The third studio album for English act Florence + The Machine debuts at the top of the ARIA Albums chart this week with the set “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful”, which becomes the acts second No.1 album in Australia after “Ceremonials” went to the top for a single week in early November 2011.
“How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” becomes the 732nd No.1 album in Australia (1965 to 2015) and the 583rd No.1 album for ARIA (1983 to 2015) plus the twentieth No.1 album for the Island label, their last was back in late August 2013 with the Boy & Bear second album. This is the third album with ‘How’ in its title to reach the top here (but the first with multiple ‘how’s’) with The Fray album “How to Save a Life” being the last one in March 2007. It’s the third with ‘Big’, the last being in the 80’s for Wham! and John Mellencamp, and the eighth with a ‘Blue’, the last was The Black Keys with “Turn Blue” (May 2014), and finally the last ‘beautiful’ was for Garbage back in October 2001 and this is the third album with such a word within its title. The new No.1 album is the 141st for an English group to land at No.1 and the 341st for a group overall and is the 379th album to debut at No.1 in Australia.
English producer and remix artist Jamie Smith goes by the name Jamie xx, taken from his band of the same name The xx, and his second solo album entitled “In Colour” debuts at No.2 this week, becoming his first ARIA Albums chart entry. Holding for a fourth week at No.3 is the ‘Pitch Perfect’ soundtrack and back up two places to No.4 is the album that this week earns its sixth Top 10 single in “Photograph”, Ed Sheeran with his “x” album which is a couple of weeks away from its one year chart anniversary.
The third studio album for Major Lazer entitled “Peace is the Mission” debuts at No.5, the same position that the acts second album “Free the Universe” debut and peaked at in late April of 2013. Last weeks No.1 debut of “Empires” for Hillsong United drops to No.6 this week and after a full week of sales, A$AP Rocky only drops back two places to No.7 with “A.L.LA.” “1989” for Taylor Swift swaps places with “In the Lonely Hour” for Sam Smith, T.Swift is up to No.8 and S.Smith is down to No.9, whilst dropping eight places to No.10 after debuting at No.2 last week is Daniel Johns’ debut album “Talk”.
UP: The “Love Child” season two album rises four places to a new peak of No.15 and the first season soundtrack is back up twenty-six places to No.40, whilst blasting back up twenty-nine places to No.22 is Courtney Barnett with her “Sometimes I Sit and Think…” album. The self-titled album for Angus & Julia Stone is back up twenty-two spots to No.46 and after returning last week at No.77; Ben Howard’s recent national tour helps his “I Forget Where We Were” album to jump back up thirty places to No.47, whilst the Cold Chisel “The Best of – All for You” is back up eighteen spots to No.49.
DOWN: After two weeks within the Top 10, “Dark Night Sweet Light” for Hermitude (HP-1, 7 to 11) and “Sol Invictus” for Faith No More (HP-2, 10 to 16) both leave the ten, with the third being last weeks No.4 set “Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Vienna” which drops back seventeen places to No.21 this week. The ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ soundtrack drops back down five to No.17 and down eight to No.24 is Sia with “1000 Forms of Fear”. The ‘Furious 7’ soundtrack drops nine spots to No.26 and Kendrick Lamar and the ‘Pitch Perfect 1’ soundtrack both descend eight places each to No.29 and No.31 respectively. Vance Joy drop ten places to No.37 with “Dream Your Life Away” and after debuting within the Top 20 last week, Mariah Carey’s “#1 to Infinity” falls twenty-six places to No.44 whilst “Run” for Alison Wonderland drops back fourteen places to No.45. Leaving from last weeks fifty into the lower half of the albums chart are Tim Rogers & the Bamboos (26 to 51), Nickelback (29 to 54), Drake (33 to 55), Bette Midler (42 to 56), Brandon Flowers (24 to 60), twenty one pilots (49 to 63), Sufjan Stevens (32 to 69), and leaving the hundred from last weeks Top 50 are The Story So Far (#35), Spandau Ballet (#39), Alesso (#41), Conchita Wurst (#44), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (#45) and The Vaccines (#48).
The fourth studio album for Jason DeRulo debuts at No.12 entitled “Everything is 4”, which features the recent Top 10 single “Want to Want Me” (HP-4) and the new entry “Cheyenne” (New TW-52) and by coming in at No.12 it becomes his lowest entry point for any of his albums, his second set “Future History” originally entered at No.11 and later became a Top 10 album, as has his two other set “Jason DeRulo” (2010, HP-4) and his last set “Tattoos” (2013, HP-5).
The Darkness see their fourth studio album “Last of Our Kind” debut at No.23 this week becoming the bands fourth album to chart in Australia and their first new entry since late August 2012’s “Hot Cakes” debuted and peaked at No.15 becoming their highest charting set here. Former Australian Idol contestant and No.1 singles and albums artist Paulini debuts at No.25 with her new set entitled “Come Alive”.
The second album for the group Make Them Suffer enters at No.30 entitled “Old Souls” and it far surpasses the No.56 peak that their debut set “Neverbloom” achieved back in June 2012. New at No.32 is the compilation/best of album for local act Jebediah entitled “Twenty”, and Australian country act Jetty Road made up of twin sisters Lee Juliette and Paula Louise Bowman see their fifth album “Hearts on Fire” become their first chart entry at No.38, with the final Top 50 entry coming in at No.43, Mark Seymour and his backing band The Undertow with “Mayday”, which becomes his first solo Top 50 album and beats the peak that their teaming achieved back in June 2011 when “Undertow” went to No.51.
Lower 50: With Florence + the Machine taking the No.1 spot, their previous album “Ceremonials” returns at No.61 this week with further re-entries coming from Eminem (#68), Beccy Cole (#74), Ben Howard and his previous album “Every Kingdom” (#76), Amy Winehouse (#78), Kendrick Lamar (#82), Bob Marley & the Wailers (#88), Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 album “Born in the U.S.A.” (#97), Offspring (#99) and the 1991 album for Nirvana “Nevermind” (#100).
The tenth studio album for Ben Lee entitled “Love is the Great Rebellion” is new at No.71 this week and is his first new entry since his seventh set “The Rebirth of Venus” made it to No.21 in February 2009. And finally coming in at No.80 is the fourth album (and entry) for US singer/songwriter Melody Gardot entitled “Currency of Man”.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
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