Merge snags Grammy nom

There was some celebrating in Chapel Hill this morning as the Arcade Fire snagged a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. The group is on the Chapel Hill-based Merge Records.

The group is up against Lily Allen, Bjork, The Shins and The White Stripes in the category.

Another group with local ties also received several nominations, though I sort of cringe to even mention it.

Daughtry received five nominations, including Best Rock Album, Best Pop Performance for "Home," Best Rock Performance for "It's Not Over" and Best Rock Song for "It's Not Over" (which, notably, is a songwriters' award). The group's producer was also nominated as Producer of the Year for his work on the group's debut.

The list of nominees, which is available at Grammy.com, is essentially what you'd expect, with Kanye West and Amy Winehouse leading the pack. Here are a few nominations that got my attention...

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

• Paul McCartney, "Dance Tonight"
• John Mayer, "Belief" (shut up I love that song)

Best Pop Vocal Album

• Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full

Best Dance Recording

• Mika, "Love Today"

Best Rock Performance, Group

• Green Day, "Working Class Hero" (off the album Instant Karma)