What ya gonna do when the novelty is gone?

Critics, apparently, like novelty. Or perhaps it just becomes easier to criticize a band the second time around. Either way, as we explore below, reviewers seem to be more willing to praise a debut album -- and quicker to find fault with a sophomore release -- as evidenced by a decade's worth of Metascores.

This week sees the release of one of the year's most-anticipated second albums: Congratulations by MGMT. In 2008, the New York-based duo released Oracular Spectacular 76 to positive reviews, and the band quickly gained a following (and even a Grammy nomination) thanks to songs like "Kids," "Electric Feel," and "Time to Pretend." The new album, however, is far less single-oriented than its predecessor, and early reviews are less effusive than those for the debut.

If Congratulations indeed fails to match the success of Oracular Spectacular, MGMT will not be alone. Rock history is littered with examples of bands that received massive acclaim for their debut albums, only to falter -- critically, commercially, or both -- on their second outing. While some, like De La Soul, eventually bounce back and go on to long and successful careers, other groups, like The Stone Roses, never recover from their sophomore slumps.

Below, we take a look at bands who recorded some of the most critically-acclaimed debut albums of the past decade, to see how they fared upon their return to the studio.

A few who got even better

It is possible to follow-up a critically-acclaimed debut with an even better second album? For a handful of artists over the past decade, the answer was yes.

Manitoba [aka Caribou]

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Start Breaking My Heart	2002	76	↑12	9.0
2	Up In Flames	2003	88		8.6

Before Dan Snaith received his Ph.D. in mathematics -- and before he recorded several acclaimed albums under the name Caribou -- he released his debut LP of melancholic electronica under the name Manitoba to positive reviews. Up in Flames, however, upped the ante (and the energy) considerably, with a denser, more organic, and more original sound. (Both albums were subsequently re-released under the Caribou name.)

TV on the Radio

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes	2004	79	↑9	8.5
2	Return To Cookie Mountain	2006	88		8.0

In some ways, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes was TV on the Radio's sophomore slump, coming as it did after the release of the band's acclaimed EP Young Liars. While not as consistently strong from start to finish as the group's later releases, it nevertheless earned TVOTR strong reviews and the Shortlist Music Prize. Cookie Mountain's stellar reviews were matched by third album Dear Science, 88.

The Hold Steady

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Almost Killed Me	2004	78	↑8	9.0
2	Separation Sunday	2005	86		8.8

The classic rock-influenced indie-rockers make consistently strong albums; the band followed their debut with three straight studio albums that hit 85 or higher. Album number five, Heaven Is Whenever, is due in May.

Several who duplicated their success

While topping an acclaimed debut doesn't happen often, many bands have been able to at least come close, with a second album that's comparable in quality. Recent bands who have received virtually identical (plus or minus a few points) high Metascores for their first and second albums include Atlas Sound, Beirut, Broadcast, Engineers, Junior Senior, Los Campesinos!, Pale Young Gentlemen, She & Him, The Streets, Titus Andronicus, and the following groups:

Elbow

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Asleep In The Back	2002	82	↑2	8.4
2	Cast Of Thousands	2004	84		9.3

The innovative British alt-rockers have received more critical acclaim (including a number of awards) than commercial success, but they have yet to release a mediocre album.

The Libertines

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Up the Bracket	2003	78	↑2	8.8
2	The Libertines	2004	80		8.8

While Up the Bracket established the garage rockers as one of Britain's top new bands -- and eventually placed second on NME's best of the decade list -- the group's self-titled follow-up managed to secure even better reviews, and debuted at #1 on the British charts. The band imploded soon thereafter, although they have since reunited and have live dates scheduled for later in 2010.

Arctic Monkeys

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not	2006	82	0	7.1
2	Favourite Worst Nightmare	2007	82		8.0

It wasn't just the critics who were fans; Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is still the fastest-selling debut album in UK rock history. A very young band that attracted a lot of Internet-generated buzz in a short period of time, the Arctic Monkeys seemed destined to become one-album wonders, never to be heard from again. Except that a funny thing happened: their second album earned even more stellar reviews and awards, and also immediately shot to the top of the UK charts.

Band of Horses

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Everything All The Time	2006	78	0	8.3
2	Cease To Begin	2007	78		8.2

Consistency has paid off for the Seattle indie-rockers; after two albums for Sub Pop, their upcoming third disc (Infinite Arms) will find them on a major label for the first time.

