Chad VanGaalen Makes A Skelliconnection With Campus Radio

Those of you who've been following the weekly antics of this column know that the past seven top 50 charts have each featured a new #1 album. This run of #1 chart turmoil is completely without precedent. Before last month, the longest streak of new chart-toppers was three weeks, which has been accomplished many times since the commencement of weekly charts on ChartAttack.com in April 1996.

This week's numero uno is Chad VanGaalen's Skelliconnection, which leaps five spots to nab the top spot. Moving up three positions to #2 is Yo La Tengo's I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. Shout Out Out Out Out's Not Saying/Just Saying drops a spot to #3 and is followed by last week's top chart dog, Bicycles' The Good The Bad And The Cuddly. Hidden Cameras' Awoo moves up two places to #5, with The Sadies' In Concert Volume One dropping three positions to #6. That mirrored the drop of MSTRKRFT's The Looks to #7. Ratatat's Classics jumps three places to #8, while Andre Ethier's Secondathallum rockets 18 places to #9. Thom Yorke's The Eraser rounds out the top 10. 

Montreal septet The Dears receive the Chart Sizzler Award this week as their latest album, Gang Of Losers, makes the top debut at #17. Angela Desveaux' Wandering Eyes is the runner-up debut at #23, while The Thermals' The Body, The Blood, The Machine debuts at #25. Other notable new entries include Emily Haines & Soft Skeleton's Knives Don't Have Your Back at #34, The Duhks' Migrations at #40 and TV On The Radio's Return To Cookie Mountain at #44.

There was little change on the specialty charts, as a number of the regular chart-contributing stations are busy integrating new staff members at the beginning of school year and had no time to report. As such, there are only two new #1s, both of which were in the #2 slot last week. Oh No's Exodus Into Unheard Rhymes takes over top spot on the Hip-Hop chart, while Slayer's Christ Illusion grabs the top spot on the Metal/Punk top 10. Art Ensemble Of Chicago's Non-Cognitive Aspects Of This City remains at #1 on the Jazz/Blues chart, Ali Farka Toure's Savane repeats at #1 on the World/Folk chart and MSTRKRFT's The Looks is firmly entrenched at #1 on the Electronic chart.