Wolf Parade Top Chart

07/08/08 1:44pm

by Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

More new material is making a mark in the upper echelons of the top 50 chart. There were two top 10 entries last week, and the same thing happens this week. Not only are new albums rising quickly up the chart, but a number of recent chart champs are tumbling down (and in some instances right off) to make room for the rookies.

Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer rises a position to take over the top spot and match the chart-topping feat accomplished by the band's self-titled debut EP in the summer of 2005. That record remained at #1 for four weeks. The quartet quickly released their Apologies To The Queen debut full-length a month later and faced some stiff competition from The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema, Constantines' Tournament Of Hearts and the eponymous album by Broken Social Scene that kept Apologies from hitting #1. But the album stayed in the top five for more than two months.

The runner-up this week is the self-titled album by Women, which rises four spots. Fleet Foxes' eponymous release experiences a bit of resurgence as it jumps five places to #3. It's followed by the first of the two new top 10 entries: Vancougar's Canadian Tuxedo, which debuts at #4 and receives the Chart Sizzler Award for this week. Tokyo Police Club's Elephant Shell drops a spot to #5, while Adam & The Amethysts' Amethyst Amulet rises 19 places to land at #6. The Wet Secrets' Rock Fantasy, which seemed poised to grab the top spot a couple of weeks ago, sees its window of opportunity close as it drops two positions to #7. It's followed by the former reigning chart champ, Islands' Arm's Way, which falls seven spots to #8. The Notwist's The Devil, You & Me does surprisingly well in debuting at #9, while Sloan's Parallel Play slips a place to #10 in its second week.

Last week's #8 album, No Age's Nouns has become the first top 10 album to fall off the chart a week later. A few albums in the mid-teens have previously disappeared, only to return to a similar position the following week. We'll see if No Age can rebound.

There are some significant new arrivals farther down the chart. The Awkward Stage's Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights? enters at #14, while Fred Eaglesmith's Tinderbox debuts at #21. The former isn't surprising, as almost every Mint Records release charts high in the top 50. It's the high debut of the latter that's puzzling. Eaglesmith is a music industry maverick, but not in a cool, rebellious way. None of Eaglesmith's previous albums have charted this high before. It's been a decade since his two major label albums — Lipstick, Lies & Gasoline and 50-Odd Dollars — were actually serviced to college radio, and they barely remained in the lower 40s for a week or two. Tinderbox's mix of negro spiritual, country and blues is a departure from Eaglesmith's recent albums, and it seems to have captured the interest of programmers from Halifax (CKDU) to Nanaimo (CHLY), as well as five stations in between.

There are a few changes at #1 on the specialty charts. Pete Samples' The Jumper Cables recaptures #1 on the Electronic chart. Cool Kids' The Bake Sale rises a place to gab #1 on Hip-Hop. The same #1s from last week remain there on the other three charts. Elizabeth Shepherd's Parkdale holds on to top spot on Jazz/Blues, Orchestra Baobab's Made In Dakar stays at #1 on World/Folk, and Opeth's Watershed returns as the #1 Metal/Punk album of the week.