Sunset Rubdown Beats Out Familiar Suspects

11/06/07 4:00pm

by Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

For the three months that begin each new school year, there's some major competition for airplay as heaps of high-profile college radio-friendly bands release albums. This year veteran bands The New Pornographers, The Sadies, Stars and The Weakerthans have all put out new albums and its been a rock 'em sock 'em battle for the top spot on the top 50 chart. Yet, it's a relative newcomer that has topped the chart this week, repeating it's chart dominance for a second week.

Returning to the #1 spot is Sunset Rubdown's Random Spirit Lover, which was the only album that accumulated more than 1,000 points on the top 50 chart, easily distaning the #2 album, Stars' In Our Bedroom After The War. Dropping down a spot to #3 is The Sadies' New Seasons, followed by Weakerthans' Reunion Tour remaining at #4 again. Rising up two places is The New Pornographers' Challengers, staying ahead of the CBC Radio 3: Breaking New Sounds compilation, which jumps up seven spots to #7. The Most Serene Republic's Population moves up two positions to #7, followed by the resurgent The Acorn's Glory Hope Mountain which re-enters the top ten, rising up nine spots to #8. Beirut's The Flying Club Cup makes a six position leap to sit at #9 and the Chart Sizzler Award winner Ween's La Cucaracha enters the charts at #10.

La Cucaracha garnered strong radio support charting at 12 individual stations, including six top ten finishes; #5 at CHLY (Nanaimo), #6 at CKUT (McGill), #7 at CFBU (Brock) and #10 at CFRE (Erindale), CFRU (Guelph) and CKMS (Waterloo). The runner-up for the Chart Sizzler Award is Picastro's Whore Luck, the long-awaited new album from this veteran Toronto scene band. Whore Luck enters the chart at #12. Other notable new entries include Fiery Furnaces' Widow City at #23, Cuff The Duke's Sidelines Of The City at #25 and Holy Fuck's LP arriving at #30.

There were wholesale changes at the top of four of the five specialty charts with only High On Fire's Death Is The Communion surviving the purge to remain at #1 on the Metal/Punk top ten. Taking over top spot on the Electronic chart is Booka Shade's DJ Kicks remix compilation. Aceyalone's Lightning Strikes rebounds from being out of the top ten, re-entering at #1 in its second week on the Hip Hop chart. Amir Elsaffar' Two Rivers does one better by deuting at #1 on the Jazz/Blues chart while Mr. Something Something's Deep Sleep rises a spot to capture #1 on the World/Folk chart.