in my current working top 20, i'm nearly 50/50 with old artists/new to me artists, with the balance leaning torwards new to me artists/debuts. if i expanded to a top 30 (a likely possibility) it would probably be exactly 50/50. when it comes down to it, many artists who i've enjoyed in the past followed up with albums that weren't as strong as many debuts i heard this year. for example the beck album (which is in my top 20) is a good, fun record that i've given a lot of spins to. i don't think it's as good as the bulk of his catalogue, and i don't think it's better than say, the band of horses record. i can make this argument for many of my favorite artists of years past this year (built to spill, tv on the radio, flaming lips, ect....) it does look like a veteran (third record) will take my #1 though. #1 slots tend to go to bands that put out their career record, at least for me...