Chart Feed – 22.10.12

Well this is a really good value Chart Feed compilation, I have to say. Well, as good as it can be without Girls Aloud and Brandy to really discuss, of course. So until then, you just have to deal.

This has been a good week for our Aussie pop prince Guy Sebastian and songbird Delta Goodrem, new girlband sensation Little Mix and triumphantly, Taylor Swift matches Adele‘s US digital song chart record.

– AUSTRALIA –

Guy Sebastian‘s brilliant new album Armageddon debuts at #2 on our ARIA charts this week, making it his fourth Top 3 album. Despite blasting through as the biggest new record in the country, it sadly wasn’t enough to outsell Pink, who retains her white-knuckled grip on the top spot.

I can’t wait to see how Armageddon performs over in the States, especially after ‘Battle Scars’ put Guy on the map. The epic title track (see above) deserves to be in some movie soundtrack.

Lisa Mitchell‘s second album Bless This Mess enters at #7 in Australia this week. The fact that Lisa and Guy both have new records debut straight in the Top 10 this week really is a testament to their ability to connect with their respective audiences, long after the Idol franchise folded. See also: Ricki-Lee‘s longevity and the Fear & Freedom juggernaut.

Bertie Blackman‘s Pope Innocent X debuts at #54 on our ARIA album charts this week. I think this one will need a bit of time to grow on me, unlike her sinister electro-inflected last album Secrets and Lies, which got me from the get-go.

Cher Lloyd‘s Sticks and Stones sinks from #30 to #73 in its second week. Shit. Hopefully her tour with Hot Chelle Rae here will help stimulate some interest in the album. Otherwise, I would strongly urge somebody in her AU record label to strike a deal with Jay Jays. Y’know, two pairs of coloured skinny jeans and you get a copy of Cher Lloyd‘s album? The Queen Brat’s new single ‘Oath’ (featuring Becky G) was sent to local radios this week.

Psy‘s ‘Gangnam Style’ remains unfucked with on top of our ARIA charts. After his massive performance on X Factor Australia last week, which was watched by 1.66 million, the K-pop sensation went on to sell 69,043 copies of his viral single. ‘Gangnam Style’ has now sold over 280,000 copies in Australia.

Delta Goodrem‘s ‘Wish You Were Here’ debuts at #7 on our ARIA charts this week to become her 13th Aussie Top 10 single. It looked shoo-in for biggest selling new single on the block very early on due to strong iTunes pre-orders, but it all levelled out later in the week.

I never thought the stripped back ballad was very much radio-ready material, but every now and then it takes someone with Delta’s star power to drive a bit of diversity into the mainstream airwaves. ‘Wish You Were Here’ has become the most added new song to Australian radios this week.

Reece Mastin‘s third single ‘Rock Star’ bullets from #31 to #16 to become his third consecutive Top 20 hit. The teen rocker’s debut studio album Beautiful Nightmare is likely to debut behind Taylor Swift‘s titan Red album this coming Sunday. Nobody fucks with Taylor’s fan base.

Little Mix‘s ‘Wings’ flies straight in at #34 in Australia, as I predicted it would last week, thanks to some tremendous local radio uptake and word that they’ll be swooping on down for a promo trip. Aussie Mixers are already left gagging that Sony Music’s gonna be releasing the girls’ debut album DNA here on 23 November.

Christina Aguilera‘s ‘Your Body’ fucking rides its way out of oblivion with two massive middle fingers in the air to Aussie stations that didn’t add it. The fierce Max Martin-produced pop single debuts at #63 on our ARIA charts, probably based on a bit of word of mouth and love for the video, I’ll say. SAY!

Aussie X Factor boy band du jour The Collectives‘ rendition of Madonna‘s ‘Like A Prayer’ debuts at #65 in Australia this week, sustaining their unbeaten weekly appearance on the ARIA Top 100. No other act in this year’s Aussie X Factor series have been nearly as successful. It’s very easy to predict the outcome of this series.

Maroon 5‘s new single ‘Daylight’ debuts at #70 in Australia this week but it can only continue to ascend, given the kind of radio support they’re getting in this current Overexposed era.

Aussie hip hop act Hermitude debuts at #82 with ‘HyperParadise (Flume Remix)’ – taken from their new Parallel Paradise remix EP. I really like these guys, I think they’re the bomb. Thoroughly obsessed with Hermitude’s remix of The Preset’s ‘Ghosts’.

On the flip side, Flume is also very much a tastemaker fave in his own right too – his self-titled album is currently rocking around the Top 50 perimeters on iTunes, based on pre-orders alone. Flume arrives on 9 November, preceded by the lush electronica single ‘Sleepless’.

Lana Del Rey‘s ‘Ride’ debuts at a forgettable #89 in Australia this week. The Coney Island queen is not very much a singles seller, I think we all know that. Majority of fans are probably holding out for the forthcoming Paradise edition of Born to Die.

Elen Levon‘s ‘Dancing With The Same Song’ belated cracks our ARIA Top 100 at #96 this week, bolstered by the arrival of her Tokyo-based music video.

– UK –

Calvin Harris and Florence Welch‘s ‘Sweet Nothing’ blasts through to #1 on the UK charts this week, making it Calvin Harris’ first #1 hit for his year-long singles run. Four consecutive UK #2 singles and now finally it’s a home run for the utterly fuckable Scottish DJ [Editor’s note: Sorry I got carried away there. What were we on about?]

Down here in Australia ‘Sweet Nothing’ enters the ARIA charts at an impressive #2 this week – making this the highest chart position Flo has ever managed in our country. As for Calvin, he previously earned a ARIA #2 placement co-signing on Rihanna‘s international hit ‘We Found Love’.

