All-time favorite debuts

[murlough23]

Sometimes an artist comes right out of the gate with an amazing debut record. I'd like to know which artists you guys think have done excellent jobs with their debuts. It could be their first full-length if the group had previously just self-released a bunch of EPs, or it could be their label debut in cases where groups had earlier albums that were released independently. Up to you how you want to define it.

Here are my Top 20 debuts:
1. Vienna Teng - Waking Hour (2002)
2. Chasing Furies - With Abandon (1999)
3. Earthsuit - Kaleidoscope Superior (2000)
4. Eisley - Room Noises (2005)
5. Caedmon's Call - Caedmon's Call (1997)
6. Steven Delopoulos - Me Died Blue (2003)
7. Out of the Grey - Out of the Grey (1991)
8. Something Like Silas - Divine Invitation (2004)
9. Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There? (1998)
10. Michelle Tumes - Listen (1998)
11. Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same (2007)
12. Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay (1995)
13. Jennifer Knapp - Kansas (1997)
14. Mute Math - Mute Math (2006)
15. The Listening - The Rock & Roll Worship Circus Becomes The Listening (2006)
16. Sleeping at Last - Ghosts (2003)
17. The Corrs - Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1996)
18. Luna Halo - Shimmer (2000)
19. Anathallo - Floating World (2006)
20. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)

Honorable Mention:
All Star United - All Star United (1997)
Five O'Clock People - The Nothing Venture (1999)
Erin O'Donnell - A Scrapbook of Sorts (1996)
Future of Forestry - Twilight (2007)
Kevin Max - Stereotype Be (2001)
Falling Up - Crashings (2004)
Evanescence - Fallen (2003)
Eastmountainsouth - Eastmountainsouth (2003)
Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming (1994)
Sarah Masen - Sarah Masen (1996)
Olivia the Band - Olivia the Band (2005)
Jason Mraz - Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002)
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon (1992)
Third Day - Third Day (1996)
Sarah Jahn - Sparkle (1997)
Lifehouse - No Name Face (2000)
John Mayer - Room for Squares (2001)
The Benjamin Gate - Untitled (2001)
Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market (2003)
Reality Check - Reality Check (1997)
Corrinne May - Corrinne May (2001)
Christine Glass - Human (1997)
Pete Stewart - Pete Stewart (1999)
Massivivid - Brightblur (1999)
Beanbag - freesignal (1999)
John Reuben - Are We There Yet? (2000)
Nichole Nordeman - Wide Eyed (1998)
Bethany Dillon - Bethany Dillon (2004)

Best New Artists by Year (IMHO):
2007 (so far): Deas Vail
2006: Mute Math
2005: Eisley
2004: Something Like Silas
2003: Steven Delopoulos
2002: Vienna Teng
2001: Kevin Max
2000: Earthsuit
1999: Chasing Furies
1998: Burlap to Cashmere
1997: Caedmon's Call
1996: The Corrs
1995: Jars of Clay
1994: Dave Matthews Band
1993: ?
1992: Barenaked Ladies
1991: Out of the Grey

[Aaron]

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

[bloop]

Yeah, most of those are solid, and I haven't heard several others.

Some I would consider, in no particular order:
My Aim is True, Elvis Costello
Appetite for Destruction, Guns N Roses
Endtroducing..., DJ Shadow
Weezer (blue), Weezer
Yes Nearby, The Ragbirds
Arular, M.I.A.
Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement
Gish, Smashing Pumpkins
Illmatic, Nas
and, of course
Debut, Bjork

[murlough23]

Debut, Bjork

That's the only proper album of hers that I haven't gotten to (I figure it's probably not worth bothering with Selmasongs, Drawing Restraint 9, and that album she did when she was like twelve.) It's next in the queue after I finish digesting Homogenic and Post.

Which ones from my list haven't you heard? A lot of 'em are CCM, but most of the ones near the top are respectably artful approaches to making Christian music. Maybe a few like Out of the Grey are simply solid pop/rock albums that likely wouldn't be your thing, but I don't think any of them would pose serious problems for you.

NP: "Our Song", Joe Henry

[Brenden]

19. Anathallo - Floating World (2006)

Technically not their debut, but I suppose counting their previous three or four EPs would be like counting Jason Mraz's indie albums.

My short list,

Margot & The Nuclear So & So's - The Dust Of Retreat
Jars Of Clay - Jars Of Clay
Kevin Max - Stereotype Be
Steven Delopoulos - Me Died Blue
Fionn Regan - The End Of History

[murlough23]

Technically not their debut, but I suppose counting their previous three or four EPs would be like counting Jason Mraz's indie albums.

