Rarely has a record been scrappier or more persistent than King Tuff’s Smalltown Stardust (Sub Pop). In its ninth week on the chart and sixth week inside the Top 5 (including three straight weeks at #2), the album finally rises to #1 this week, pushing out an artist that climbed over them to reach the top and peaking a full two to three times later in its run than many records that hit #1 normally do. King Tuff is Vermont native Kyle Thomas. He’s been making music since 2006 and Smalltown Stardust is his sixth studio album, and first to reach #1 on the NACC 200. He’ll be facing off with Black Belt Eagle Scout (4-2) and the highest debut of the year (who we will feature in just a moment) for the top spot next week.
Two new albums reach the NACC Top 10 this week. Jumping 12-7 is the South London five-piece Shame. Formed in 2014 and maintaining all its original members, the band feels not an ounce of shame this week as their third LP, Food For Worms (Dead Oceans/Secretly Group), becomes their second Top 10-peaking album and is only one spot away from matching the peak of their previous release, 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink.
Fever Ray‘s two most recent albums have enjoyed great success at NACC. 2017’s Plunge gave Swedish singer Karin Dreijer several chart accolades, including most-added honors, the biggest climb when it reached the Top 10, and two weeks at #1. Their follow-up, Radical Romantics (Mute), has already snagged most-added honors (last week) and now scores the highest debut the NACC 200 has seen this year and the first Top 10 debut since Alvvays debuted at #8 this past October. This explosive start certainly sets them up nicely for the possibility of a second NACC 200 chart-topper. Could it happen as soon as next week? Watch this space!
This is a banner week for orchestras! Up first is Manchester Orchestra, who you may be shocked and perhaps just a smidge disappointed to find out aren’t actually an orchestra nor are they from Manchester. The Atlanta-based quartet has been making music for nearly 20 years now, dating back to 2004. Lead singer Andy Hull is the only constant member though lead guitarist Robert McDowell gets an honorable mention for missing just a couple of years. The orches… er, band’s seventh LP, The Valley Of Vision (Loma Vista/Concord), is this week’s biggest climber on the NACC 200, racing 170-37.
As if one orchestra wasn’t enough, we are experiencing an embarrassment of riches with yet another orchestra gracing our weekly chart recap. The more cryptically, if not at least psychedelically named, Unknown Mortal Orchestra is this week’s most-added artist. The Aukland, New Zealand trio may not actually play classical music nor are they a large musical ensemble playing woodwind instruments, but we’ll let it slide. After all their fifth LP, succinctly and appropriately named V (Jagjaguwar/Secretly Group), not only collects 94 Top 10 Adds (the most we’ve seen since Alvvays scooped up 95 adds in October), but the album already storms the NACC 200 at #20 this week.
British singer Arlo Parks spends an impressive eighth straight week at #1 on NACC Singles with “Weightless,” the first single from her second LP, My Soft Machine (due May 26). Her lead this week is the smallest it’s been over the #2 single so we just might have someone new there next week. Time will tell! An indie super-pairing has this week’s most-added single. Bully teams up with Soccer Mommy (both NACC 200 chart-toppers on their own) for a new single called “Lose You.” It’s one of six singles to land on the NACC 200 Top 30 Adds Chart this week in an unusually competitive add week for singles. Louise Burns, Purr, Drugdealer, Phoenix, and Odesza have the others.
The current Top 5 overall NACC Adds, the genre chart-toppers, and the week’s most-added genre records are included below. In addition to returns to #1 at NACC Non-Comm and Blues, there are new #1s at Hip Hop, Chill, Jazz, and Electronic.
NACC 200 CHART: TOP 5 ADDS
# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | # OF ADDS
1) UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA V [Jagjaguwar/Secretly Group] // 94
2) YVES TUMOR Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume;
(Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) [Warp] // 81
3) M83 Fantasy [Mute] // 79
4) DEATH AND VANILLA Flicker [Fire] // 51
5) 100 GECS 10,000 gecs [Dog Show/Atlantic] // 47
NACC 200 CHART: TOP 5 DEBUTS
# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | DEBUT
1) FEVER RAY Radical Romantics [Mute] // 10
2) SHANA CLEVELAND Manzaniuta [Hardly Art] // 19
3) UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA V [Jagjaguwar/Secretly Group] // 20
4) YVES TUMOR Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume;
(Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) [Warp] // 23
5) M83 Fantasy [Mute] // 40
NACC 200 CHART: TOP 5 CLIMBERS
# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | MOVE
1) MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA The Valley Of Vision [Loma Vista/Concord] // 133
2) STRONGBOI strongboi [40 Below] // 120
3) HELLO MARY Hello Mary [Frenchkiss] // 111
4) NUDE PARTY, THE Rides On [New West] // 71
5) MOMMA “Bang Bang” (Single) [Polyvinyl] // 67
#1 ON NACC GENRE CHARTS:
GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]
NON-COMM: ARCS, THE Electrophonic Chronic [Easy Eye Sound/Concord]
NACC NEXT: GORILLAZ Cracker Island [Parlophone]
BLUES: JOE LOUIS WALKER Weight Of The World [40 Below]
CANADIAN: ANDY SHAUF Norm [Anti-/Arts & Crafts]
CHILL: CRAIG PADILLA AND MARVIN ALLEN Weathering The Storm [Spotted Peccary]
ELECTRONIC: KELELA Raven [Warp]
FOLK: SUNNY WAR Anarchist Gospel [New West]
HEAVY: IN FLAMES Forgone [Nuclear Blast]
HIP-HOP: WAX TAILOR Fishing Fir Accidents [Lab’oratoire]
JAZZ: CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S NEW JAWN Prime [Brother Mister/Mack Avenue]
LATIN: HERMANOS GUTIERREZ El Bueno Y El Malo [Easy Eye Sound/Concord]
R&B/SOUL: KELELA Raven [Warp]
WORLD: KIM DJABATE Dindin [Cumbancha]
MOST-ADDED @ NACC GENRES:
GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]
ELECTRONIC (tie): ALEX LUSTIG Fate (B-Sides) [Pyur Beats]
MOON BOOTS Ride Away [Anjunadeep]
FOLK: DOM FLEMONS Traveling Wildfire [Smithsonian Folkways]
HEAVY: KING OF TRASH The Mega Years: Live At Tghe Whiskey A Go Go [Cleopatra]
HIP-HOP: HARRISON “Bump” feat. MED & Guilty Simpson (Single) [Last Gang]
JAZZ: Four artists tied for #1 Jazz Add
WORLD: EROL JOSUE Pèlerinaj [Village Hut]
NACC SINGLES:
GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]
#1 SINGLE: ARLO PARKS “Weightless” [Transgressive/PIAS]
MOST-ADDED SINGLE: BULLY “Lose You” feat. Soccer Mommy [Sub Pop]
