Many thanks to everyone who voted in Round 3.  For a brief summary of the results, please check out this blog's previous post.  8 debut albums remain.  Each of them have been named by some as the greatest debut album of the 21st Century, but only four of the eight can move forward in this tournament.  Interestingly, in two of the four regions, the #1 seed is facing off against the #2 seed meaning they are four of the eight oldest albums in the entire competition.  2001 and 2002 were apparently fantastic years for music.  Vampire Weekend's 2008 debut is the youngest album left in the tournament.

Voting for Round 4 Ends April 3rd at 10am EST.

Please note: If you are unfamiliar with any of the bands or would like a refresher on what their debut sounded like, I have provided sample links for each of the 8 remaining albums below:

ONE VOTE PER PERSON PLEASE

DUPLICATE VOTES WILL BE VOIDED

Kanye West - The College Dropout

vs.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Arcade Fire - Funeral

vs.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
vs.
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts


The Strokes - Is This It
vs.
Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights

This is where things get really interesting.  A few matchups were exceptionally close while others were absolute blowouts.  Here's a brief summary of what happened in Round 3:

• Kanye West destroyed Editors.  Editors had a much tougher road to get to the Sweet 16 than Kanye, but in the end, "The College Dropout" rightfully moves on.
• Vampire Weekend defeated Audioslave by only a handful of votes.  Both bands' debut records are impressive, but perhaps Vampire Weekend's lack of a breakup contributed to their win here.
• Arcade Fire remains a favorite in this tournament easily knocking #1 seed Gorillaz out of the competition.
• LCD Soundsystem may have the better sophomore record, but James Murphy's debut project under the  Soundsystem name was no match for Franz Ferdinand's self-titled.
• The Shins, The Decemberists, and Interpol all easily moved into the Elite 8.  Although their competition was steep, their incredible debut projects were each the clear favorite in their matchups.
• The Strokes defeated The Mars Volta with almost 75% of the vote.  With many people naming "De-Loused in the Comatorium" as the best album in the tournament early on, The Strokes decisive victory instantly makes them the favorite to win this competition.

The next round will be posted shortly.  Thank you all for your participation.

Many thanks to everyone who voted in Round 2.  For a brief summary of the results, please check out this blog's previous post.  16 albums remain, but the time has come to cut that number in half once again.

Voting for Round 3 Ends March 30th at 10am EST.

Please note: If you are unfamiliar with any of the bands or would like a refresher on what their debut sounded like, I have provided sample links for each of the 16 remaining albums below:

ONE VOTE PER PERSON PLEASE

DUPLICATE VOTES WILL BE VOIDED

Editors - The Back Room

vs.

Kanye West - The College Dropout

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

vs.

Audioslave - Audioslave

Gorillaz - Gorillaz

vs.

Arcade Fire - Funeral

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

vs.

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
vs.
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle
vs.
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts


The Strokes - Is This It
vs.
The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth...
vs.
Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights

Round 2 witnessed numerous close battles between debut records, but fewer surprises this time around.  Here are a few of the highlights:

• Alicia Keys became the first #1 seed to be knocked out of the tournament.  After beating Noel Gallagher in Round 1, she was defeated by Editors' impressive debut.  Unfortunately for Noel Gallagher, there are no re-matches in this tournament.
• One of the closest matchups of Round 2 was The Killers' "Hot Fuss" going up against Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut.  In the end, Vampire Weekend emerged victorious, but both albums likely would have knocked out other members of the remaining Sweet 16.
• Gorillaz destroyed Bloc Party despite Bloc Party's debut being incredibly consistent.  Gorillaz goes up against Arcade Fire in the Sweet 16.  That will be their true test.
• The Shins' debut defeated Band of Horses, who won the tournament last year for the title of "Best Band of the Last 10 Years."
• Iron & Wine's debut record squeaked past Keane's "Hopes & Fears" by one vote.  If you're a Keane fan and you didn't vote in Round 2, this is all your fault.
• Both The Strokes and Interpol continue to dominate every opponent they face.  They seem to be on a collision course for the Elite 8 unless The Mars Volta has anything to say about it.

The Sweet 16 will be posted very shortly.  Many thanks to everyone who has voted so far!

Many thanks to everyone who voted in Round 1.  For a brief summary of the results, please check out this blog's previous post.  There were numerous surprises, but all of the 32 remaining debut albums are fantastic and deserve their victory.

We had a few people try to vote numerous times in the previous round so please remember than anyone trying to vote more than once will have ALL of their votes disqualified.

Voting for Round 2 Ends March 25th!

Please note: If you are unfamiliar with any of the bands or would like a refresher on what their debut sounded like, I have provided sample links for each of the 32 remaining albums below:

ONE VOTE PER PERSON PLEASE

DUPLICATE VOTES WILL BE VOIDED

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Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor
vs.
Editors - The Back Room

Kanye West - The College Dropout
vs.
Santigold - Santigold

The Killers - Hot Fuss
vs.
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

M.I.A. - Arular
vs.
Audioslave - Audioslave



Gorillaz - Gorillaz
vs.
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Arcade Fire - Funeral
vs.
Amy Winehouse - Frank

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
vs.
The Black Keys - The Big Come Up

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
vs.
The Libertines - Up the Bracket

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
vs.
Band of Horses - Everything All The Time

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
vs.
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Keane - Hopes and Fears
vs.
Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle

Silversun Pickups - Carnavas 
vs.
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts



The Strokes - Is This It
vs.
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am...

