Australian act The Waifs land their first No.1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with their eighth studio set entitled “Ironbark”.
“Ironbark” becomes the 799th No.1 Albums in Australia (1965 to 2017) and the 650th for ARIA (1983 to 2016), plus the 443rd to debut at No.1 and the fourth for the Jarrah record label, the previous three were all for label founder John Butler Trio. Overall this becomes the Perth bands fifth Top 10 album, and they have missed out on the top spot previously with “Sun Dirt Water” (HP-2, Sep 2007), and two No.3 sets “Up All Night” (Jan 2003) and “Temptation” (March 2011), whilst their last entry was with the set “Beautiful You” (HP-5, August 2015).
This is the first time that the word ‘Ironbark’ or even ‘Iron’ or ‘Bark’ has been in a No.1 album title, and this is the 214th No.1 album by an Australian Act (solo, duo or group), and the 361st for a group (local or overseas). The Waifs also become the 108th Australian act to hit the top of the Australian Albums Chart and the 61st Australian Group, and finally this becomes the eighth No.1 album for 2017 and the fourth by an Australian act after Kasey Chambers (30-Jan), Dune Rats (13-Feb) and last weeks Busby Marou (27-Feb).
All four Top 10 debuts this week are by Australian acts, and coming in at No.2 are King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard with their ninth album “Flying Microtonal Banana”, which is the bands third chart entry and now first ever Top 10 placement, as last years entry for the band “Nonagon Infinity” debuted and peaked at No.19 in May of 2016. Whilst the No.4 debut for Horrorshow and their second Top 10 and second album “Bardo State” enters lower than their first set “King Amongst Many” (HP-2, August 2013).
Adele started her national tour in Perth this past week, and her current album “25” is back up one spot to No.3, whilst her second album “21” rebounds seven places to No.10, for a 74th week within the Top 10. And making an even longer berth within the Top 10 is Ed Sheeran’s “x (Multiply)” which racks up its 90th overall week inside the ten, and it holds at No.6 this week ahead of his third albums entry next week (which will become the 800th No.1 Album in Australia since 1965).
There are three albums within the ten all attributed to movie soundtracks, with the “Trolls” set on hold at No.5, recent No.1 “Fifty Shades Darker” drops six places to No.8 and on hold at No.9 (and No.1 in NZ for a fifth week) is the “Moana” soundtrack. The fourth and final Top 10 debut this week falls to local act Holy Holy and their second studio album “Paint” which debuts at No.7, becoming their first Top 10 entry, as their first album “When the Storms Would Come” debuted and peaked at No.11 in August of 2015.
UP:
* With the multiple Oscar wins this past week for the film, plus winning and Oscar for ‘Song of the Year’, the “La La Land” soundtrack is back up four places to No.15.
* Adele has all three of her albums within the Top 20 this week, as her first set “19” jumps back up twenty-five places to land at No.20.
* There is a chart resurgance for the self-titled QSP album this week, back up thirty-four spots to land at a new peak of No.23.
* With the film opening around the country this past week, the “T2 Trainspotting” soundtrack leaps up thirty-two places to land at No.34 this week.
* Alessia Cara was in the country this past week on a promo tour, and that helps her album “Know-it-All” (HP-16) to return to the chart at No.36.
* The new entry for a Hillsong album helps their former No.2 set “Let There Be Light” to rise back up eighteen places to No.57, whilst further religious themed recording in “After All These Years” for Brian & Jenn Johnson returns to the chart at No.71.
* J. Cole is back up twenty-six spots to No.60 with his set “4 Your Eyez Only”, and another RnB star in Childish Gambino is back up fifteen spots to No.82 with his “Awaken, My Love!” set.
* Further returning albums this week are by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and their “Greatest Hits” set at No.89, oscar mentioned Prince (in Memoriam) and his first No.1 set “Purple Rain” (#99) and “Bloom” for Rufus (#100).
DOWN:
* Five albums leave the Top 10 this week, first of which is “Human” by Rag’N’Bone Man (HP-3, WI10-2), down five to No.12, the G.H.’s for Guns N’ Roses (HP-5, WI10-14) is down five also to No.13, last weeks No.1 debut for Busby Maround in “Postcards from the Shell House” (HP-1, WI10-1) plummets thirteen places to No.14, after returning to the ten last week the Bruno Mars set “24K Magic” (HP-3, WI10-7) falls six to No.16 and the other Top 10 debut from last week in the Ryan Adams set “Prisoner” (HP-3, WI10-1) falls sixteen spots this week to No.19.