LCD Soundsystem

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	LCD Soundsystem	2005	86	0	7.6
2	Sound Of Silver	2007	86		8.1

Speaking of consistent, James Murphy has managed to collect raves for each of his two LCD Soundsystem albums, and both appeared on numerous top 10 lists at the end of the years in which they were released. He'll go for the hat trick in May, when This Is Happening surfaces.

Badly Drawn Boy

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Hour of Bewilderbeast	2000	78	↓1	8.5
2	Have You Fed the Fish?	2002	77		8.4

We still consider Damon Gough a one-album wonder. Badly Drawn Boy's Mercury Prize-winning debut probably would have scored even higher with a little trimming and possibly better sequencing. Even so, the artist has never come close to topping it, either commercially or critically. Yet, at the time, enough reviewers enjoyed the sound of Gough's second studio album, Have You Fed the Fish?, to cause almost no drop-off in Metascores.

Interpol

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Turn On The Bright Lights	2002	81	↓1	9.5
2	Antics	2004	80		9.0

Here's another entry that surprised us. If you had asked us to guess, we'd have pegged Antics as scoring 5-10 points lower than Interpol's stellar debut, even though we knew the second album was a bigger commercial success. As it turns out, that wasn't the case; critics had virtually equal praise for the two discs. Interpol's slump didn't come until their third album (and major-label debut), Our Love to Admire 70.

Vampire Weekend

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Vampire Weekend	2008	82	↓1	8.0
2	Contra	2010	81		5.6

It's obvious which album Metacritic users preferred. But critics, as a group, felt that this year's Contra was a worthy follow-up to Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut.

Cut Copy

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Bright Like Neon Love	2004	81	↓2	8.8
2	In Ghost Colours	2008	79		9.1

While we prefer Cut Copy's catchier second album, critics expressed a slight preference for the Australian electronic-pop act's debut.

They couldn't quite live up to the first album

Other bands -- including Akron/Family, Art Brut, Be Your Own Pet, The Bees, Clinic, The Coral, Fiery Furnaces, Ladytron, Rogue Wave, Secret Machines, The Thermals, and the artists listed below -- failed to match the critical success of their debuts, although they still received a positive response for their sophomore efforts.

The Arcade Fire

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Funeral	2004	90	↓3	9.4
2	Neon Bible	2007	87		8.7

If your "worst" album scores an 87, you're doing something right. But debut album Funeral is a decade-defining release, and it could be tough for the Canadian band to ever match that disc's achievements, in the minds of critics or fans.

Franz Ferdinand

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Franz Ferdinand	2004	87	↓4	8.5
2	You Could Have It So Much Better	2005	83		8.2

It might be a case of diminishing returns for the Orange Juice-influenced Scottish act: their third album, Tonight 70, exhibited a further decline in quality.

Gnarls Barkley

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	St. Elsewhere	2006	81	↓5	8.3
2	The Odd Couple	2008	76		8.2

The second album from the duo of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse failed to match the critical and commercial highs of St. Elsewhere (which sold over a million copies in the U.S.), and was also lacking a hit single of the caliber of the debut's "Crazy."

Kings of Leon

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Youth & Young Manhood	2003	79	↓5	8.9
2	Aha Shake Heartbreak	2005	74		8.2

The American rockers attracted more attention overseas than at home for their first two albums, though many American critics liked their debut. The band's most recent release, Only by the Night 63, was much less liked by critics, but proved to be their commercial breakthrough.

The New Pornographers

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Mass Romantic	2000	87	↓5	9.7
2	Electric Version	2003	82		8.3

The indie-rock supergroup rebounded from their "decline" with their third disc, Twin Cinema 85, although their scores dropped again on album four.

Wolf Parade

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Apologies To The Queen Mary	2005	83	↓5	8.6
2	At Mount Zoomer	2008	78		9.1

Many reviewers loved the indie-rock band's debut album, but were less effusive about the follow-up. The opposite is true for Metacritic users, though the second album attracted less attention on the site. We'll know more about where the band is headed when album three comes out this summer.

Basement Jaxx

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Remedy	1999	88	↓6	8.5
2	Rooty	2001	82		9.5

Despite the slight decline for album two, each of the electronica act's first three albums received strong reviews from critics; albums four and five, not so much.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Fever To Tell	2003	85	↓6	8.2
2	Show Your Bones	2006	79		8.0

While Show Your Bones was by no means a bad album, it failed to match the commercial or critical heights of the Karen O-fronted band's debut. But the Yeah Yeah Yeahs came back strong with third album It's Blitz 82.

