Second Album Syndrome?
 

A lot of second albums from bands and artists have come out over the past year or so that have'nt lived up to expectations. Is this because we have played the debuts to death? Not given the new releases enough air time to become familiar with it? Are they genuinely bad or is the slight change in direction disconcerting? Some things apply more to some bands than others, and there are certainly some great tracks on a lot of these albums too, but on the whole I have been dissapointed:

KASABIAN
KAISER CHIEFS
HARD-FI
ARCTIC MONKEYS
KILLERS
JOSE GONZALES
BLOC PARTY
SCISSOR SISTERS
THE BRAVERY
GRAND NATIONAL.

I would go one step further & suggest a lot of bands on that list didn't really have great first albums compared to how good the first couple of singles were.

I mean as far as i'm concerned nothing the Yeah Yeah Yeah's ever did topped their first EP.

You'll be able to add Klaxons to that list next year , you mark my words.

True some of those bands are not in my all time faves, but they are mainly work related artists that I play thatare safe as I work in a shopping arcade. They are bands that I would call switch off music. With the exception of KILLERS, GRAND NATIONAL, BLOC PARTY and ARCTIC MONKEYS whose debuts stand up to repeated viewings.

I never got around to finishing listening to Bloc Party's debut.
I heard about 6 songs that all sounded identical , got bored & turned it off never to return to it.

I hated BLOC PARTY'S album when I first heard it and repeatedly turned it off too, but it grew on me and is a damn fine piece of work. I listened to it a few days ago for the first time in a few months and was still impressed with it. If I find I get albums like that I programme the track listing from the end of the album to the start so I can get through the whole album. A ploy that i am glad has endeared me a lot more music than I would normally enjoy.

You left out the hives.

And I think Is Is by YYY's was the best thing they've done so far. I saw them this summer. Fantastic.

The only album I have by The Hives is YOUR NEW FAVOURITE BAND which i'm pretty sure is a compilation, so I did'nt feel it fair to include them.

Tyrannosaurs hives...meh.

You can add the Strokes to that list.
And the comments about Bloc Party are accurate. I listened to that first album with big expectations, judging by the noise people were making about it.
It just left me wondering what all the fuss was about.

I've been wondering what the fuss was about with most of those bands.