Radio Programmers Vote For Beck

Municipal elections were held across Canada on Monday, and it got me thinking. If it's all about image, why are we wasting valuable time on dull political candidates? Why don't we start to vote for entertainment or sports celebrities? Could you imagine Beck or Steven Tyler running for the American presidency versus Gwen Stefani or Madonna? Locally, we could have K-OS battling Maestro, or Steven Page debating Bruce Cockburn and Alex Lifeson for the T-Dot mayoralty race. They could discuss transit issues (quality of buskers at subway stops), development (creating a rehearsal district and eliminating noise bylaws) and economics (instituting a minimum wage for live performers and punitive taxes on canned music clubs). That would make a more entertaining municipal race.

The national campus radio chart for the week ending Nov. 10 shows a resurgence of some recently declining albums that have logged a couple of months in the top 50. There are three CDs in the top 10 that have been on the chart for 10 weeks. The Dears' Gang Of Losers sits at #2, up a spot from last week, TV On The Radio's Return To Cookie Mountain jumps back up seven spots to #3, and Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton's Knives Don't Have Your Back re-enters the top 10 with an eight-place jump to #6. Sitting at #1 again this week is Beck's The Information. Shotgun And Jaybird's Trying To Get Somewhere remains at #4, while Les Georges Leningrad's Sangue Puro rises a spot to #5. The big loser is The Decemberists' The Crane Wife, which tumbles five places to #7. Brazilian Girls' Talk To La Bomb jumps four spots to #8, while B.A. Johnston's Call Me When Old And Fat Are The New Young And Sexy settles in for another week at #9. K-OS' Atlantis — Hymns For Disco slips three places to #10.

The Chart Sizzler Award goes to Califone's Roots And Crowns, which debuts at #17. The runner-up new entry goes to Halifax's Stolen Minks. Their new Family Boycott full-length arrives at #25, mainly on the strength of landing at #1 at both CFUV (Victoria) and CKXU (Lethbridge). Other notable debuts include The Slits' Revenge Of The Killer Slits at #31, Woolly Leaves' Quiet Waters at #35 and Mayor McCa's Cue Are Es Tea You at #40.

Outside of the three albums in the top 10 cracking double digits in terms of weeks on the chart, The Bicycles' The Good The Bad And The Cuddly leads the way at #30 after 17 weeks. MSTRKRFT's The Looks re-enters at #47, giving it 16 weeks in the top 50. Chart staff favourites The Golden Dogs' Big Eye Little Eye has been around for 13 weeks and sits at #45, while Chad VanGaalen's Skelliconnection hovers at #24 in its 13th week. The Hidden Cameras' Awoo at #12 and Yo La Tengo's I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass at #23 have lasted 12 weeks on the chart.

Either the top album remains from last week or a former #1 album recaptures the top spot on all five specialty charts. Of the former, Mastodon's Blood Mountain is glued to #1 on the Metal/Punk chart for a third week and Junior Boys' So This Is Goodbye retains the top spot on the Electronic chart. K-OS' Atlantis — Hymns For Disco jumps a spot to grab back #1 on the Hip-Hop top 10. Modo Trio With Jamie Saft's The Uninvited climbs two places to recapture #1 on the Jazz/Blues chart and Dubmatix's Atomic Subsonic follows the same route to wrestle back the top spot on the World/Folk chart.