The Mars Volta

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	De-Loused In The Comatorium	2003	82	↓7	9.5
2	Frances The Mute	2005	75		8.3

The prog-rock band was never again able to match the stellar reviews for De-Loused in the Comatorium, with additional releases after 2005 scoring well below even sophomore release Frances the Mute.

A drop-off in quality

Our next group of artists encountered an even bigger drop-off in critical reception between their first and second releases.

Maximo Park

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	A Certain Trigger	2005	75	↓8	8.6
2	Our Earthly Pleasures	2007	67		8.0

The UK band's Mercury Prize-nominated debut was a rare rock release on electronica label Warp. While the follow-up sold well, critics were relatively unimpressed; third album Quicken the Heart 61 received an even more lukewarm response.

The Go! Team

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Thunder, Lightning, Strike	2005	86	↓9	8.6
2	Proof of Youth	2007	77		8.7

The Go! Team seem to be best appreciated in small doses; critics seemed to tire of the Brighton, England-based band's exuberance after the first album.

British Sea Power

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Decline Of British Sea Power	2003	86	↓10	8.5
2	Open Season	2005	76		8.5

BSP's debut is one of our favorites of the decade, but we agree with critics about album two: it suffers a bit without Decline's chaos, unpredictability and energy.

Junior Boys

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Last Exit	2004	89	↓10	8.2
2	So This Is Goodbye	2006	79		9.0

The Canadian synth-pop group came out of nowhere with their 2004 debut and wowed critics with their chilly, distinctive sound that was both forward-looking and reminiscent of 1980s pop. Perhaps album two simply lacked that surprise factor, or perhaps the songs just weren't as good; at any rate, Metacritic users certainly liked it.

Scissor Sisters

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Scissor Sisters	2004	81	↓10	8.9
2	Ta-Dah	2006	71		8.1

The party band best known for covering Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" faded from the limelight in their native U.S., although their second album was popular in Britain.

Editors

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Back Room	2006	76	↓11	8.2
2	An End Has A Start	2007	65		7.6

Unlike Interpol, to whom Editors are frequently compared, the English band failed to receive strong reviews for their sophomore effort, and experienced an even bigger critical fall-off with their third album, In This Light & On This Evening 59. Fans don't seem to care, however; albums two and three each topped the charts in the UK.

The Field

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	From Here We Go Sublime	2007	90	↓11	6.5
2	Yesterday And Today	2009	79		7.8

Metacritic's highest-scoring album of 2007 was From Here We Go Sublime, an album of minimalist techno from Sweden's Axel Willner. He couldn't duplicate the feat with his sophomore outing, though it, too, received a lot of positive reviews.

The Strokes

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Is This It?	2001	90	↓12	8.6
2	Room On Fire	2003	78		8.2

It's another case of diminishing returns. Since exploding onto the indie rock scene in 2001 with Is This It?, The Strokes have been met with declining sales and less enthusiastic critical response for each of their two subsequent albums. A long-awaited fourth release is expected this fall.

Liars

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	They Threw Us in a Trench & Stuck a Monument on Top	2002	77	↓13	7.5
2	They Were Wrong, So We Drowned	2004	64		8.3

The ever-changing band's second LP -- a concept album about witch trials -- proved to be a rare critical misstep. Each of their three subsequent releases received strong reviews, scoring even higher than Liars' debut.

Röyksopp

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Melody A.M.	2002	81	↓13	9.5
2	The Understanding	2005	68		7.9

The Norwegian electronica duo took three years to release a follow-up to their well-received debut, and the result was something that neither critics nor fans liked as much. They rebounded a bit with their aptly-named third album, Junior 74.

The biggest second album missteps

This final group of bands suffered the biggest fall from album one to album two.

The Polyphonic Spree

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Beginning Stages Of...	2002	84	↓14	6.7
2	Together We're Heavy	2004	70		7.7

The bombastic choral-pop group brought a change of robes and fuller production to their follow-up to their unlikely 2002 cult hit, but many critics were no longer buying their cult-like cheerfulness. According to Entertainment Weekly, only William Hung released a worse album in 2004.

The Stills

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Logic Will Break Your Heart	2003	79	↓14	9.0
2	Without Feathers	2006	65		6.4

The Canadian band completed changed its sound for album number two, alienating critics and fans in the process. A third album, Oceans Will Rise 64, also left reviewers unimpressed.

