#5debutalbums0509 She perfected her style a few albums later but the inventiveness was there right from the off. A very impressive debut and much better than I had remembered. open.spotify.com/album/48Zupr...

#5debutalbums0509 Moving onto 2007 albums. I always found this a distinctive and fun take on US indie. Still holds up very well but maybe too inconsistent to be a serious contender for my top 5 in this stacked field. open.spotify.com/track/4dLqYJ...

#5debutalbums0509 Another 2006 album. By the standards of the day its sophisti-pop stylings made it seem a bit "easy listening" but playing it again now I'm finding it very enjoyable. open.spotify.com/album/3orfgy...

#5debutalbums0509 Another 2006 album (and this time I'm certain it's the debut). Played it loads at the time and still my favourite by her. Incredibly accomplished for a debut album. open.spotify.com/album/0mGrA0...

#5debutalbums0509 Finally got to 2006 albums. Sunset Rubdown are part of the superb mid-noughties Canadian indie / art rock scene. Excellent album but probably not making my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/0gCDLm...

#5debutalbums0509 Last but not least of my 2005 album auditions. My pick of the albums that came from that mid noughties angular pop UK scene. A very strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/6QXQkk...

#5debutalbums0509 Still working through 2005 albums. This topped NME's 2010 list of 'the 100 greatest albums you've never heard'. A very enjoyable album and an interesting mix of styles but doesn't live up to NME's rating. open.spotify.com/album/6qWpkq...

#5debutalbums0509 Another 2005 album and another incredible statement of intent. open.spotify.com/album/7CzEkn...

#5debutalbums0509 Still quite a few 2005 albums to work through. I actually prefer the follow up but that doesn't stop this being an incredible statement of intent. open.spotify.com/album/6aSk2v...

#5debutalbums0509 Another 2005 album, played it absolutely loads at the time but barely played it since. Not sure why though as it still sounds great. This is going to be tough. open.spotify.com/album/2Dw085...

Starting #5debutalbums0509 with one of my 2005 contenders. The noughties was such a great period for wonderfully inventive US indie. open.spotify.com/album/23pU48...

#5debutalbums50s60s Won't make my top 5 but a really interesting and enjoyable album. Joe Walsh's playing is of course superb and it is a 60s album that definitely has one foot in the 70s. open.spotify.com/album/5rsl1k...

#5debutalbums50s60s Recorded when Lee Morgan was just 18. 1956 is earlier than my normal jazz sweet spot but there is an urgency about this that I'm really enjoying, making it one of my favourites of the jazz contenders. open.spotify.com/album/5CTJzw...

#5debutalbums50s60s Such fragile beauty, an incredible achievement for a debut album by an unknown artist. A very strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/7IpcJb...

#5debutalbums50s60s I'd forgotten just how great this is, a truly remarkable and original album. Influential too, although only after being heavily sampled more than 20 years later. A surprise very strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/7cILxV...

#5debutalbums50s60s I love The Beatles but don't often vote for them in these polls. This though for me is the birth of modern pop/rock so it's got to be a serious contender. open.spotify.com/album/3KzAvE...

#5debutalbums50s60s Won't make my top 5 but as one of the precursors to power pop and being Todd Rundgren's first album it's more than worthy of a spin. open.spotify.com/album/291vF5...

#5debutalbums50s60s Truly one of the landmark albums of the 60s from a band that arrived fully formed. open.spotify.com/album/0pkrqP...

#5debutalbums50s60s Sticking with a folk-rock vibe. Jim Sullivan's back story makes it the ultimate cult album but it would still be fantastic even without it. open.spotify.com/album/55RKe7...

Starting #5debutalbums50s60s with one of my favourite songwriters. Strong contender for my top 5 (although that probably applies to 20 albums). open.spotify.com/album/7GWTeF...

#5debutalbums9094 An album that's slipped down my personal rankings over the years but enjoying it a lot tonight. open.spotify.com/album/6CmJJC...

#5debutalbums9094 With a mix of fey, glam and chiming guitar this sounded like no other album that came before it. Can't see it not making my top 5. Truly superb. open.spotify.com/album/7dJLDJ...

#5debutalbums9094 The second of my 2 rap contenders and this one edges it. 36 Chambers may be more influential in the development of rap but this is perfectly done and I possibly prefer the old school sound. open.spotify.com/album/3kEtdS...

#5debutalbums9094 Incredibly assured for a debut album and incredibly disciplined for a rap album. One of two rap albums in consideration for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/3tQd5m...

#5debutalbums9094 Debut solo album by former Swll Maps member Epic Soundtracks. An album of fractured beauty that reminds me of the cult singer-songwriter albums of the 60s and 70s. Genuinely fantastic, a very strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/39PaIq...

