This week Canadian quartet Foxwarren end the dreaded ‘Top 10 Debut But Can’t Get To #1’ curse. The Anti-/Arts & Crafts-signed band became just the fourth act to debut inside the NACC 200’s Top 10 in December. The three previous artists that debuted inside the Top 10 (Alt-J, Washed Out and Lala Lala) didn’t manage to reach the top spot. But Foxwarren’s self-titled album completes its 9-3-2-1 climb by pushing Jeff Tweedy down to #2 (after he previously climbed over them) and reach #1 with their debut LP. They’ll have their work cut out for them holding on to #1 next week with massive albums from college & community mainstays exploding on the chart this week.
One of those artists ties the aforementioned Alt-J for the highest debut ever on the NACC 200 opening at an incredible #6. New Jersey-born Sharon Van Etten dropped out of Middle Tennessee State University after one year. She remained in Murfreesboro before moving back to New Jersey in 2004. She relocated to New York City in 2005 and recorded seven self-released albums between 2005 and 2008 before getting signed and releasing her proper debut LP, Because I Was In Love, in 2009. Her fifth album, the Jagjaguwar-released Remind Me Tomorrow, is her first since 2014. In between albums she studied counseling, acted in Netflix’s The OA, appeared in an episode of Showtime’s revival of Twin Peaks, and had a baby. Her new album has set the bar early in the year as the best-reviewed album of 2019 so far and makes an incredible #1 debut on top of both the NACC NEXT and NACC Non-Comm Charts this week.
The two biggest climbers of the week both skyrocket into the NACC Top 10. Along with Sharon Van Etten, the David Bazan-fronted Pedro The Lion sets itself up for a #1 run this week by racing 117-4 with last week’s most-added album, Phoenix. College and community programmers and DJs are welcoming Pedro The Lion back to the airwaves with open arms after 15 years away. The band’s fifth LP (out on Polyvinyl) is another early 2019 favorite of critics. Bazan will be hitting to the road soon with tour dates starting February 8th in Boise, ID and extending into May.
The week’s biggest climb comes from Toronto quartet Tallies. The foursome was formed just last year by lead singer and guitarist Sarah Cogan and guitarist Dylan Frankland. The band was filled out by Frankland’s childhood rock camp friend Cian O’Neill and bassist Stephen Pitman. Tallies’ jangly sound has garnered comparison’s to 80s alt bands like The Smiths and The Sundays. Their self-titled debut album is simultaneously the biggest climber into the NACC Top 10 and the biggest overall climber on the chart bolting 142-9.
Another soon-to-be monster record is this week’s most-added champion from Chazwick Bundick, who professionally records as Toro y Moi. Outer Peace is Toro y Moi’s sixth LP (Bundick additionally released an EDM-based LP under the moniker Les Sins in 2014). Nearly 100 stations gave the Carpark Records release a Top 10 adds this week, the most any album has received so far this year. Outer Peace has already leaped onto the NACC 200 at #20 this week (which, in most weeks, might be the highest debut of the week). This week it was the third-highest debut behind Sharon Van Etten and Deerhunter (who open at #16). Expect a battle royale in next week as Pedro The Lion, Sharon Van Etten, Deerhunter and Toro y Moi scrap for the crown.
Broken Bells, the wildly successful collaboration between Danger Mouse and Shins lead singer James Mercer, lands a third straight week at #1 on the NACC Singles Chart this week with “Shelter.” The week’s most added single, “Siren 042,” is a first-time collaboration between longtime personal friends Lala Lala and Why?
You can find the Top 5 of the NACC Adds Chart and all of this week’s #1 genre releases and most-added genre records below. This week there are new #1s on NACC Non-Comm, NACC NEXT, World, & Latin. Subscribe to NACC to view full top 30 charts in all genres.
Your eyes don’t have to be the only way you experience NACC’s musical highlights. Follow the ‘College Radio Weekly Highlights‘ playlist on Spotify and let your ears in on the action too.
NACC 200 Chart: Top 5 ADDS
# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | # OF ADDS
1) TORO Y MOI Outer Peace [Carpark] //98//
2) SHARON VAN ETTEN Remind Me Tomorrow [Jagjaguwar] //82//
3) JULIANA HATFIELD Weird [American Laundromat] //71//
4) MIKE KROL Power Chords [Merge] //62//
5) DEERHUNTER Why Hasn’t Everything Disappeared? [4AD/Beggars Group] //54//
#1 On NACC Genre Charts:
GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]
NON-COMM: SHARON VAN ETTEN Remind Me Tomorrow [Jagjaguwar]
NACC NEXT: SHARON VAN ETTEN Remind Me Tomorrow [Jagjaguwar]
HEAVY: SOILWORK Verkligheten [Nuclear Blast USA]
ELECTRONIC: VARIOUS ARTISTS Brainfeeder X [Brainfeeder]
HIP HOP: MARCO POLO AND MASTA ACE A Breukelen Story [Fat Beats]
JAZZ: HAROLD MABERN The Iron Man: Live At Smoke [Smoke Sessions]
FOLK: LULA WILES What Will We Do [Smithsonian Folkways]
WORLD: ALBOROSIE Unbreakable – Alborosie Meets The Wailers United [Greensleeves]
CHILL: MOODS Zoom Out [Boogie Angst]
BLUES: CHARLES BRADLEY Black Velvet [Dunham/Daptone]
LATIN: CHUCHO VALDES Jazz Batá 2 [Mack Avenue]
Most-Added @ NACC Genre:
GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]
ELECTRONIC: TENDER Fear Of Falling Asleep [Partisan]
FOLK: MANDOLIN ORANGE Tides Of A Teardrop [Yep Roc]
HEAVY: EVERGREY The Atlantic [AFM]
HIP HOP: MALIBU KEN Malibu Ken [Rhymesayers]
JAZZ: ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ AND PADRITO MARTINEZ Duologue [Mack Avenue]
WORLD: JAH DIVISION Dub Will Tear Us Apart… Again [Ernest Jenning]
NACC Singles:
GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]
#1 SINGLE: BROKEN BELLS “Shelter” [30th Century]
#1 MOST-ADDED SINGLE: LALA LALA AND WHY? “Siren 042” [Joyful Noise/Hardly Art]