Challengers Is The Champion Again

There's finally some competition among the various college radio veterans for top 50 chart supremacy after months of two albums dominating the charts for weeks, namely the latest releases from Spoon and Caribou.

The New Pornographers' Challengers took over #1, only to be supplanted by Weakerthans' Reunion Tour last week. Now the tables have been turned for the week ending Oct. 5, as Challengers recaptured #1 and dropped Reunion Tour to #2. Stars' In Our Bedroom After The War vaults up six places to #3. We Are Wolves' Total Magique remains at #4 for a third straight week, while the aforementioned Caribou's Andorra dips a couple of places to #5. Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam slips a spot to #6, with Kevin Drew's Spirit If... jumping four notches to #7. That dropped last week's Chart Sizzler Award winner, DD/MM/YYYY's Are They Masks?, a place to #8. M.I.A.'s Kala stumbles three places to #9. The Sadies' New Seasons jumps five positions to #10.

After a couple of weeks of very high debuts, this week's top 50 is relatively calm, with the highest new entry appearing in the mid-twenties. The Chart Sizzler goes to Akron/Family's Love Is Simple, which comes in at #23. It's followed immediately by Baby Eagle's No Blues at #24 and Sandro Perri's Tiny Mirrors at #25. Other notable new entries include Iron & Wine's The Shepherd's Dog at #35, New Buffalo's Somewhere, Anywhere at #39 and Bella's No One Will Know at #45.

Immaculate Machine's Fables staves off elimination by holding on for a 19th week on the chart at #48. The only other long-term chart occupant, at 10 weeks, is Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Is Is EP at #50.

Three of the five #1s from last week's specialty charts stay in that position this week. Konono No. 1's Live At Couleur Cafe remains at #1 on the World/Folk top 10. M.I.A.'s Kala has to the top spot on the Electronic chart wrapped up, while Aesop Rock's None Shall Pass remains at #1 on the Hip-Hop chart for the fourth straight week. Baroness' Red Album moves up a notch to first place on Metal/Punk, while the only big surprise was the #1 debut by William Parker's Corn Meal Dance on the Jazz/Blues chart.