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
vs.
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth...
vs.
Florence & the Machine - Lungs

Kasabian - Kasabian
vs.
Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights

Round 1 was filled with many surprises:

• Vampire Weekend's debut is stellar, but it was also up against stellar competition in The Streets' "Original Pirate Material."  The fact Vampire Weekend one is not the surprise, but it's that they did so with nearly 70% of the vote.
• With Foster the People fresh in everyone's minds, I figured they would give Gorillaz a run for their money, but in the end, Gorillaz received more than 5 times the votes.
• 9 people out of 100 liked Klaxons' debut more than Arcade Fire's.
• Amy Winehouse's lesser known debut, "Frank," still managed to edge out Lady Gaga's massively popular "The Fame" by 6 votes.
• In the James Mercer mirror match, 3/4 of fans stuck with the ol' tried and true (The Shins).
• In one of the closest matches of Round 1, Yeah Yeah Yeahs edged out Bon Iver.  They face MGMT next who easily beat The Postal Service.  Two of the biggest surprises in the tournament going head to head.
• After Bon Iver was toppled, I figured there would be little hope for Iron & Wine's debut against Mumford & Sons, but Sam Beam's project managed to hold on to beat Mumford by 8 votes.
• Despite Adele's massive popularity, her debut was no match for The Mars Volta.

Round 2 will be posted shortly.  In the meantime, have a look at what the bracket looks like now:

Thank you to everyone who voted in Round 1!

THE RESULTS ARE IN:
Moving on to the field of 64 are Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Foster the People, Fitz & the Tantrums, and Broken Bells.  Broken Bells received an incredible 100% of votes over Liam Gallagher's new band Beady Eye.  I'm sure his brother, Noel Gallagher, is glad to have that sibling rivalry out of the way early.

THE FIELD IS SET:
This is, by far, the most important round to vote in.  32 debut albums will be eliminated based on YOUR VOTES.  Will The Streets manage to hold off Vampire Weekend?  Can Lady Gaga tackle Amy Winehouse?  Does The Postal Service's only album still hold up today and beat MGMT's debut?  Can Adele's beautifully executed "19" defeat The Mars Volta's stunning "De-Loused in the Comatorium?"  VOTE BELOW and find out.

Voting Ends Sunday March 18th!

Please note: If you are unfamiliar with any of the bands or would like a refresher on what their debut sounded like, I have provided links for each of the 64 artists below:

ONE VOTE PER PERSON PLEASE

DUPLICATE VOTES WILL BE VOIDED

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Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor
vs.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Editors - The Back Room
vs.
Priestess - Hello Master

Kanye West - The College Dropout
vs.
Airbourne - Runnin' Wild

50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
vs.
Santigold - Santigold

The Killers - Hot Fuss
vs.
Wolfmother - Wolfmother

The Streets - Original Pirate Material
vs.
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

M.I.A. - Arular
vs.
The Sword - Age of Winters

Audioslave - Audioslave
vs.
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot



Gorillaz - Gorillaz
vs.
Foster the People - Torches

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
vs.
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

Arcade Fire - Funeral
vs.
Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future

Amy Winehouse - Frank
vs.
Lady Gaga - The Fame

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
vs.
Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards

The Black Keys - The Big Come Up
vs.
The Dead Weather - Horehound

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
vs.
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV

The Libertines - Up the Bracket
vs.
Other Lives - Other Lives



The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
vs.
Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
vs.
Band of Horses - Everything All The Time

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
vs.
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

The Postal Service - Give Up
vs.
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Keane - Hopes and Fears
vs.
Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine

Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle
vs.
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
vs.
Silversun Pickups - Carnavas

The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
vs.
The XX - XX



The Strokes - Is This It
vs.
Fitz & the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces

The Bravery - The Bravery
vs.
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am...

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
vs.
Adele - 19

The Darkness - Permission to Land
vs.
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth...
vs.
Justice - Cross

The Vines - Highly Evolved
vs.
Florence & the Machine - Lungs

Kasabian - Kasabian
vs.
MuteMath - MuteMath

Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
vs.
White Lies - To Lose My Life

This year, Musical March Madness will put 68 debut albums from the 21st Century (that's 2001 and on) against each other to determine which band's debut was truly the best.  There are plenty of bands that take a few albums to really get going, but every one represented in this field of 68 hit the ground running.

Like last year's bracket, seeds for this tournament were chosen based on the year of release.  The play in games that you will be voting on this week involve debut albums that were all released in 2010 or 2011, whereas each of the #1 seeds were released in 2001.  In the cases where a live album or EP was released prior to a full-length studio recording, the date of the first full-length was used for the seed.

Apologies to A Perfect Circle, The Avalanches, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Ryan Adams, and Sufjan Stevens who all released debut records in 2000.  I realize the term "21st Century" has some lingering contention, but I went with the true definition for this particular tournament.

Now, on to the voting!

For those of you unfamiliar with any of the albums represented, I have provided links to a YouTube video which I feel represents the album best.  The true purpose of this tournament is to offer all fans of music the opportunity to hear some new material they may not already know so I encourage all of you to take the time to listen to any artists you haven't experienced before.

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
VS.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds


Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
VS.
Foster the People - Torches


Broken Bells - Broken Bells
VS.
Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding


Fitz & the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces
VS.
The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

ONE VOTE PER PERSON PLEASE
DUPLICATE VOTES WILL BE VOIDED

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