The NACC Charts are back and entering our fifth year of showcasing the most popular music on College and Community Radio. 2021 kicks off with a brand new #1 on the NACC 200. After 4 weeks on top in 2020, Jeff Tweedy steps aside and Australian-duo The Avalanches take over with a massive 23-1 jump. Their third album, We Will Always Love You (Astralwerks), is one of only 10 albums to climb from outside the Top 10 to #1 and just the fifth to climb from outside the Top 20.

Two new albums reach the NACC Top 10 this week. The Cribs rise 11-10 with Night Network, a previous most-added and biggest-climber on the NACC 200. But it’s Guided By Voices (another previous most-added record) with their 32nd LP, Styles We Paid For (GBV, Inc.) with the most momentum of the two. The Robert Pollard-led band races 21-8 on the NACC 200 this week.

Legendary musician and singer, Paul McCartney, lands the week’s highest debut, leaping aboard the NACC 200 at #14. McCartney’s eighteenth solo LP, McCartney III (Capitol), is the third in his trilogy of solo albums that he wrote and recorded all by himself and comes a full 50 years after his very first solo LP, McCartney, the first in this trilogy. The Guinness Book Of World Records recognizes McCartney as the “most honored composer and performer in music” (with 60 gold albums including his Beatles, Wings, and solo releases) as well as the “most successful songwriter” having written/co-written more #1 Billboard Hot 100 songs than anyone else (32).

The NACC 200’s biggest climb this week comes from English musician Nilüfer Yanya. Her fourth EP, Feeling Lucky? (ATO), follows her critically-acclaimed 2019 debut LP, Miss Universe. The most interesting tidbit in her bio (which we mentioned back in 2019 when her LP reached the NACC Top 10) remains that she turned down an offer to join a girl group One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson was producing (and later abandoned). Feeling lucky, indeed. Her EP leaps from 153-13 on the NACC 200 this week.

Philadelphia quartet Slaughter Beach, Dog takes ‘most-added’ honors this week with their fourth LP, At The Moonbase. Formed in 2014 as a side project for lead singer Jake Ewald away from his band Modern Baseball, Slaughter Beach, Dog has become his main project since Modern Baseball went on indefinite hiatus in 2017. At The Moonbase nabs 52 Top 10 Adds this week which should lead to a splashy NACC 200 debut next week.

London quartet Dry Cleaning jumps 7-1 on the NACC Singles Chart this week with their new single “Scratchyard Lanyard,” the band’s first for 4AD. The Hold Steady‘s new single “Heavy Covenant” collects more Top 10 Adds this week than any other single going for adds. It’s from their upcoming eighth LP, Open Door Policy, due February 19.

The NACC Top 5 overall Adds, this week’s genre chart-toppers, and the week’s most-added genre records are included below. In addition to returns to #1 at Latin, Jazz and NACC Canadian, there are new chart-toppers at Hip Hop, Heavy, Electronic, Folk, and NACC Non-Comm.

NACC 200 CHART: TOP 5 ADDS

# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | # OF ADDS

1) SLAUGHTER BEACH, DOG At The Moonbase [Lame-O] // 52
2) PAUL MCCARTNEY McCartney III [Capitol] // 49
3) MAYER HAWTHORNE Rare Changes [Big Bucks] // 43
4) VIAGRA BOYS Welfare Jazz [Year0001] // 36
5) LANDSHAPES Contact [Bella Union/PIAS] // 33

NACC 200 CHART : TOP 5 DEBUTS

# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | DEBUT

1) PAUL MCCARTNEY McCartney III [Capitol] // 14
2) KILLS, THE Little Bastards (Remastered 2020) [Domino] // 16
3) STATIK SELEKTAH The Balancing Act [Mass Appeal] // 69
4) STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES J.T. [New West] // 70
5) LESS THAN JAKE Silver Linings [Pure Noise] // 77

NACC 200 CHART: TOP 5 CLIMBERS

# | ARTIST | TITLE | LABEL | MOVE

1) NILUFER YANYA Feeling Lucky? (EP) [ATO] // 140
2) M WARD Think Of Spring [Anti-] // 118
3) SAM LYNCH Little Disappearance [Birthday Cake] // 97
4) EASTER ISLAND Take All The Time You Think You Need [Frightened] // 83
5) DRY CLEANING “Scratchcard Lanyard” (Single) [4AD] // 76

#1 ON NACC GENRE CHARTS:

GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]

NON-COMM: AVALANCHES, THE We Will Always Love You [Astralwerks]
NACC NEXT: GORILLAZ Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez [Parlophone/Warner]
BLUES: SHEMEKIA COPELAND Uncivil War [Alligator]
CANADIAN: POTATOHEAD PEOPLE Mellow Fantasy [Bastard Jazz]
CHILL: ANE BRUN After The Great Storm [Balloon Ranger]
ELECTRONIC: AVALANCHES, THE We Will Always Love You [Astralwerks]
FOLK: KACY AND CLAYTON AND MARLON WILLIAMS Plastic Bouquet [New West]
HEAVY: SODOM Genesis XIX [eOne]
HIP HOP: AESOP ROCK Spirit World Field Guide [Rhymesayers]
JAZZ: ARTEMIS Artemis [Blue Note]
LATIN: LA DAME BLANCHE Ella [Nacional]
R&B/SOUL: SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) [Daptone]
WORLD: SONGHOY BLUES Optimisme [Fat Possum]

MOST-ADDED @ NACC GENRES:

GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]

ELECTRONIC: POOLSIDE “I Feel High” feat. DRAMA [Pacific Standard]
FOLK: BECKY BULLER Distance And Time [Dark Shadow]
HEAVY: BLOODY HAMMERS Song If The Unspeakable Terror [Napalm]
HIP HOP: JAMALL JOSEPH “Nutty Buddy” (Single) [Self-Released]
JAZZ: SUE MASKALERIS Love Is The Key [Jazilian]
WORLD: AKSAK MABOUL “Un Caïd” (Single) [Crammed]

NACC SINGLES:

GENRE: ARTIST Title [Label]

#1 SINGLE: DRY CLEANING “Scratchcard Lanyard” [4AD]
#1 MOST-ADDED SINGLE: HOLD STEADY, THE “Heavy Covenant” [Positive Jams]