Sufjan Stevens puts a bow on the NACC 200 this week, claiming the last seven chart weeks of 2023 as his at the top of the chart. His tenth studio album, Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty), matches the seven weeks Bully spent at #1 earlier this year. Together, they share the title for the longest-running album at the top of the chart over the past 12 months. He joins just six albums that have spent seven or more weeks at #1 and he’s the first solo male artist to join the group. With three weeks off, Bombay Bicycle Club (2-2), Kurt Vile (5-3), and Hotline TNT (6-4) will need to wait until January to challenge Stevens for #1.
Two more artists add their names to the list of acts that have reached the Top 10 of the NACC 200 this year. Los Angeles musician Jillian Medford, who records as Ian Sweet, makes the biggest move into the top tier this week, advancing 13-7. She had earlier peaked at #11 before being pushed down to #13 last week. So her strong rebound is sweet indeed. Sucker (Polyvinyl) is her fourth studio album.
Also reaching the Top 10 is longtime indie favorite Chan Marshall, who you may know better as Cat Power. Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert (Domino) is her first live album. It was recorded November 5, 2022 and is a faithful recreation of Dylan’s 1966 performance. Fun fact: while her concert took place at Royal Albert Hall, Dylan’s actually took place at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. A bootleg at the time was mistakenly labeled as having been recorded at Royal Albert Hall. Cat Power rises 11-9 this week on the NACC 200 giving her a third Top 10 on the chart.
Last week’s most-added album from multi-instrumentalist, musical, and producer Bill Darksoft, who records simply as Darksoft is, unsurprisingly this week’s highest debut on the NACC 200. His latest release is called Grayscale (Spirit Goth). It leaps aboard the chart at #26 this week and is the highest-debuting album on the NACC 200 since October 17.
English singer and songwriter Arlo Parks, who holds numerous NACC Chart records, enjoyed her second NACC 200 #1 album in as many tries earlier this year. My Soft Machine (Transgressive/PIAS) was released in May and spent three weeks at #1. A new deluxe version of the album was released last Friday with several new songs as well as some acoustic versions of songs that appeared on the original release. It collects 64 Top 10 Adds this week to score this week’s most-added release and enters the NACC 200 at #32 (the second-highest debut of the week).
The Beatles‘ “Now And Then” scores the #1 spot on NACC Singles for a sixth week. Originally written by John Lennon, the song utilizes the guitar work of George Harrison and was completed by surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The single’s six weeks on top is second just to Arlo Parks’ impressive 10-week run at #1 earlier in the year. This week’s most-added single comes from Jackson Phillip, who records as Day Wave. “As You Are” is, so far, a stand-alone single. Songs from Idles, Joanna Sternberg, Eagle Johnson, Laura Jane Grace, Austin Lucas, Johnny Manchild And The Poor Bastards, and Adrianne Lenker also land on the Top 30 Adds Chart this week