* The “Sing” soundtrack falls seven spots this week to No.18, but should rebound soon with the DVD and Blu-Ray release occuring before Easter (mid-April) in Australia.
* Keith Urban drops eight to No.21 with his “Ripcord” album.
* The Tash Sultana EP “Notion” falls thirteen places to No.25.
* The Wiggles’ entry from last week “Nursery Rhymes” is down twelve places to No.27, whilst their album “The Best of” is back up eight places to No.39.
* Kasey Chambers drops ten places to No.28 with her recent No.1 set “Dragonfly”.
* Plummeting sixteen places to No.30 after its Grammy wins is “Lemonade” for Beyonce.
* Four weeks ago the Dune Rats debuted at No.1 with “The Kids Will Know it’s Bullshit”; this week though it is down ten places to No.35.
* Halving its position from last week is Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction”, down twenty places to No.40, whilst their other charting sets “Use Your Illusion Vol.1” (50 to 86) and “Use Your Illusion Vol.2” (41 to 73) also drop now that their tour of Australia is over.
* Taking its first big tumble this week is the Jessica Mauboy set “The Secret Daughter”, which is down twelve places to No.42.
* Flume drops seventeen places to No.44 with his recent Grammy winning set “Skin”.
* With Human Nature’s national tour over, their “Jukebox Vol.II” drops twenty-four places to No.46.
* Elvis’ “The Wonder of You” descends fourteen spots to No.50.
* Falling thirty places to No.51 are the Thundamentals with “Everyone We Know”, which debuted at No.2 only three weeks ago.
* The xx are down ten places to No.56 with their former No.1 “I See You”.
* Another of the recent big tours which sees its albums drop now that it is finished, is that of Bruce Springsteen, who falls thirty-three spots to No.62 with the compilation “Chapter and Verse” and his 1984 set “Born in the USA” is down nineteen places to No.87.
* Adam Brand tumbles thirty-two places to No.65 with his “Get On Your Feet” album.
* Lady Gaga falls again this week with her “Joanne” album, down twenty-four places to No.75.
* Last weeks debut for Tania Kernaghan and “All Australian Girl” is down thirty-six spots to No.79.
* Biggest fall within the Top 100 this week goes to the self-titled debut EP for The Middle Kids, down sixty-five places from last weeks entry at No.26 to No.91 this week.
* Melody Pool returned at No.63 last week with “Deep Dark Savage Heart”, which is down thirty-three places to No.96 now.
NEW ENTRIES:
* #11 (LP#1) – Gang Signs & Prayer by Stormzy is the debut album for this UK rapper and hip-hop artist, who took the album straight into the No.1 spot in England this week.
* #22 (LP#2) – Loaded by Christie Lamb is the second album for this local singer, who first charted just under three years ago with her debut set “All She Wrote” (HP-51,10th March 2014).
* #26 (LP#8) – The Breaker by Little Big Town might be the US country quartet’s eighth studio album, but it is their first Top 50 chart entry on the ARIA Albums Chart.
* #37 (LP2.1) – Youth Revival Acoustic by Hillsong Young & Free is a stripped back version (with a few new tracks) of the church groups second album “Youth Revival” (HP-3, March 2016).
* #53 (LP#6) – HNRDXX by Future is the artists sixth studio album, with his fifth self-titled album having debuted and peaked at No.42 last week (but it drops out of the Top 100 this week), and this features his new No.39 singles chart entry “Selfish” featuring Rihanna.
* #58 (LP#3) – Drunk by Thundercat, who is known by his original name Stephen Bruner, and having won a collbaorative Grammy in 2016 with Kendrick Lamar, now sees his first chart entry in Australia with this his third studio album.
* #78 (LP#5) – Suicide Silence by Suicide Silence is the second entry in Australia for the California deadcore metal act, who previously charted with their fourth album “You Can’t Stop Me” (HP-30, July 2014).
* #93 (LP#2) – Freedom Highway by Rhiannon Giddens is the first chart entry for the North Carolina native, who mainly works within her band Carolina Chocolate Drops, with her debut album “Tomorrow is My Turn” coming out in 2015.