#5debutalbums9094 A good rather than great album overall so won't be making my top 5. An interesting blast from the past though and definitely worth the play, even if just for Perfume, which is always an absolute joy. open.spotify.com/album/1GLAeP...

#5debutalbums9094 P6eobably won't make my top 5 but something about this album intrigues me and I always enjoy it. Often described as filling the gap between Madchester and Britpop but I think it's more original than that. open.spotify.com/album/0Wvg68...

#5debutalbums9094 Debut by Scott Miller's second band, The Loud Family. It's one of my top 5 albums of the 90s so an absolute certainty to make my top 5 in this. One of the greatest albums that hardly anyone has ever heard. open.spotify.com/album/785xxH...

#5debutalbums9094 A continuation from the final Husker Du album with no let up in quality. Easily the best album by Sugar or Bob Mould solo and a strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/7ndxJR...

Too many options to start #5debutalbum9094 with but decided on this one. Bursting on the scene with their best album and a unique sound (ok, maybe a bit like The Fall but I think that comparison is overplayed). Strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/7o14zV...

#5albums25 Doesn't match up to Trials, very few albums do, but possibly comes as close to it as any of their other albums. open.spotify.com/album/0TwNjr...

One of my favourite "new to me" albums of the year by, according to Spotify Wrapped, my most listened to artist of the year. Recorded in 1957 it's way ahead of it's time. open.spotify.com/album/2NyUOq...

Thinking about the best albums of 2025 and this definitely one of my favourite jazz contenders. open.spotify.com/album/69zxbU...

Final audition for #5debutalbums7074. Won't make my top 5 but great that this album is now available again. open.spotify.com/album/0MNvgh...

#5debutalbums7074 Not played this for years, won't be making my top 5 but very enjoyable and some great guitar playing. Interesting Beatles covers too. open.spotify.com/album/2YKEVr...

#5debutalbums7074 Loved Chris Spedding's playing on Nucleus's debut so thought I'd give his own debut a spin. Another superb slice of jazz fusion. That he's best known for Motorbikin' is even more ridiculous than Jeff Beck being best known for Hi Ho Silver Lining. open.spotify.com/album/6cjRMk...

#5debutalbums7074 By UK band Nucleus this is my favourite of the jazz contenders. Truly superb, recommended to anyone who's a fan of In A Silent Way, and in the mix for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/595Y69...

#5debutalbums7074 Retro leaning at the time but now one of the least dated albums from that era. An incredible debut and a strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/4hQ5Rf...

#5debutalbums7074 Excellent jazz rock album by UK band If. Probably won't make my top 5 but well worth a spin. open.spotify.com/album/76xiHT...

#5debutalbums7074 Always a pleasure to listen to this superbly innovative mix of Irish folk and rock. Extra points too for it being a true debut by previously unknown artists. The Hall of Mirrors alone is worth the price if entry. open.spotify.com/album/4krxrc...

#5debutalbums7074 There aren't many bands from Wakefield so this was always going to get a spin. Very good album but in this heat that won't be enough for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/4brh5c...

#5debutalbums7074 Perhaps better known as the father to his namesake in The Strokes but very enjoyable in a Cat Stevens sort of way. Not quite competing for my top 5 but testament to just how many excellent singer-songwriters this era produced. open.spotify.com/album/0gdQF4...

#5debutalbums7074 Not the coolest of soul groups but an album chock full of great songs, and all brilliantly arranged too. My favourite, Country Living, wasn't even one of the 5 singles. Easy listening maybe but still an absolute joy. open.spotify.com/album/3b0Wbt...

#5debutalbums7074 Different sources have this as either 69 or 70 but I certainly remember it qualifying for the 1970 poll. Southern soul as its best so a contender for me if it's allowed in. open.spotify.com/album/6Zc5SX...

I'll start #5debutalbums7074 with something off the beaten track. Lots of established 60s artists going solo in the 70s but this is one of the more understated efforts, which is what gives it the charm that captivated me from first play. open.spotify.com/album/1iPSin...

Had the pleasure of watching Bob Mould on his solo tour last night. 40 years after this yet the intensity of his playing haven't diminished one bit. open.spotify.com/album/2eOu9Q...

#5debutalbums1014 A superb recommendation by Earl. Undeniable Smiths influence but draws from a broader jangle pop palette too, which gives it its own sound. New to me this week but already played it a few times. In the mix for my top 5.

#5debutalbums1014 Obviously not the first album by either artist but their first as a duet so I guess this qualifies. Probably won't make my top 5 but the brass arrangements make it interesting and well worth a listen. open.spotify.com/album/4Pu1Qe...

#5debutalbums1014 Absolutely loved this at the time and played it loads but then really went off it. Maybe too cloying in some places and too precious in others. Playing it after a long absence though it sounds fantastic. A surprise strong contender for my top 5. open.spotify.com/album/4odAbJ...