Every year, we scour the list of Grammy nominees for local folks whose excellence has been recognized by the nation at large. Scandalously, two of our most famous and influential musicians, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, didn't live long enough to win. (Nirvana's award came after Cobain died; Hendrix just never got one.) But over the years Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Mark O'Connor, Diane Schuur, Tingstad and Rumbel — to name just a few soloists and groups — have all made the cut. (Seattle son Quincy Jones has claimed 27 — and counting.)

This year, two Seattle groups compete against each other in a rather unlikely category — best folk album. Those celestial harmonizers who call themselves Fleet Foxes tossed "Helplessness Blues" into the ring, and Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam, is up for "Ukulele Songs," an acoustic album on which he accompanies himself on that humble Hawaiian instrument. Though it's possible neither will win — Gillian Welch is probably the favorite — this contest presents a problem for denizens of the Emerald City.

Should we root for both? Neither?

Who should win?

We asked two of our writers to help out. In one corner, we have Seattle Times music blogger Andrew Matson, a stalwart supporter of Fleet Foxes and all things youthful. In the other is columnist Nicole Brodeur, known for her passion for hard rock 'n' roll and her intimate interviews with the likes of Duff McKagan (formerly of Guns N'Roses) and Vedder himself.

Here's what they wrote.

(If you want to get in on the conversation, too, please vote in our Grammy poll.)

Fleet Foxes — better and better

If there is any justice in the world, local band Fleet Foxes will win the Grammy Award for best folk album at this year's pageant, beating Eddie Vedder, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch and The Civil Wars. It's a longshot — Vedder and The Civil Wars are more popular, and Earle and Welch have won Grammys before, which would seem an advantage in any category besides best new artist. All that notwithstanding, Fleet Foxes made the best music.

The band's second album, "Helplessness Blues," has only gotten better since it came out on Seattle label Sub Pop in 2011. Simon & Garfunkel-style poetic folk for the current generation, it is literate, full-bodied and revitalizing. It bests every other album in the folk category because of young master Robin Pecknold at the helm, singing and playing acoustic guitar with great focus, working out complicated fingerpicking and emoting in a frosty, perfect tenor. His music is the result of thousands of hours of practice, a best-case scenario for a whole generation of singer-songwriters weaned on their parents' Beach Boys and Beatles records.

The Foxes' folk music doesn't come with a rural accent, but uses the hypnotic power of plucked instruments and multipart harmony to time-travel back through America to England and Africa. It is structurally experimental, abetted by lyrics full of psychoanalysis. Vedder's record was an adult contemporary novelty (grunge icon plays ukulele) and Earle's and Welch's were excellent but lacked the vivacity of Pecknold & Co. And while it might change, The Civil Wars aren't yet interesting or good enough to really belong in the category. If Pecknold/Fleet Foxes keep at it for a whole career, they'll get to the "owed" category, where a Grammy is perfunctory. But what would be sweeter is if they won a Grammy now, to affirm that sometimes life is a meritocracy.

Andrew Matson blogs about music at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/matsononmusic/

matsononmusic. Reach him at matsononmusic@gmail.com

Eddie Vedder gets down to the bones of song

The Civil Wars. Gillian Welch. Steve Earle. Fleet Foxes. They're all sensitive and rooted songwriters, which is how they ended up in the Grammy's best folk album category in the first place.

But if folk is getting down to the bones of song — and self — the artists above may have to let Eddie Vedder take the thing.

For 20 years, Vedder has stood before the rock powerhouse that is Pearl Jam, his quivering baritone hanging on to three gifted guitars and a thundering drum kit like a screen door in a storm. It takes a lot of artistic muscle to stay put.

So when Vedder took to the studio with a single, simple ukulele, he was peeling all that away, artistically, musically — and alone.

In that sense, his "Ukulele Songs" is a brave album, a departure similar to those made by Pete Townshend and Bruce Springsteen, two of Vedder's heroes. They showed him that you have to be scared to grow. You have to grow to survive as an artist.

"Ukulele Songs" is Vedder's second solo outing, and follows his critically acclaimed soundtrack for "Into the Wild," which won him a Golden Globe for best original song (for "Guaranteed").

On this album, Vedder introduced the world to his musical confidante — his ukulele — and some songs that he has held close for years ("Longing to Belong," "Lonely Nights") but never released, only playing them live.

He also revealed a love for '30s-era standards like "Tonight You Belong to Me" and "Dream a Little Dream of Me."

Who knew the man who howls and growls on stages worldwide could sing like a nervous suitor — save for one track that can't be named here, but is apparently a Vedder family favorite.

"It's so vulnerable," bandmate Jeff Ament said of "Ukulele Songs." "Eddie took a huge chance making that record, and that doesn't get enough credit."

Isn't it time he did?

Nicole Brodeur: nbrodeur@seattletimes.com