It’s that time of the year, folks — and I’m not talking about Christmas. The cold weather is a herald indicating awards season is nearly upon us.
The nominations for the 58th Grammy Awards will be announced Dec. 7. With a month away, now is the perfect time to speculate about who’s taking home the night’s biggest trophy for Album of the Year.
The eligibility period for an album to be considered for Album of the Year ran from Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2015.
It’s easy to name a few albums likely to receive a nomination — Taylor Swift’s “1989” and Kendrick Lamar’s “How to Pimp a Butterfly.”
But that leaves three other spots open for grabs. And predicting those can be a little trickier.
This year’s breakthrough artist is obviously The Weeknd. With two no. 1 singles in “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” an AOTY nomination for “Beauty Behind the Madness” is likely.

“Beauty” captured The Weeknd’s signature dark pop and R&B production in a cohesive manner that mainstream radio devoured. It’s very unlikely he’ll take home a win — ”Beauty” has some generic lyrics — but R&B’s new star will likely get a nomination nonetheless.
The AOTY category usually has a rock album in the running. This year’s safest bet is Alabama Shakes’ “Sound & Color.”

Yes, Florence + The Machine may seem like the obvious pick, but its latest album “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” never quite captured the same magic as its previous offering, “Ceremonials.”

With “Sound & Color,” Alabama Shakes managed to evolve their sound from their debut album and aim for a broader and strange feeling. “Sound & Color” offered listeners a cohesively chaotic surprise.
Every year, the Recording Academy throws in a seemingly random pick into the race for AOTY. For the 56th Grammy’s in 2014, the nomination went to Sara Bareilles who infamously took the spot many were expecting Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” to have.
This year’s underdog spot will likely go to one of two female indie-pop darling: Marina and the Diamonds’ “Froot” or Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Emotion.”
Marina and the Diamonds is a Welsh singer-songwriter that’s a solo act, despite popular belief, who has yet to break big in the U.S.

With “Froot,” Marina offered an introspective look into oneself and covered heavy topics such as rape, sexuality and unhealthy relationships — all while forgoing the tropes that littered pop music throughout the year.
Marina chose a distinct disco-infused electronic production that went unnoticed by most listeners. Seriously, how the album’s highlight “Blue” went unnoticed is shocking.
This year’s other underdog is Carly Rae Jepsen, AKA “Call Me Maybe” girl.

Jepsen has one of the biggest singles of all time with “Call Me Maybe.” She accepted she was never going to repeat the success of “Maybe” and opted for a cohesive, acclaimed album instead.
The result was “Emotion,” and it’s easily the biggest surprise of the year. It’s an album that generated hype after it’s release because no one expected it to be any good.
While Jepsen’s debut “Kiss” was a forgettable foray in bubblegum-pop, followup “Emotion” is a memorable ’80s synthpop affair. Jepsen’s love letter to the ’80s is even more accurate to the decade than Taylor Swift’s juggernaut of an album “1989.”
If any album defined the year, it was easily “1989.” Taylor Swift essentially saved the music industry while simultaneously reinventing her brand and sound.
Gone were the guitars and banjos and in their places were synths that Swift said were inspired by music of the late 80s — though Swift kept her traditional narrative driven lyrics she’s known for.
Swift managed to make a distinct pop record full of substance while creating an event that changed pop culture as we know it. I don’t remember life before “1989,” and I don’t want to.

Singles like “Style,” “Blank Space” and “Wildest Dreams” all showcased Swift’s lyrical abilities and set the bar for other contemporary pop queens.
“1989” and “How to Pimp a Butterfly” will probably be the subject of think pieces 10 years from now.
Lamar’s “Butterfly” received widespread acclaim for sonically capturing the frustrations felt throughout the black community and presenting them in a cinematic manner. With a new racial injustice dominating headlines every other week, “Butterfly” could not have been released at a more perfect time.

The album doesn’t have anything mainstream listeners will take to production wise, but its lyrics offer insight into the biggest social issue in the U.S.
Personally, I don’t feel “Butterfly” captures the same feeling of his previous album“Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.” His major debut has a sense of rage that made it a compelling listen throughout. But, “Butterfly” will likely be remembered for capturing the Black Lives Matter movement in musical form.
In all likelihood, it’ll come down to Swift and Lamar. And either way, the trophy for AOTY will go to someone who earned it.
John Gavin Harp is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from St. Francisville, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @SirJohnGavin.