Charty Chart Chat: Spoon Stay On Top

(who doesn't count as Cancon) or head case It's not that often that an international band remain at #1 for more than a week. Outside of perennial college radio faves Sonic Youth, pseudo-Canadian Neko Case and Cat Power, what Spoon have accomplished with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is quite impressive.

While remaining at #1 for the last two weeks, Spoon have held off Metric's Grow Up & Blow Away from reaching the top spot, and it sits at #2 again this week. Immaculate Machine's Fables, a former #1, moves up five places to #3. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'s Pick Up Sticks drops a spot to #4, while The White Stripes' Icky Thump jumps four spots to #5 and Lightning Dust's self-titled album rises a position to #6. The Ghost Is Dancing's The Darkest Spark leaps 20 places to #7. Battles' Mirrored moves up five spots to #8, while Shit Disco's Kingdom Of Fear rises 12 places #9 and Carolyn Mark's Nothing Is Free drops four notches to #10.

In a week that has a below average number of new entries, the Chart Sizzler Award goes to Carbon Dating Service's Polyentendrii, which arrives at #16. The runner-up is Caribou's Melody Day EP, which enters at #28. Love And Mathematics' eponymous EP checks in at #33 and the Required Listening 2 compilation debuts at #34.

While there are few new releases on the chart, there was a return of a favourite college act after a week's absence. Arcade Fire's Neon Bible re-entered for its 19th week on the chart. The album has lost some momentum in its attempt to outlast the group's first release, Funeral, which spent 22 weeks on the top 50 chart two years ago.

The specialty charts seem to be in some doldrums as three of the five #1s from last week returned again. Blue Scholars' Bayani remains at the top of the Hip-Hop chart, 3 Inches Of Blood's Fire Up The Blades is rooted in the #1 spot on the Metal/Punk chart (five weeks and counting) and Dobet Gnahore's Na Afriki returns at #1 on the World/Folk top 10. Chromeo's Fancy Footwork finally lands at #1 on the Electronic chart in its 11th week, while The Bad Plus' Prog returns to the #1 slot on Jazz/Blues after a week's absence.