EPs aren't albums in my book. I tend to consider an artist's "debut" to be their first fully-formed album that is intended to be taken in full as opposed to just a collection of song demos or whatever. Not that an EP can't accomplish this, but usually once an artist signs to a label, a full album is the way to introduce themselves to the world at large. (I fear this may change as iTunes and similar digital retailers slowly cause CDs to go the way of the dodo, but I think true music lovers will largely continue to prefer the full album format, so we'll see how this goes.)

NP: "I Will Write a Book", Joe Henry

[Brenden]

EPs aren't albums in my book. I tend to consider an artist's "debut" to be their first fully-formed album that is intended to be taken in full as opposed to just a collection of song demos or whatever. Not that an EP can't accomplish this, but usually once an artist signs to a label, a full album is the way to introduce themselves to the world at large. (I fear this may change as iTunes and similar digital retailers slowly cause CDs to go the way of the dodo, but I think true music lovers will largely continue to prefer the full album format, so we'll see how this goes.)

NP: "I Will Write a Book", Joe Henry

I was more thinking because nobody had ever heard of them at that point, so it would be kind of silly to be that anal about it, but whatever.

[murlough23]

I was more thinking because nobody had ever heard of them at that point, so it would be kind of silly to be that anal about it, but whatever.

Yeah, that's why I left it up to you to define it however you preferred.

If I was going to be anal about it, I'd have to place Mute Math's debut in 2004, and it'd be tough to determine who was the best new band for that year, since their EP was phenomenal but Something Like Silas also put out an excellent full-length album that year, and I think it's easier to sustain a good sound over 6 tracks than it is over 12 - harder to produce that fully immersive album experience that I hunger for.

NP: "God Only Knows", Joe Henry

[Josh]

Arcade Fire is the first to come to mind, if you count Funeral as their debut. (It's their full-length debut, anyway...)

Also:
The Hold Steady-- Almost Killed Me
U2-- Boy
The Ragbirds-- Yes Nearby
Elvis Costello-- My Aim is True
Weezer-- Blue album

I'll also add Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen to the list for emerging as full-formed, idiosyncratic talents from the get-go... something fairly rare, I'd say.

[murlough23]

U2-- Boy

That one's the debut of a great band, but I don't consider it to be a great debut. (Pretty good, but not great.) If War had been their debut, it'd definitely be on my list.

[Josh]

Boy is reckless and energetic and rough around the, um, edges in a way that no other U2 album really is, which I think gives it its own unique charms, particularly when you look at it in relation to their other works. War is better, as far as early U2 goes, but... well, Boy is very boyish, and I think it's a fine record because of it.

[murlough23]

Boy is reckless and energetic and rough around the, um, edges in a way that no other U2 album really is, which I think gives it its own unique charms, particularly when you look at it in relation to their other works. War is better, as far as early U2 goes, but... well, Boy is very boyish, and I think it's a fine record because of it.

I can't argue with any of that, but there's also the fact that Bono had a cold during the recording of the whole thing. That said, I'm sure my rating for the album doesn't fall that far below yours - just far enough that it doesn't make my list. I definitely wouldn't argue with it being on anyone else's.

[spacebrat311]

No love for Legend of Chin?

Just what popped into my head:

Switchfoot - Legend of Chin
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Cold War Kids - Robbers and Cowards
The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium

[bloop]

Have heard it, good picks:
1. Vienna Teng - Waking Hour (2002)
2. Chasing Furies - With Abandon (1999)
3. Earthsuit - Kaleidoscope Superior (2000)
4. Eisley - Room Noises (2005)
6. Steven Delopoulos - Me Died Blue (2003)
12. Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay (1995)
14. Mute Math - Mute Math (2006)
15. The Listening - The Rock & Roll Worship Circus Becomes The Listening (2006)
16. Sleeping at Last - Ghosts (2003)
18. Luna Halo - Shimmer (2000)
19. Anathallo - Floating World (2006)

Heard it, but it's been a while:
13. Jennifer Knapp - Kansas (1997)
17. The Corrs - Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1996)

Heard it, meh:
20. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)

Don't Know That I've ever Heard These (I'm really ashamed to say that about some of these - honest):
5. Caedmon's Call - Caedmon's Call (1997)
7. Out of the Grey - Out of the Grey (1991)
8. Something Like Silas - Divine Invitation (2004)
9. Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There? (1998)
10. Michelle Tumes - Listen (1998)
11. Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same (2007)

[murlough23]

Don't Know That I've ever Heard These (I'm really ashamed to say that about some of these - honest):

I don't know that you should be ashamed about any of those - I can't say your life would be incomplete without any of them, and some are either obscure or were marketed to the smack-dab-middle of the CCM road, so I can understand why you wouldn't have really caught wind of 'em. But definitely do check most of 'em out when you get the chance.

