The following is a guest post from Ashley Coxx for iMesh.com.
Although there’s no precise formula when it comes to predicting who will be band of the year, there are a few tried and true methods to predict who will come out on top at some of the most prestigious music award ceremonies. By analyzing elements like chart hits, video playlists, downloads, radio play, and album sales, predictors can gain a pretty good idea of a band’s all-around popularity. While many British and American bands have populated this year’s Top 10, only one band can wear the crown; this year, top glories might just be heading (again) to the boys from Oxfordshire—Radiohead.
The Competition
There are, of course, a few great bands that will be hot on Radiohead’s heels for this year’s top spot. Other predictors have mentioned bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and Bon Iver as serious contenders for band of the year. Just as Radiohead released their most recent album last year, so, too, did the Foo Fighters, and they’ve been riding high in album sales. On the other hand, those lovable Chili Peppers are also celebrating their 2011 album release with intense popularity. Bon Iver is a relative newcomer to the party, but their Grammy wins are pushing them well into mainstream recognition. In fact, last year Bon Iver beat out Radiohead for Best Alternative Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
Nevertheless…
All sorts of factors go into the band of the year configuring process. Popularity, press, concerts, sales—Radiohead is on top or nearly on top when it comes to many elements that predictors look at. Their coolness factor is undiminished in their homeland—they are considered as hip and influential as ever. Bands like the Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters are still immensely popular—but not quite as much as in their heyday. Not everybody can pull a U2, but Radiohead is coming close, remaining artistically viable and undeniably popular throughout their homeland and throughout the world.
The King of Limbs
This latest album was released in 2011 and debuted at number six on the Billboard Top 200 in America. It became the best-selling vinyl in the UK in 2011. It received five Grammy nominations earlier this year and continues to sell worldwide. Its most popular song, "Lotus Flower," helps fuel the continued success of this, Radiohead’s eighth album. Although no singles were released by the band, "Lotus Flower" bloomed well on various charts and the album hit the top ten in nations like the U.S., U.K., Australia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, and The Netherlands.
Promoting Their Tunes
Along with a video for "Lotus Flower," the band released an extremely popular newspaper to accompany the release of their latest album and have been touring to promote their album throughout the year. Selling out in major cities like London, Manchester, Sydney, Amsterdam, and Paris, the band’s popularity is hot around the world. Radio interviews and positive press have also served to increase this band’s popularity.
The Band
Radiohead formed in 1985 in Oxfordshire, U.K. Their debut release "Creep" became a worldwide hit and helped launch this band to super stardom. The band is known for its alternative rock, experimental, and electronic music. In 2009, Rolling Stone Magazine voted the band number two on their list for best artists of the 2000s. Influential and critically acclaimed, Radiohead is comprised of members Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, and Phil Selway. Selling more than thirty million records worldwide, Radiohead has been ranking high on listener polls and critics' best lists since the 1990s. Their collective success may be helping to drive their popularity this year, but it’s working and this band is still on top of the game with authority.
Guest post contributed by Ashley Coxx for iMesh.com — click here to download free music. Ashley is a longstanding freelance music writer. Her articles appear on various online misc publications.