Sufjan Stevens is owning the end of the year on the NACC 200. His tenth studio album, Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty), enjoys a sixth straight week in the #1 spot on the NACC 200, but his point margin over the #2 record is his biggest yet. He’s now just one week shy of tying Bully for the most weeks at #1 in 2023. Javelin is now appearing on a number of Best of 2023 Top 10s including Pitchfork, Consequence Of Sound, Vulture, and The New Yorker. Stevens has one week left to match Bully as there is only one chart week left in the year. Bombay Bicycle Club (3-2), King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (4-3), and Kurt Vile (17-5) will try to thwart his attempt.
Speaking of Vile, Kurt’s EP Back To Moon Beach (Verve) made an impressive 17-5 leap into the NACC 200’s Top 10 this week. This marks his fourth visit to the Top 10, yet he has yet to claim the #1 spot. However, with no other album gaining points this week, Vile is a top contender to end the year at #1 if he maintains his current trajectory. It’s worth noting that he’s not the only challenger to Sufjan Stevens’ position. The final chart week of 2023 promises to be interesting.
Similar to last week, we have a new Top 10 entry and another album rebounding to the top tier. Slow Pulp, a quartet from Madison, WI, rose from 34-8 in early October, earning them a feature in our weekly NACC Chart Recap. The band spent five weeks in the Top 10, peaking at #4. After dropping out a few weeks ago, they have returned, gaining points and jumping back to #9 on the chart.
This week’s highest debut on the NACC 200 is a charity compilation, the first from Fader Magazine. The album, entitled Fader And Friends, Vol. 1, features 44 exclusive songs, including many NACC favorites such as Ezra Furman, Hannah Georgas, Ratboys, Wednesday, Caroline Rose, and the aforementioned Slow Pulp. This project benefits three transgender charities: Transgender Law Center, Mermaids, and Rainbow Railroad. The album debuts at #43 on the NACC 200 this week.
Seattle musician Bill Darksoft, who records simply as Darksoft and now resides in Portland, ME, began 2023 with a most-added NACC album called Beigeification. Now he’s ending the year just as it started. His latest effort is called Grayscale (Spirit Goth). The album collects 51 Top 10 Adds which is more than enough to give the album ‘most-added’ honors this week. Grayscale will look to follow Beigeification into the Top 10 of the chart in the weeks to come.
The Beatles‘ “Now And Then” lands the #1 spot on NACC Singles for a fifth week. It was unearthed among songs John Lennon wrote but left unfinished after he died. Completed by surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, “Now And Then” recently reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and just climbed to #1 on the AAA Chart this week too. Leeds quartet Yard Act have released the second single from their forthcoming sophomore LP, Where’s My Utopia?, due March 1. “Petroleum” is an overall Top 10 NACC Add this week and the most-added single of the week. Previous single, “Dream Job” just re-entered the NACC Singles Top 10 this week. Other artists landing NACC 200 Top 30 Added singles this week include Mother Mother, Czarface, Office Dog, Ladytron, Real Estate, Chelsea Wolfe, Eels, Katy Kirby, Fuudge, and Loving (by far the most singles on the chart in one week this year).