Vivian Girls

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Vivian Girls	2008	80	↓14	6.0
2	Everything Goes Wrong	2009	66		6.6

The Brooklyn band was signed to garage-rock label In the Red on the strength of their critically-acclaimed (but just 22-minute) debut album. While the band's following continued to grow, their second album proved to be polarizing among critics.

Tapes 'n Tapes

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Loon	2006	76	↓15	7.7
2	Walk It Off	2008	61		6.8

It may be the most original indie rock, but The Loon is filled with addictive tunes and intriguing songwriting. The band's David Fridmann-produced second album? Not so much.

The Futureheads

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Futureheads	2004	86	↓15	8.8
2	News And Tributes	2006	71		7.5

Sounding little like anything else out at the time, the UK band's self-titled debut was one of 2004's top albums, generating excitement in the music press. That excitement died down over subsequent releases, which still received positive reviews but failed to scale the heights of that debut.

The Magic Numbers

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	The Magic Numbers	2005	80	↓15	7.5
2	Those The Brokes	2007	65		6.5

The English four-piece could not capitalize on the buzz generated by their debut release; many critics ultimately were bored with the group's ambitious second album, and the group has done little since.

Bloc Party

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Silent Alarm	2005	82	↓17	8.8
2	A Weekend In The City	2007	65		6.3

One of indie rock's next big things in the middle part of the last decade, England's Bloc Party has continued to sell albums even as they have been fading from relevance, at least from a critical standpoint. The band is currently on hiatus, with frontman Kele Okereke due to release a solo album this summer.

Grand National

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Kicking The National Habit	2006	76	↓17	9.3
2	A Drink & A Quick Decision	2007	59		7.0

The UK dance music duo followed their well-received, '80s-influenced debut with a darker second album that reviewers weren't fond of. Aside from a few singles, Grand National has been mostly silent in the ensuing years.

Kaiser Chiefs

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Employment	2005	78	↓17	7.5
2	Yours Truly, Angry Mob	2007	61		5.5

While the English rockers followed their well-reviewed debut with a middling sophomore effort, the second album at least generated a hit single ("Ruby").

The Earlies

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	These Were The Earlies	2005	84	↓17	8.4
2	Enemy Chorus	2007	67		9.5

Half English, half American, The Earlies scored strong reviews for their first stab at eclectic, psychedelic prog-rock. While Enemy Chorus still attracted a number of great reviews, some critics considered it a failed experiment.

The Elected

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Me First	2004	80	↓17	9.4
2	Sun, Sun, Sun	2006	63		8.4

Blake Sennett impressed critics with his first foray away from his main band, Rilo Kiley. Two years later, critics found a lot less to get excited about.

stellastarr*

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	stellastarr*	2003	78	↓20	7.8
2	Harmonies For The Haunted	2005	58		8.4

The New York-based band sounded like a love-them or hate-them proposition when they released their self-titled debut in 2003. Back then, many critics were loving them, but it was short-lived: neither of the group's follow-up efforts received good reviews.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah	2005	84	↓21	8.5
2	Some Loud Thunder	2007	63		7.4

The Internet buzz in 2005 was so great for this indie-rock band's self-released debut album -- a start-to-finish delight -- that it was a challenge just to secure a copy of the CD. CYHSY refused to sign with a label and opted to once again self-release their follow-up, although they did work with a big-name producer (Dave Fridmann). The result was hugely disappointing to many critics and some of the group's fans, with both the production and the songwriting coming under fire.

Guillemots

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Through The Windowpane	2006	81	↓21	8.7
2	Red	2008	60		6.7

The debut disc for the UK four-piece is highlighted by infectious indie-pop gems like the single "Trains to Brazil." But that magic was missing from the second album, derided by many critics as shallow and overproduced to the point of self-parody.

Audio Bullys

Album		Year	Metascore	Change	Users
1	Ego War	2003	75	↓31	8.3
2	Generation	2006	44		9.0

The UK duo's electronica-grime mishmash Ego War won over most critics in 2003. But their slower second album was derided by most critics, and even the band has suggested that it's a misstep.

The Metascore is a weighted average of scores from top professional critics, on a scale from 0 (bad) to 100 (good). User scores represent an average of scores assigned by Metacritic.com site visitors on a scale from 0 (bad) to 10 (good). All scores are from April 9, 2010.

Let's hear it

What did the critics get right and wrong in assessing the second albums listed above? What other second album failures and successes aren't covered on our list? Join the conversation below.