I wonder if the overwhelming response to ‘Sweet Nothing’ and Harris‘ remix of Flo‘s single ‘Spectrum’ will prompt the pair to hook up again for Florence‘s next album.

British singer/songwriter Jake Bugg‘s self-titled debut album enters at #1 on the UK charts this week, putting him a mere 4,000 copies ahead of the rival new record by Leona Lewis Glassheart.

Poor Leona – she’s never had an album not go #1 in the UK before but let’s hope there’s some justice for her and this album manages to stick around somehow. I will add that this is my favourite album of hers to date, and that dub step-aroused title track is everything.

Ellie Goulding‘s Halcyon tumbles from #2 to #7 in its second week. But on the bright side, the record has finally awakened in Australia, entering at #16 this week after a frosty first-week reception. Over in the States, Halycon arrives at #9 on the US Billboard 200, selling 34,000 first week copies.

Brandy‘s fan-lauded new album Two Eleven debuts at a humble #87 in the UK this week. I mean, her last studio album Human didn’t even crack the Top 100 there. This new urban record is definitely connecting better with her fans. She just need to get some promo happening in different territories once she’s done hustling in the States.

Rebecca Ferguson‘s ‘Backtrack’ debuts at #15 in the UK this week, which kinda surprised me after her last two singles ‘Too Good To Lose’ and ‘Glitter and Gold’ didn’t even lay eyes on the Top 100. Perhaps it’s the novelty of a new track – not already available on the album – that is helping its cause? In any case, the repackaged edition of Heaven (featuring ‘Backtrack’) sends the album to #5 on the UK charts this week.

Pet Shop Boys‘ new single ‘Leaving’ debuts at #44 in the UK this week, performing leaps and bounds better than their flop last effort ‘Winner’ (which only made #86). I adore this moody electro pop ballad but I just never have time for it. Not since Girls Aloud‘s ‘Something New’ happened anyway.

– US –

Taylor Swift‘s major new album track ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ debuts at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It is the biggest song on the digital charts, as predicted, selling a hefty 416,000 first-week downloads. This is Taylor’s second largest sales week ever for a song – only bettered by ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, which broke out with 623,000 opening week sales.

With this onslaught of new tracks bombarding us in the lead up to Red, Taylor has become the first artist since Adele to manage three Top 10 singles on the digital charts. Looking around, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ sits at #7 while title track ‘Red’ falls from #2 to #10.

Maroon 5‘s ‘One More Night’ spends its fifth week on top of the overall singles Hot 100, critically cockblocking Psy‘s ‘Gangnam Style’ from reaching the crown. Y’all remember last week when I mentioned the gap between both tracks were just a mere 500 points? This week, the gap widens to 2,000 points with Maroon 5 still champion of the radio airplay chart.

Barbra Streisand clocks her 32nd US Top 10 album with Release Me selling some 44,000 copies to debut at #7. At what point in this spectacular run do you think Babz stopped giving a shit where her album peaked any more? She is the woman with the most US Top 10 albums in history.

Mariah‘s ‘Triumphant’ remixes edge to the top of the US Billboard Dance/Club play chart, displacing last week’s champ: Pink‘s ‘Blow Me (One Last Kiss)’. I’m so ready for another Mariah single already, I need to pretend like this shit never happened.

When is RuPaul‘s ‘Responsitrannity’ gonna upgrade the dance/club charts?

– NEW ZEALAND –

Adelephants in New Zealand seemed to have moved on from her epic James Bond theme. ‘Skyfall’ [pronounced ‘sky–FOAL‘ if you’re Adele] tumbles from #2 to #31 in its second week.

Taylor Swift continues to keep a minimum of three singles in the New Zealand Top 20 – this week’s rotation boasts: ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ rising to #5, key single ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ at #14, and new entry ‘State of Grace’ debuting at #20.

Guy Sebastian‘s Armageddon album debuts at a tepid #20 there while his international hit single ‘Battle Scars’ hang tight at #3.

Little Mix‘s breakthrough hit ‘Wings’ remains at #17 for the second week in a row, while Bridgit Mendler‘s summery anthem ‘Ready or Not’ dips a little to #18 in its sixth week.

Perhaps the most interesting Top 30 appearance of the week goes to Shontelle‘s two-year old ballad ‘Impossible’ debuting at #24 in New Zealand this week. Please investigate.

– FUTURE FEED –

2012 Eurovision Song Contest winner Loreen will drop her debut album Heal this Friday in Australia (digital only) and in the UK next week. If there is any justice, this album yield the Swedish pop star another worldwide hit following ‘Euphoria’. I’m thinking ‘My Heart is Refusing Me’ needs to be re-issued.

Sarah Blasko‘s new album I Awake hits stores in Australia this Friday, expect for that to give Delta‘s long awaited fourth studio album Child of The Universe some immediate competition.

Brandy awaits the fate of her comeback album Two Eleven as the all important US Billboard charts publish in middle of this week and as for everywhere else? Let’s not get our hopes up and speculate. Y’all know I had to like go to two different stores to try and find my copy of Two Eleven, right? Somehow I don’t think it’ll even tickle the arse hairs of the ARIA Top 100 this Sunday. Check out my review of the album.

Kylie Minogue is set to release the Abbey Road Sessions version of ‘On A Night Like This’ as a single on 17 December in the UK. The classy orchestral album drops in Australia this Friday and in the UK on Monday – can we expect loyal Min stans to take it to the Top 20?

JLS is still a thing, apparently. The X Factor veteran boy band’s new single ‘Hottest Girl In The World’ arrives in CD format this week and after a performance on UK X Factor, they might just find themselves with another high-flying Top 10 entry.