Leadership in the weekly album sales races continues to alternate between pop princesses and beloved rock outfits.
Three weeks ago, Miley Cyrus surged to the top of the iTunes–and eventually Billboard–album sales chart with her hotly anticipated “Bangerz.” Veteran grunge act Pearl Jam claimed the following week’s crown with its “Lightning Bolt,” while hit machine Katy Perry’s “Prism” took the reins last week.
This week, the momentum shifts back to rock, as Arcade Fire seems poised to win the album sales race with “Reflektor.”
Meaningful sales estimates will not be available until Wednesday, but the earliest indicator is already in favor of the alt-rock band. “Reflektor,” the heavily hyped follow-up to the band’s Grammy-winning “The Suburbs,” is number one on iTunes’ Album Sales chart.
Fueled by the release of new single “Story of My Life,” One Direction’s “Midnight Memories,” only available as a pre-order, is number two on the iTunes Chart. Linkin Park’s new “re-interpretation album” “RECHARGED” currently holds the third position, while “Prism” and “Pure Heroine,” holdovers from Katy Perry and Lorde, respectively, complete the top five.
Bested by Kelly Clarkson’s new “Wrapped in Red,” Thomas Rhett’s “It Goes Like This” is situated in seventh place. Positioned at number eight, Drake’s smash “Nothing Was the Same” leads Robert Glasper Experiment’s “Blake Radio 2” and Toby Keith’s “Drinks After Work.”
Other new releases in the top fifteen include Sky Ferreira’s “Night Time” (#13) and The Dirty Heads’ “Home Phantoms of Summer: The Acoustic Sessions” (#15).