5. Caedmon's Call - Caedmon's Call (1997)

This one I enjoy more for the songwriting and the tight performance of the band as a cohesive unit - it's one of their most stylistically diverse albums without being too all-over-the-place. I don't know that it'll blow you away from an artistic perspective, but it's as well-crafted as any of their best work (Share the Well is the only CC album that I think outdoes it), and definitely a good antidote for the rather "meh" impression that you might get from hearing one of their lesser albums.

7. Out of the Grey - Out of the Grey (1991)

It's a solid pop record - definitely a product of its time, and I'm not sure how it would hold up if listened to for the first time today, but it's a lovely and witty partnership between two married songwriters, one with a gorgeous voice and one with excellent guitar skills (that unfortunately can get buried in the slick pop mix). If you were to ask me about "the perfect pop record", this would probably be my answer - it was written and recorded before the trappings of CCM convention really got a hold of them - they weren't afraid to try a few weird things here.

8. Something Like Silas - Divine Invitation (2004)

Probably worth a look see if you liked Future of Forestry. The keyboards and the Sigur Ros influence are a little more prominent here. It's an intelligent modern worship album that'll probably only be off-putting to you if you're tired of the general language of modern worship albums.

9. Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There? (1998)

Definitely worth investigating if you liked Steven Delopoulos. Think of him fronting a band that is part Gipsy Kings and part Jars of Clay.

10. Michelle Tumes - Listen (1998)

Another entry in the "perfect pop album" category - it's more mellow pop, but much classier than the usual "inspirational" fare that major CCM labels put out. Lots of Enya influence here even if at the core, the music is more pop and not as new-agey. Due to her silky voice, I've played this one and got compliments on it from people who otherwise want nothing to do with Christian music whatsoever.

11. Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same (2007)

Definitely check this one out. They take best of the influences from other "piano rock" bands out there and mold it into some rhythmically tricky and transcendent pop/rock songs, easily besting the latest from Mae, Copeland, Coldplay, Lost Ocean, etc. in the process. I'm working on a review of this one as we speak.

[starhawk]

1993: Starflyer 59

Fixed. 

[murlough23]

Not a chance. SF59 bores the hell out of me.

[cowdude]

Jars of Clay, Jars of Clay
The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic
Caedmon's Call, Caedmon's Call (coincidently, this is the only Caedmon's Call album I've ever really gotten into).
Aaron Sprinkle, Moontraveler
Anberlin, Blueprints For The Black Market
The Arcade Fire, Funeral (I got this after I got Neon Bible, which I love, and didn't really get into it. But after four tries or so, it finally "clicked", and now I can't stop listening to it).
Iron & Wine, The Creek Drank The Cradle
Showbread, No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical (Not really a debut, but the first of their albums that was easily available to buy. (Plus their albums before this one have such sucky production they're almost unlistenable). This is one of my favorite albums ever, so I'm putting it on my list).

[murlough23]

Here's an interesting question. After these debuts, have any of these artists managed to (in your mind, at least) top their first record?

From my list:

