IMAGI-BLOG
What's popular these days anyway: A Billboard update
Submitted by Erik Gonzalez on April 10, 2008.It has been awhile since I've looked at the Billboard Album charts. I think this is mostly because I forgot they existed, but with spring here, it seemed like time to return.
And why not? Sure, George Strait is #1 (you know, he's one of the most popular musicians ever), but who pops in at #2? R.E.M. Yes, the Athens legends new album, Accelerate, made for the best showing of an R.E.M. album on the Billboard chart in years. Heck, the other day I was in a record store looking at R.E.M. albums and noticed a copy of their last album, 2004's Around the Sun, and realized (a) I, at first, did not even remember its existence and (b) I didn't recognize a single song on it. So, to say that R.E.M. was verging on obscurity might have not been far from the truth.
But that was then, and this is now. Everyone loves R.E.M. again! (Even if their album was produced by the same guy who produces for Bloc Party).
What else?
The soundtrack to Alvin & the Chipmunks is all the way at #5 thanks to the DVD realize. (Shudder in fear, both for the Chipmunks and David Cross).
OK.
I was surprised to see the Black Keys entered at #14 with their Danger Mouse-produced new album, Attack & Release. At can attest to the fact that it is pretty darn good.
Even Moby is still vaguely relevant, making it to #27 with Last Night, his tribute to New York dance music. Then again, he could have recorded an album of his favorite bathtime gurgles and it would have been leaps and bounds above the disaster of his last disc Home.
And who knew Muse had a live album? I didn't, but enough people bought it to put it at #49.
And this isn't a debut, but the B-52s dropped from #11 to #48 in their second week. Sure, its a big drop, but with big live dates like the DIXON, CA SPRING FLING, they will be taking over. I am slightly disturbed by the fact that I know Kate and Cindy are in their upper 40s (or more?) yet they look pretty hot in the video for "Fun Plex" and on the CD cover. OK, well, I've always though they were hot, so whatever. Now, if you think Fred still looks hot, more power to you.
And one last note. Joe Satriani released an album that made the Top 100 (at #89) called Professor Satchafunkilis and the Musterian of Rock. Guitar nerds of the world, unite!
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ChrisB said on April 11, 2008:
Erik, you're the second person to comment on Kate and Cindy's hotness this week. Maybe it's a 1-23 thing? Regardless, I admire your taste in women.
Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Cindy is 51 and Kate turns 60 this month.
Of course, I used first names like I know them personally. I wish!
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JessicaSeattle said on April 11, 2008:
Nice newsy bits & videos - thanks, Erik!
Extra thanks for mentioning Muse's Haarp (live CD/DVD set from last year's tour). I cannot believe i spaced this one (no pun intended) -- I was so psyched when my fave Glasgow DJ mentioned this was coming out, then got busy w/work & forgot all about it. I love them - love, love, love. I still hold out a tiny hope that one day Muse will do a concert at Benaroya Hall, so Matt Bellamy can play the 4490-pipe Watjen Concert Organ. (If someone writes a 33 1/3 on "Origin of Symmetry", there will be a seriously cool story in there about locating an organ for the tracks on that album.)
Lol - since SupernaturalSuperserious hit the airwaves, I haven't once reflected on the Jacknife Lee influence. Now that it's out & it just sounds like classic REM (i.e., not a dancier version of REM), I forgot all about that. With the delay in the album coming out (at least what seemed to me like a delay -- I heard a London interview back in Aug/Sept where Garret ("Jacknife") Lee said he'd finished work on the REM album; and then there were all those balloons REM kept floating ahead about Accelerate; and that they were touring w/Modest Mouse & The National and STILL no preview of the music; I really thought something had gone wrong & it was going to be a trainwreck).
And for those less familiar w/the name, Erik's referring to the Irish producer who's worked with Editors, SnowPatrol, Kasabian, The Hives, U2, in addition to REM & Bloc Party's latest efforts. I've got the (eponymous) solo album he put out last year, which was fabulous.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacknife_Lee
And btw, I'm totally with you on that last REM album, just the other night was trying to wrack my brain to remember whether they'd done anything since Monster.