The Chart Show: Belle and Sebastian, Decemberists see success with new album releases
by Mark Wheat
January 22, 2015
alt-J are back on top this week! An article about underrated drummers in City Pages gave a big shout out to alt-J's own Thom Green. He was number six on the list behind ... Ringo Starr?! I would add Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney to that list. Their album No Cities to Love dropped yesterday and today they drop off the Chart along with the Black Keys, Conor Oberst and Brandi Carlile.
Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win tickets to Sleater-Kinney's sold out show at First Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 14!
The highest new entry this week is from Beck, saying hello at #11. He's apparently considered the outsider for the Best Album Grammy, which will be presented Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.
The other three new entries are all making their debut on our Chart.
Billy Idol, on the heels of his show at Turf Club Monday night for Mary Lucia's Rock 'n' Roll Radio Live gig, debuts at #15. We'll post video of Mary's interview with Billy in the coming weeks.
Alvvays—that's two vees instead of a double-u—are from Toronto but have a distinctly Scottish pop feel to their work, reminiscent of Camera Obscura. Or, as I said on air last week, a long forgotten band from the early '80s: Altered Images! That probably explains their popularity across the pond. They've been on tour this year supporting Real Estate and have announced their first headlining tour in the UK.
George Ezra is also big across the pond—not only in the UK but all over Europe—because of his big hit of last summer, "Budapest." His album has been #1 in UK for four weeks and he got four BRIT Award nominations.
The Decemberists climb four places to #4. What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is out this week. Pitchfork skewered it with a 5.6 rating, but our own Jacquie Fuller was a little more forgiving in her Album of the Week review.
Belle and Sebastian, up two places this week, also release their new album this week and get interestingly compared to the Decemberists in an L.A. Times review.
Don't forget that two of our Chart Show denizens, Hippo Campus and Cold War Kids will be at The Current's 10th Anniversary shows at First Avenue this weekend. If you didn't get a chance to get tickets for the sold out shows tune in on Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. to hear our live broadcast from the club.