The Chart Show: Broken Bells ring in at #1
by Mark Wheat
April 17, 2014
Bouyed by their successful headlining gig at Coachella this weekend Arcade Fire are the highest new entry this week. Their set got rave reviews including a cameo by Blondie's Debbie Harry, but the band didn't give the VIP section a good review. Several other media reports suggest that it got over crowded and a tad too "inauthentic." The massive festival continues this weekend, and although the pictures on the video stream were great, it must have been too busy as many times I couldn't get on. Or perhaps that was all the dust?
Second highest new entry this week is from Black Keys, their new album is out May 13, produced by Danger Mouse, whose had a good week on our Chart as his primary (for now) project Broken Bells finally reaches the top after seven weeks of ascent. Appropriately enough for the week of Earth Day, they are playing a gig to raise awareness of the B612 Foundation, an organization defending the Earth from asteroids!
Two giant leaps up the charts for locals Haley Bonar and Atmosphere, who just dropped another song from their forthcoming album Southsiders, called "Kanye West." Judging by the video, a Bonnie and Clyde type epic, the title is deceptive.
Another fresh entry is from tUnE-yArD's forthcoming Nicki Nack album. She was a hit at Rock the Garden two years ago, and we've just announced 2014's two-day lineup.
Tickets go on sale to Walker and MPR members on Thursday, April 17 at 11 a.m.
Great to have Dan Wilson back on, too. He just stopped by our studios to play new songs and to chat with Mary Lucia. He told her that any song he writes must also be one he feels comfortable performing himself. "Everything has a busking element," Wilson says. "It could be played on one instrument." Although he admits to never having busked himself, "I've never had the guts to do that"!