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The Chart Show: A Sugarcube teaches Damon Albarn how to drink?!

Einar Orn is the former co-lead singer of The Sugarcubes.
Einar Orn is the former co-lead singer of The Sugarcubes.Nate Ryan | MPR

by Mark Wheat

November 09, 2017

Arcade Fire maintain their hold on the top spot, making three weeks in total for this song. Added to the one week they spent there with the title track of "Everything Now" puts them second, level with Sylvan Esso and one behind Portugal. The Man for most weeks at #1 this year. They can only go equal top if they stay there next week, but then they'll be inducted to The Chart Show Hall of Fame. That will mean they'll be equal at the top of the All Time Hall of Fame chart with The Black Keys on ten inductions. This week The War On Drugs are inducted for the second time and Beck for the fourth, with the longest gap ever between two songs from the same album being inducted. "Wow" was back in August of last year when it was released as a single.

Gorillaz swing back in as the highest new entry this week at #15. We discovered last week that Damon Albarn, lead Gorillaz member and ex-Blur master, has a house in Reyjavik, Iceland! One of the original Sugarcubes (Bjork's breakout band) Einar Orn told us in an interview last week that he taught Damon how to drink!? Another of our interviewees, Ottarr Proppe from the band HAM told us that Grace Jones, who's on this Gorillaz track too, had done a notorious performance in Iceland in the early 80's which he termed 'Disco Theater' along with her then boyfriend Dolph Lundgren! Check out more of our stories and videos from Iceland's Airwaves festival.

Hiss Golden Messenger crash into the basement spot for their first chart exposure. They did a session with Mac Wilson recently, just after seeing Bob Dylan at Xcel. Hear leader MC Taylor's reaction to that show, "I thought it was the most beautiful thing." And experience the way he tries to be present and collaborates with a small community of friends, "I've felt like one way of maintaining positivity and hope lately for me has been to focus on really small moments."

Lorde is at unlucky #13 this week, but she turned 21 yesterday and gave some lucky fans a great present. She sent a tweet (old school 140) that gave clues as to where she'd hidden tickets and a hand drawn t-shirt in Dunedin's city library in New Zealand where she was conveniently playing a show on her big day.

You can win tickets to the sold out St. Vincent show this week, for giving us your five fave tunes. Annie Clark was on The Graham Norton Show last Friday performing the song that's at #8. She also explained that it is NOT her butt that graces the album cover of MASSEDUCTION.

Hanging on to the #18 spot for the second week, Robert Plant's new solo record will be our Album of the Week next week, I'm trying hard to do an objective review of someone I've loved for so many years. Great to see that he has just been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Americana Music Association UK.

Speaking of Americana and Awards, Jason Isbell, who climbed one place to #7 was included in the Country Music Associations Awards nominee list this year, surprising more than a few commentators. He's never had a hit country song or played the CMA's massive festival, and releases his albums independently.

Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win a pair of passes to St. Vincent at the Palace Theatre!