom he is willing to risk his life for. Sonically, the song features strained, heartbroken vocals from Mars and pulsating synths that add to the emotional strain.

Bon Iver’s “Holocene,” the second single from his Grammy nominated album Bon Iver, Bon Iver, is one of the more indie songs to be nominated in this category. The song opens with guitar on a simple melody and is soon joined by Bon Iver’s idyllic falsetto.  Two minutes in and the song has grown into a wall of sonic bliss, with Iver’s vocals being supported by a march-like drum pattern and more guitars.

While not as popular as their breakout single “Little Lion Man,” “The Cave” by Mumford and Sons managed to nab a nomination for Record of the Year. The song showcases a horn solo that floats over the cascading background of bluegrass-style guitars and lead singer Marcus Mumford’s melancholy vocals.

Last and certainly least to be nominated is Katy Perry’s third hit single “Firework.”  The song starts off with Perry singing lyrics about feeling bad about oneself, but by the chorus the song has morphed into a pulsating, very danceable self-empowerment anthem tailer-made for teenage girls who enjoy singing into their hairbrushes while jumping on their Justin Bieber bedspreads.

My Predictions:

Who will win: Adele

Who should win: Adele

Dark Horse: Bon Iver