When a new band forms and makes waves, many critics and fans anticipate success for their debut album. The debut sets the stage for a band to define its style, genre, talent and direction.
Sometimes debut albums fail to match the anticipation they created, even if their album is worthy of praise. Timing, however, is everything.
Last year we were graced with powerful debuts by bands like Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, The Killers, Ambulance LTD and Secret Machines. In the grand scheme of things, however, Ambulance LTD and Secret Machines seemed to fade into the background of musical debuts in comparison to their colleagues.
This year we have heard the debuts of Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs, and Tuesday brought us the anticipated debut of The Bravery. All of these debuts are worthy of critical acclaim, but the question that remains is will these albums be able to meet and exceed the expectations they have set, given the timing and competition with other album releases?
Already Bloc Party's debut album, Silent Alarm, created a good impression among music lovers in the United Kingdom. This album seems much stronger than a debut as it not only defines who Bloc Party is as a band, but also demonstrates how diverse, energetic and talented they are. They are heavily driven with guitar, but they also add other elements-giving their sound a certain depth.
Similarly, the debut album by the Kaiser Chiefs, Employment, embodies yet another diverse album of the post-punk genre with hints of new wave running throughout. Each song is amazingly complex, with layers of piano, synth, guitar, bass and vocals.
The album is unique because it takes on many forms. It can be catchy and upbeat, but at the same time takes on an angry tone with intense, passionate force. The variety of style on the Kaiser Chiefs' debut exemplifies why it should be a success.
The Bravery's recent self-titled release just might make them \the band"" of 2005 if they play their cards right. Their debut album maintains what the Unconditional EP established, but it elevates the energy and intensity with more synth, guitar and bass. Like the Kaiser Chiefs, they blend new wave and post-punk elements. While their style may seem to be a mixture of The Killers and Franz Ferdinand with a dash of The Strokes, The Bravery definitely create their own sound and offer intense competition among their peers.
Additionally, previously established bands who have recently released an album or are slated for a release in the near future could potentially drown out the debut efforts of these worthy competitors. Bands such as Beck, New Order, Daft Punk and Hot Hot Heat have all either already released an album or will be releasing one soon.
These releases could be threatening to bands debuting an album. People may be more inclined to buy and listen to what is familiar versus take a risk on a new band.
These new bands are definitely worth the risk.
Hopefully, Bloc Party, the Kaiser Chiefs and The Bravery will look back at the end of the year with albums in the running among the top of the year. All three composed unique, original and interesting albums that are refreshing and diverse.
One thing is for sure-when a debut album reaches such a heightened state of success, the next major feat comes with the sophomore album. The second album can be argued as the album that makes or breaks a band.
While some bands might have buckled under the pressure with a second album, others have turned their musical careers around. This fact just goes to show that with any album release, anything can happen: success, failure or another chance. It all just depends on the climate of the music scene at the time.
Beth Wick can be reached at eawick@wisc.edu
