The Chart Show: Alabama Shakes up the Chart, jump 12 spots to #1
March 19, 2015
Alabama Shakes jump to the top this week, a month ahead of their new album's release and two months ahead of a sold out show by the river in Northeast with Father John Misty (at #5). They've already started their tour with a sold out show in Milwaukee over the weekend, where they apparently played so much of the new album that the audience was a little antsy at times!
Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win tickets to the sold out Father John Misty show at First Avenue on Saturday, April 4!
Tickets just went on sale to the public for Rock the Garden 2015! One of the highlights will be seeing Courtney Barnett seriously rock the garden! The New York Times published a big piece on her over the weekend as well as Pitchfork. Her new album (out next week) is streaming via iTunes.
One of the highlights of last year's Rock the Garden, Matt and Kim, are back at #7 after a short hiatus. They start their tour in the States early April ending with a sold out show at Mill City Nights on May 22.
Another big festival is on the near horizon: Coachella in Indio, CA for two weekends in April. Our highest new entry this week, Florence and the Machine, will play there, Governors Ball in NYC, Bonnaroo and Bestival in Toronto. This lighter schedule is perhaps the result of Flo having to cancel a string of shows last time she was out on a world tour. She admitted that the new album is in part the story of her "nervous breakdown."
Another artist who has recently been open about his struggle with mental illness while touring is Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit who are brand new at #12 this week. After being open about his debilitating bi-polar condition and getting into a Twitter spat with Henry Rollins last year, we hope it's all good news for him now as the new album will be released April 21, 2015.
Glass Animals return after a week hiatus with one of the slinkiest tunes off Zaba. They're steadily infiltrating the mainstream, recently recording a session for Esquire.
Bjork is back with another track from her new Vulnicura which gets its physical release next week. This week she shared not a simple new video but what is described as a "moving album cover" featuring the track "Family."
Noel Gallagher will not care that you voted him into the Chart this week at #19—according to a recent interview with Looch—he only cares what his wife, kids and cat Boots (who acts like a dog apparently?!) thinks of him.
Indiana rockers Houndmouth release their new album Little Neon Limelight this week and celebrate in the basement space of our Chart. They've already played here in the Twin Cities on their way to SXSW (they even stopped by to record an in-studio) and they definitely have the buzz going as their shows at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and the Sinclair in Boston are already sold out, and they perform on Letterman on March 31.