Vienna Teng: Unsure. Dreaming Through the Noise ~ Waking Hour.
Eisley: No. Room Noises > Combinations.
Caedmon's Call: Yes. Share the Well > Caedmon's Call, but only slightly.
Out of the Grey: No. Out of the Grey > everything else by far.
Michelle Tumes: No. Listen > everything else by far.
Jars of Clay: Yes. Much Afraid > If I Left the Zoo > Good Monsters > Who We Are Instad > Jars of Clay.
Jennifer Knapp: Unsure. Lay It Down ~ Kansas.
Sleeping at Last: Hard to Say. Keep No Score ~ Ghosts.
The Corrs: No. Forgiven, Not Forgotten > everything else by far.
Luna Halo: No: Shimmer > the yes-unreleased Luna Halo.
Linkin Park: Unsure. Meteora ~ Hybrid Theory.
All Star United: No. All Star United > everything else by far.
Erin O'Donnell: No. A Scrapbook of Sorts > everything else by far.
Kevin Max: No. Stereotype Be > The Impostor.
Falling Up: No. Crashings > Dawn Escapes.
Evanescence: No. Fallen > The Open Door (interestingly, though I didn't count Origin, I do think that Origin ~ Fallen).
Dave Matthews Band: Yes. Crash > Before These Crowded Streets > Under the Table and Dreaming.
Sarah Masen: Unsure. Carry Us Through ~ Sarah Masen.
Jason Mraz: No. Waiting for My Rocket to Come > Mr. A-Z.
Barenaked Ladies: Yes. Barenaked Ladies Are Me > Gordon.
Third Day: Unsure. Time ~ Third Day.
Lifehouse: Yes. Stanley Climbfall > No Name Face.
John Mayer: No. Room for Squares > everything else.
The Benjamin Gate: Unsure. Contact ~ Untitled.
Anberlin: Yes. Cities > Never Take Friendship Personal > Blueprints for the Black Market.
Corrinne May: No. Corrinne May > Safe in a Crazy World.
Christine Glass: No. Human > Love and Poverty by far.
Massivivid: No. Brightblur > Dressed to the Nines... Armed to the Teeth!
Beanbag: No. freesignal > welladjusted.
John Reuben: Yes. Word of Mouth > The Boy Vs. The Cynic > Are We There Yet?
Nichole Nordeman: No. Wide Eyed > everything else.
Bethany Dillon: No. Bethany Dillon > everything else.

Members of the "one-album wonder" club (i.e. they only survived to put out one proper, full-length album):
Chasing Furies
Earthsuit (The Rise of Modern Simulation wasn't really a full album - just odds and ends put together as a parting gift to fans)
Something Like Silas (though Divine Invitation > Future of Forestry's Twilight.)
Eastmountainsouth (though Eastmountainsouth > Peter Bradley Adams' Gather Up.)
Sarah Jahn
Reality Check (though Luna Halo's Shimmer > Reality Check)
Pete Stewart (though his solo album > everything he did with Grammatrain, Tait, and The Accident Experiment)

Still waiting for a second album:
Steven Delopoulos (incidentally, Me Died Blue > Anybody Out There?, but just barely)
Burlap to Cashmere
Deas Vail
Mute Math (incidentally, Kaleidoscope Superior > Mute Math)
The Listening (incidentally, The Rock & Roll Worship Circus Becomes The Listening > everything they did as the R&RWC)
Anathallo
Five O'Clock People
Future of Forestry
Olivia the Band

[bloop]

I'll play:

Elvis Costello, hmm, a little unsure about this.  It's hard to compare his albums to each other, actually.  I have a bit of a scattershot knowledge of his albums, anyway.
Guns N Roses  No.  Still their strongest, although they have several individual songs that stack up well to even the best material here.
DJ Shadow  No, but he's been anything but prolific as a studio artist.
Weezer  Unsure.  I personally like Pinkerton more, but I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say it's better than Blue - just different.
The Ragbirds I haven't heard their new one yet.
MIA  No.  Kala isn't, anyway.
Pavement  Yes.  Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain > Slanted & Enchanted
Smashing Pumpkins  Yes.  All but perhaps Zeitgeist > Gish
Nas  No, he hasn't topped Illmatic.
Bjork  Yes.  The Post, Homogenic, Vespertine triple threat > Debut.  I think I like Debut a bit more than Medulla and Volta ATM, though.

[Aaron]

Kevin Max - The Imposter > Stereotype Be

[murlough23]

Kevin Max - The Imposter > Stereotype Be

How so?

[Aaron]

Musically, I think it's more coherent and solid.

[murlough23]

Musically, I think it's more coherent and solid.

It's a trade-off. The production's definitely better on The Imposter and the rock songs have a lot more kick to them (ironically, Stereotype Be was a major label album but the more aggressive songs didn't quite have the right amount of oomph to them, aside from "Return of the Singer"). I still prefer Stereotype's musical diversity, and wonder where some of the creativity went on a few of The Imposter's more straightforward songs, but then again, Stereotype had its share of John Lennon and Sting-isms, and maybe he wanted to avoid that this time out. In any event, I totally see how this one's a matter of personal preference. A big part of my love for Stereotype is because it was an album I strongly related to at just the time I needed it, from a guy I honestly thought I'd never understand due to all of his weird antics in dc Talk.

