Tom Waits Still Has What It Takes

January is a time for renewal, as well as a time to look back on the past year to see what things went right and wrong. The month was named after the god Janus, whose two-faced image symbolizes his ability to look forward and backwards, and this first chart to include airplay from 2007 does the same.

The old man remains king, as Tom Waits' Orphans continues to rule the chart roost, while Swan Lake's Beast Moans remains at #2. Joanna Newsom's Ys moves up four spots to #3, pushing The Decemberists' The Crane Wife down to #4. Shotgun And Jaybird's Trying To Get Somewhere remains at #5.

Last week's Chart Sizzler, Sonic Youth's The Destroyed Room: B-Sides And Rarities, moves up four places to #6. Woodpigeon's Songbook slides a place to #7. The Killed In Canada compilation jumps 19 places to #8, while The Blow's Paper Television experiences a resurgence and rebounds back up seven places to #9. And in a incredible feat of almost returning from the dead, Junior Boys' So This Goodbye returns to the top 50 chart after an absence of seven weeks to re-enter at #10.
The Chart Sizzler this week is awarded to John Smith's Growing Pains, which enters the chart at #18 to edge out CJSR's latest compilation, Snowed In: A Hank Snow Tribute, which debuts at #20. Jewish Legend's Telepathy Now! arrives at #24 and Nassau's Machines To Paradise debuts at #27. Other notable new entries include The Sadies' Tales Of The Rat Fink soundtrack at #33, Neko Case's Live At Austin, TX at #38 and Quebec natives Grim Skunk's Fires Under The Road at #49.

In a parallel observation to last week, only one week better, this is the first time that three albums with at least 19 weeks service have simultaneously been on the chart. Shout Out Out Out Out's Not Saying Just Saying broke the 20-week barrier and sits at #26, while Chad VanGaalen's Skelliconnection at #31 and Hidden Cameras' Awoo at #42 have both survived on the chart for 19 weeks. Creeping up the all-time chart duration list are The Dears' Gang Of Losers at #14 and TV On The Radio's Return To Cookie Mountain at #17, both having lasted for 17 weeks, while Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton's Knives Don't Have Your Back re-enters at #36 to give it 16 weeks of service on the chart.

As was the case on the top 50 chart, the five specialty charts all experienced an upheaval in their contents and have new #1s. Forro In The Dark's Bonfires Of San Joao jumps eight positions to grab the top spot on the World/Folk chart. Hot Chip's Remixed And Rarities moves up five spots to grab #1 on the Electronic chart. Lady Sovereign's Public Warning recaptures the top spot on the Hip-Hop chart, while the self-titled album from Zapata Negro enters the Jazz/Blues chart at #1. Finally, Isis' In The Absence Of Truth finally breaks the stranglehold on the top spot of the Metal/Punk chart. Since the beginning of November, either Mastodon's Blood Mountain (this week at #3) or Amon Amarth's With Oden On Our Side (which drops to #4) have been in the #1 slot. Now it's Isis' turn to rule the metal kingdom.