And the award goes to…
The Grammy award ceremony took place last night, but I know what you were thinking: What I really want to know is which albums were considered best of 2010 by the Fletcher community! Am I right, reader friends? Well, the Admissions blog has got your back. Thanks to a time-killer of an email sent out last December by Fletcher Academic Dean Peter Uvin, I can share the top picks of 2010 with you. First, you may want to know how Dean Uvin kicked off the discussion. His message to the Social List said:
OK, students, it is time to have more important discussions here than the critical topics of international affairs. What are the 10 best albums of 2010? There seems to be no official Fletcher position on the matter, and I believe we need to address this right away. So here is my first take on it (in no order). All feedback welcome.
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest
Maximum Balloon, Maximum Balloon
Cloud Cult, Light Chasers
Blue Water White Death, Blue Water White Death
The Kissaway Trail, Sleep Mountain
Doveman, The Conformist
The Young Gods, Everybody Knows
I should point out that Dean Uvin is also Henry J. Leir Professor of International Humanitarian Studies and Director of the Institute for Human Security, titles that surely reinforce his qualifications as a music critic. Nonetheless, additions to his list poured in. Here are some of the student picks, both those that turned up several times, and those that seemed special. They’re in no particular order — just how I plucked them off of email responses.
Sleigh Bells, Treats
Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt
Jónsi, Go
Big Boi, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer
Example, Won’t Go Quietly
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Janelle Monae, Archandroid
Girls, Broken Dreams Club
Girl Talk, All Day
Nevermore, The Obsidian Conspiracy
Kvelertak, Kvelertak
Erykah Badu, New Amerykah
Gil Scott-Heron, I’m New Here
Group Inerane, Guitars from Agadez Vol. 3
Black Mountain, Wilderness Heart
Neil Young, Le Noise
A metal lover listed:
Slash, Slash
Audrey Horne, Audrey Horne
Black Label Society, Order of the Black
Black Keys, Brothers
A Nordic jazz/electronica lover included:
Efterklang, Magic Chairs
Röyksopp, Senior
Jaga Jazzist, One Armed Bandit
There were more suggestions. Many, many more. More than I’m able to sort through and add to the list, but I’m sure the titles above will keep your ears busy for a while. Despite the over-abundance of listed choices, when I told my husband, Paul, about the discussion, he noted a few that have received a lot of ear-time in our house:
Corinne Bailey-Rae, The Sea
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Sade, Soldier of Love
Florence & The Machine, Lungs
Any noteworthy omissions from your perspective? Feel free to include your choices as a comment. Happy listening!