Tens of thousands of apologies: we’re a day late with our weekly chart run-through, and we’ve no real excuses. The dog ate our homework; the boiler broke down and we had to wait for the gas man to arrive; our bus was hijacked by pre-teens tweaked off their tits on two-dozen bottles of Lucozade, demanding that they be driven to Alton Towers: none stick, really. So, sorry sorry and SORRY again. Okay? Okay…
In the singles chart, Scissor Sisters hold tight at the top with ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’’ (review). We had the album arrive at the DiSopolis last week, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to afford it airtime when we’ve new albums by Squarepusher and Isis to be exploring. At two is Justin Timberlake, for a second week, with ‘SexyBack’. As yet we don’t have the singer’s new album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, in the office. But we want it. Hey you, Mr JT PR or label person: send us the album. We promise to turn Tom Jenkinson’s crazy bass workouts off for a while when it arrives.
The Killers enter with ‘When You Were Young’ at five; it doesn’t sound at all like Bruce Springsteen or Meatloaf, oh no no no. Fergie, the pant-wetting one from the Black Eyed Peas, climbs to three with ‘London Bridge’.
You have to scroll all the way down to number twenty-nine to find the chart’s second new entry: Embrace’s ‘Target’ breaks the top thirty, despite the bashing it received from DiS (review). Larrikin Love impress, with their ‘Happy As Annie’ (review) entering at thirty-two, while Mercury-nominated Guillemots see their ‘Trains To Brazil’ make thirty-six. Billy Talent miss out on the top forty as their ‘Red Flag’ (review) can only climb to forty-nine.
In the album chart, three new entries make up the top three: Justin’s aforementioned follow-up to his ‘Justified’ debut of 2002 claims the top spot in its first week of release, and is propped up by The Fratellis’ Costello Music at two and Lemar’s The Truth About Love at three. Again, Mr JT PR or label person: send us the album. Whoever’s working The Fratellis’ record, please save your stamps. We’d rather listen to, well, anything else.
Mastodon’s Blood Mountain makes forty-six on the album chart despite our best efforts here to make you buy it. Oh go on. Please. The Mars Volta’s Amputechture (review) enters a few places below the Atlanta metallers at forty-nine. Which is five places above the very best of ELO. Nice.
As for what’s out this week, clicky here. Check out some of them there beauties: Mates Of State release their fourth album, Bring It Back; The Rapture’s Pieces Of The People We Love is sure to get house parties bouncing over the next few months; and DJ Shadow finally puts his third LP out in the shape of The Outsider. On a totally personal-recommendation note, check out Young Widows’ Settle Down City, out this week on Jade Tree. It’s almost certain to appeal to fans of The Jesus Lizard, The Icarus Line and Wives. Me, then. And I do like it, muchly.
Until next week…