...and early '05

I haven't heard very many debut albums...lemme see, there's Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Secret Machines and Arcade Fire...and I think that's it. Of These Arcade Fires' "Funeral" is my favorite. To my mind it is the most mature sounding debut, of those I've heard, their sound is very much their own, in comparison to the more obviously derivative efforts by the other bands listed. They have a real talent for mixing in accessible hooks and melodies with pretty complex arrangements, using non-traditional instruments, without sounding overly heavy-handed or trite. I don't know if their future is as bright as Franz Ferdinand who seem to have a pretty powerful hype-machine behind them, but I do think they have a truly great album in them, I hope they're able to get it out.

BTW, I just bought the vinyl today, I've had the CD for a few months, and it is GREAT. If you're curious and you do analog, vinyl is absolutely the way to go.

Are there any other debuts that I've missed out on, that you think are great?