Kanye, Winehouse lead Grammy nominations pack

At the start of each new year, it's always helpful to remind yourself of a few certainties:

* Death
* Taxes
* Disappointing Grammy nominations

The Grammy selections committee prides itself on working to please everyone (young, old, mainstream, elitist) with its nominations. But that usually means your favorite artists won't have a shot unless they enjoy a certain level of notoriety (read: record sales). So gripe all you want; this is the system as we know it. And for what it's worth, there are always bright spots.

Speaking of which, if you happen to be enamored with Kanye West (as Paste certainly is), then you'll be pleased to hear that the man roped an industry-leading eight nominations for his new record Graduation. Amy Winehouse, who like Mr. West, is nestled comfortably among Paste's top 15 albums of the year, scored six nods for her work this year, including Best New Artist. Hot on her tail are Jay-Z, the Foo Fighters, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and T-Pain with five selections each.

Here are the nominees in the three major general categories:

Album Of The Year:
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
These Days - Vince Gill
River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
Graduation - Kanye West
Back To Black - Amy Winehouse

Record Of The Year:
"Irreplaceable" - Beyoncé
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
"Umbrella" - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
"What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse

Best New Artist:
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

Oh yeah, and what about the "Best Alternative Album" category, which always attracts a host of indie favorites? This year, that field pits Lily Allen, Arcade Fire, Björk, The Shins and The White Stripes against one another.

Even amongst the predictable pop stars and greybeards that the Grammys usually cater to, some pleasant surprises do pop up on the complete nominees list. How about Justice scoring a nomination for Best Dance Recording with the perfectly-titled "D.A.N.C.E."? Seriously, if those guys hadn't qualified, then the whole category should have been abolished. Blog-favorite LCD Soundsystem also joins Justice on the Best Electronic/Dance Album shortlist, while Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Wilco and UGK (R.I.P. Pimp C) appear elsewhere.

Most of the early reaction revolves around the lack of nominations for the Boss (only four? For shame!). However, the most interesting storyline for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards might just revolve around Mr. West. What sort of Vesuvian eruption might we receive from him if he gets shutout in a major awards ceremony again? It could be just the recipe for another natural disaster in L.A..

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