Blog: PopMatters

The best debuts are exciting not only for what they promise, but for what they deliver, too. Think of these ten albums not as what could be, but also what already is: the best debut records of 2009. Debuts are special. Novel, gig, published poem, stage show, exhibition, album -- that first exposure of any artwork will in one sense always cast a happy shadow over its creative descendants. Debuts -- debut anythings -- are special most obviously for their creators, who experience a thrilling surreality quite like no other when they see their hitherto (and often intensely) private [...]