The fourth studio album for Birds of Tokyo entitled “March Fires” becomes the bands first ARIA No.1 album this week, but they’ve been building up to this chart placement since album number two.
Birds of Tokyo March Fires
The bands first album “Day One” (Feb 2007) spent a week in the Top 100, reaching No.88, but in July 2008 their second set “Universes” debuted and peaked at No.3. In August 2010 their third album “Birds of Tokyo” debuted and peaked at No.2, and is currently sitting at No.92, after returning to the Top 100 a couple of weeks ago.
“March Fires” becomes the 665th No.1 album in Australia (1965 to 2013) and the 524th for ARIA (1983 to 2013), plus it’s only the third time that an album with a month named in its title has reached the top during said month. Neil Diamond’s “Hot August Night” was at the top in August 1973 and the John Butler Trio’s “April Uprising” was at No.1 during April of 2010. There has only ever been one previous ‘Fires’ at the top as well, Jimmy Barnes’ “Two Fires” (Sept 1990).
It’s also the third consecutive No.1 debut for an Australian act, which has not been seen since 2007 when “Grand National” for John Butler Trio (2-Apr-07) was overtaken by “Young Modern” for Silverchair (9 to 30-Apr-07) which was knocked off by “On a Clear Night” for Missy Higgins (7-May-07). “March Fires” is the 158th No.1 album by an Australian act, and Birds of Tokyo are the 83rd Australian act to hit the top, and they’re also the 49th Australian Group to reach No.1.
Ed Sheeran’s current national tour helps his album “+” to climb to No.2 again, it’s third time there this year (early Jan it was up this high also), which pushes Pink’s “The Truth About Love” down a place to No.3. “Unorthodox Jukebox” for Bruno Mars is holding at No.4 and “The Heist” for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is back up again to No.5. “Push the Sky Away” for Nick Cave is down only one place this week to No.6, but the Bee Gees box-set for “Mythology” drops four places to No.7. Flume and his self-titled album climb back up two places to No.8, but last weeks No.1 debut of “Zion” for Hillsong United falls to No.9 this week, whilst another former No.1, “My Head is an Animal” for Of Monsters and Men is down a couple of places to No.10.
NEW PEAKS & MOVERS: Passenger are the support act on the current Ed Sheeran national tour, before they do their own shows here later in March, and this help their former No.9 album “All the Little Lights” (March 2012) jump up eighty places this week to No.11. Last week Russell Morris took his album “Sharkmouth” into the Top 30 for the first time, this week he jumps into the Top 20, up eleven places to No.17. This becomes his second ever Top 20 entry after his first “Bloodstone” (HP-12) peaked at the end of September 1971 (according to Go-Set magazine album charts).
Labrinth’s “Electronic Earth” surpasses it’s original debut peak of No.38 (April 2012) and jumps up twelve places this week to a new peak of No.30, and thanks to the recent Oscar win’s and his upcoming tour here, Rodriguez’s album “Cold Fact” jumps up thirty-one places to No.31, the first time its been in the Top 50 since leaving it back in May 1979. The documentary about Rodriguez, “Searching for Sugar Man” sees the soundtrack jump up fifty places to land at No.45. The last time he landed two albums in the Top 50 was in March 1979 when his second album “Coming from Reality” joined “Cold Fact” in the national albums chart. “Coming from Reality” (HP-24) also returns to the Top 100 at No.78 this week.
The Rubens self-titled album jumps back up sixteen places to No.40 and the Guns N’ Roses “Greatest Hits” set returns at No.41 helped by their tour, and returning to the Top 100 at No.48 is the self-titled album for The Temper Trap (HP-1) which has been repackaged with bonus studio and live tracks.
DOWN DOWN: After fifteen broken weeks inside the Top 10, “Babel” for Mumford and Sons falls four places to No.13 this week, but down two spots to No.14 is the self-titled album for “The Lumineers” which is also now Gold (●) in sales. “Amok” for Atoms of Peace falls nine places to No.20 from last weeks debut of No.11, whilst “Temper Temper” for Bullet for My Valentine is down ten places to No.27.
“Two Lanes of Freedom” for Tim McGraw drops thirteen spots to No.32 and down ten to No.33 are Foals with “Holy Fire”. Pink’s “Greatest Hits… So Far” drops thirteen spots to No.44 and after blasting back in at No.21 last week (helped by a tour) Blink 182’s “Greatest Hits” falls twenty-five places to No.46 but is now 3x▲ Platinum in sales.
“Sigh No More” by Mumford & Sons drops nineteen places to No.52 whilst Emeli Sande’s “Our Version of Events” falls twenty-six places to No.65 this week. “You’re a Shadow” by Hungry Kids of Hungary tumbles fifty-one places to No.69, but “Sunday Gentleman” for Spit Syndicate is down sixty-one places to No.76. Falling out from last week Top 50 are “Right Place Right Time” for Olly Murs (from #36) and “The Essential” for Aerosmith (from #44).
The fourth album for Dido debuts at No.12 entitled “Girl Who Got Away”. It’s her first new material in over four years, her previous chart efforts being “No Angel” (HP-1×8) which started its number one run this very week in 2001, followed in October 2003 by “Life for Rent” (HP-1×2), whilst her last charted album was from November 2008, “Safe Trip Home” which debuted and peaked at No.6.
Another Perth band (Birds of Tokyo are the other ones) debuts within the Top 20 this week, The Drones, who see their sixth album “I See Seaweed” enter at No.18 becoming their highest charting album here. Their fourth album was their first chart entry, “Gala Mill” (HP-66, Sept 2006) followed by “Havilah” (HP-47) in September of 2008.
Imagine Dragons see their debut album “Night Visions” enter at No.28 this week, with the lead single from the album “It’s Time” up to a new peak of No.27. Whilst the final Top 50 entry this week is from the Stereophonics, who debut at No.48 with their eighth studio album, “Graffiti on the Train”. The groups previous chart efforts here are listed below…
LP#|Entry Date|HP|WI|Titles
A01|19-Apr-98|71|2|Word Gets Around
A02|12-Apr-99|67|3|Performance and Cocktails
A03|23-Apr-01|38|3|Just Enough Education to Perform
A04|07-July-03|50|6|You Gotta Go There to Come Back
A05|11-Apr-05|28|23|Language.Sex.Violence.Other?
A06|22-Oct-07|68|2|Pull the Pin
A08|11-Mar-13|48|1*|Graffiti on the Train
Lower 50: “Sky Blue Sky – The Byron Sessions” (HP-17) for Pete Murray is back up thirteen places to No.51, and returning to the Top 100 at No.62 and No.63 are “Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits” (HP-1) and “Ora” (HP-24) for Rita Ora, who is in the country at the moment playing festival dates. Neil Young’s “Psychedelic Pill” (HP-28) is back in at No.81 and future tourist Bruce Springsteen returns at No.82 with “Wrecking Ball” (HP-2, now ●), and lastly Ellie Goulding’s “Halycon” (HP-16) is back in at No.93.
New entries in the lower half of the chart are from Brian McFadden at No.66 with “The Irish Connection”, local rapper Purpose with his debut set “Where it Starts” at No.73. Swedish death metal band Soilwork at No.90 with their ninth album, but first entry here entitled “The Living Infinite”, and Ed Sheeran is in at No.98 with the live set ‘iTunes Festival – London 2012”.
Gavin Ryan reports with thanks to Australian-Charts.com
The ARIA chart is updated every Sunday at 6pm
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