[starhawk]

Castanets - Cathedral
Havalina Rail Co. - Havalina Rail Co.
Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay
Pedro the Lion - It's Hard to Find a Friend (he had an ep before this...but it was his first full length)
Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh

[danny316]

Pedro the Lion - It's Hard to Find a Friend (he had an ep before this...but it was his first full length)

The EP was essentially a different group. Bazan was flying solo for IHTFaF and you can tell the difference easily because the EP sounds much louder and liver. The EP credits a full band, and IHTFaF is more of a solo debut...it makes perfect sense to not consider the EP a debut at all. It's more like Arcade Fire - the name was around and following the songwriter, but the band we know and love wasn't actually together on the first few things out under the name.

I made a list for another board last year - I'll try to dig it up and post it here in the next few days.

[bethany]

Arcade Fire - Funeral
Björk - Debut
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
Damien Rice - O
Derek Webb - She Must and Shall Go Free
Feist - Let It Die
Gillian Welch - Revival
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
The Notwist - Neon Golden
Patty Griffin - Living With Ghosts
The Postal Service - Give Up
Rilo Kiley - Take Offs and Landings
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

[dgp11776]

Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market (beaten by Never Take Friendship Personal and Cities)
Arcade Fire - Funeral (their best)
Band Marino - The Sea and the Beast (only album)
Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There? (only album)
Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same (only full major release album)
Deepspace5 - The Night We Called It a Day (beaten by Unique, Just Like Everybody Else)
Earthsuit - Kaleidoscope Superior (only full album)
Edison Glass - A Burn or a Shiver (only album)
Evanescence - Fallen (their best)
Fair - The Best Worst Case Scenario (only album)
Future of Forestry - Twilight (only album)
Heath McNease - The Heath McNease Fanclub Meets Tonight (only album)
House of Heroes - House of Heroes/Say No More (only album)
Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay (beaten by Good Monsters, Who We Are Instead, Much Afraid, and If I Left the Zoo)
John Coltrane - Blue Train (beaten by at least a dozen albums, including A Love Supreme, My Favorite Things, Giant Steps, and Live at Birdland.)
LA Symphony - CIWYW (their best)
The Listening - The Rock 'N Roll Worship Circus Becomes 'The Listening' (only album)
Luna Halo - Shimmer (their best)
Mars ILL - Raw Material (beaten by Backbreakanomics, ProPain, and Old Ironsides)
Mat Kearney - Bullet/Nothing Left To Lose (only album)
Michael Buble - Michael Buble (beaten by It's Time)
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (beaten by at least Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew)
Mute Math - Mute Math (only album)
The New Pornographers - Electric Version (beaten by Twin Cinema)
Playdough - Lonely Superstars (beaten by Don't Drink the Water)
Sleeping At Last - Ghosts (their best by a hair)
Something Like Silas - Divine Invitation (only album)
Sonicflood - Sonicflood (their best by a mile)
Starflyer 59 - Silver (beaten by The Fashion Focus, I Am the Portuguese Blues, My Island, Old, and Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice)
Steven Delopoulos - Me Died Blue (only album)

[bloop]

A lot of really good picks going around here.

Some trip-hop:
Dummy, Portishead (about as good as their self-titled)
Blue Lines, Massive Attack (I think I would go with Mezzanine as their best album, but it's very different than their debut)

I don't believe I missed Funeral the first time around.  It's such an obvious solid performer.

Starflyer 59 - Silver (beaten by The Fashion Focus, I Am the Portuguese Blues, My Island, Old, and Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice)

Not to mention Leave Here a Stranger (which is just an amazing album).

[Aaron]

The Listening - The Rock 'N Roll Worship Circus Becomes 'The Listening' (only album)

If we want to get technical, I'd say that this album is better than anything they did as RRWC

[murlough23]

If we want to get technical, I'd say that this album is better than anything they did as RRWC

I always get technical, and those were my sentiments exactly.

[enemy anemone]

Gillian Welch - Revival
Patty Griffin - Living With Ghosts

yes, and yes.

Eleni Mandell - Wishbone
 
it's only been about a month since its release but I'm thinking Ferraby Lionheart's first full-length album, Catch the Brass Ring, will be an all-time favorite debut album for me. I've been listening to his EP all year and am enjoying CtBR just as much.

[dgp11776]

I always get technical, and those were my sentiments exactly.

Yep, I agree with that as well.

[NinjaRob17]

Starflyer 59 - Silver (beaten by The Fashion Focus, I Am the Portuguese Blues, My Island, Old, and Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice)

Not to mention Leave Here a Stranger (which is just an amazing album).

Also, Everybody Makes Mistakes.