The Bicycles Remain #1

The winter blahs hit the campus radio charts this week, as the tradition of the number of chart contributors declining in the lead-up period to the holiday season continues.

The Bicycles' Oh No, It's Love continues to hold down the fort at the top of the top 50 chart for a second week. B.A. Johnston's Stairway To Hamilton blasts up 14 places to #2. Stairway received substantial airplay from 10 campus stations, with half of them placing it in the top 10. It was #2 at both CKLU (Laurentian) and CITR (UBC), #3 at CJSW (Calgary) and #5 at both CHUO (Ottawa) and CFMU (McMaster).

The Dears' Missiles holds on at #3, while TV On The Radio's Dear Science creeps up a position to #4. Mother Mother's O My Heart drops three places to #5. It's followed by the Nothing On But Your Radio Live Sessions From CJSW 90.9 FM compilation, which jumps 32 places to #6.

The Chart Sizzler Award goes to another Arts & Crafts band. There's a bit of a twist, though, as it's not a Canadian act. Los Campesinos!' We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed arrives at #7 as the highest new entry of the week.

Bloc Party's Intimacy rises a position to #8 and The Organ's Thieves EP drops five spots to #9. It looks like folks have finally discovered our October issue cover stars The Waking Eyes' Holding On To Whatever It Is, as the album rises 25 places to #10.

Los Campesinos! had little competition for the Chart Sizzler Award, as the runner-up is way down the chart. Ian Tyson's Yellowhead To Yellowstone And Other Stories debuts at #30. The new musical collaboration between Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid called NYC, which is on the Electronic chart for a third week (re-entering at #10), debuts on both the Jazz/Blues Chart at #9 and on the top 50 at #32. The Matadors' Sweet Revenge arrives at #37, Hank Williams III's Damn Right Rebel Proud debuts at #41 and Raygun Cowboys' self-titled release enters at #44.

Four of the five specialty charts have the same #1 as last week: Amadou & Miriam's Welcome To Mali on World/Folk; Peggy Lee Band's New Code on  Jazz/Blues; Moka Only's Carrots And Eggs on Hip-Hop; and Squarepusher's Just A Souvenir on Electronic.

Last week's Metal/Punk chart champ, Bison B.C.'s Quiet Earth, tumbled to #5 and was replaced by a previous #1 album. Enslaved's Vertebrae tops the chart again after sitting at #1 three weeks ago.