Charty Chart Chat: Campus Radio Goes Ga Ga For Spoon

I wonder if at any time during its run if Sesame Street was brought to you by the letter Z and by the number 13. This week's Charty Chart Chat is, in connection with a new chart record being set, but more on that later.

Starting at the top, I'd like to proclaim the rock kings of Austin, Texas as the leaders of the top 50 chart for the week ending July 13. Last week's Chart Sizzler, Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, moved up the three spots required to land at #1. It's the second time in the quartet's career that they've sat at #1, as Kill The Moonlight was there for the week of Sept. 20, 2001. Spoon's previous release, Gimme Fiction, spent three consecutive weeks at #2 in June 2005.

The rest of the top 10 is filled with some fast-moving albums. Remaining at #2, though, is Metric's Grow Up & Blow Away. It's followed by They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'s Pick Up Sticks, which jumps seven spots to #3. Also moving upward is the surprising Polaris Music Prize finalist, Miracle Fortress' Five Roses, which climbs nine notches to #4. Beastie Boys' The Mix-Up leaps 12 places to #5, while Carolyn Mark's Nothing Is Free remains at #6. Lightning Dust's self-titled album rises four spots to #7 while last week's chart-topper, Immaculate Machine's Fables, tumbles to #8. The White Stripes' well-publicized Canadian tour probably helped Icky Thump jump five places to #9. The biggest move belongs to Pride Tiger's The Lucky Ones, which rockets up 24 places to #10.

The Chart Sizzler Award goes to an album halfway down the chart: Fridge's The Sun at #23. The runner-up is Andre Ethier's On Blue Fog at #28, while Shit Disco's Kingdom Of Fear enters at #31. Other notable debuts include The Sea And Cake's Everybody at #33, The Polyphonic Spree's The Fragile Army at #45 and Bad Brains' Build A Nation at #50.

The specialty charts are feeling a bit of the summer blahs, as three of them feature the same #1s as last week. Matthew Dear's Asa Breed continues to top the Electronic chart, Blue Scholars' Bayani holds on to #1 on the Hip-Hop chart and 3 Inches Of Blood's Fire Up The Blades has a firm grasp on #1 on Metal/Punk. Moving up a single place to the top spot in its third week on the World/Folk chart is Dobet Gnahore's Na Afriki. ZMF Trio's Circle The Path returns to #1 on the Jazz/Blues chart for the first time since April 13 (the first Friday the 13th of the year). The 11 weeks between appearances at the top of any chart is a new record, which takes us back to the letter Z and the number 13.