How bad off is the record industry? So bad that a band that only managed to sell 1,300 of their last album now has the opportunity to see their second album debut on the Billboard charts at #1.If Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible can move more units than Korn’s Unplugged or Notorious B.I.G.’s greatest hits release, Merge Records may enter the charts at the top spot, a feat that many other artists have yet to accomplish. Blender magazine talks about this possibility in greater detail here.
Not to take anything away from the band, and not to diminish the record’s early acclaim, if Arcade Fire can achieve such a feat it won’t be the result of clever marketing, SNL appearances, or critical praise. They will debut at number one because 2007 is proving to be one of the most dismal years ever for sales. With sales as sluggish as they have been during the first quarter of this year, it is proving to be a great time to be in a highly-touted indie rock band.
2007 is proving to be a great time for fans of indie rock too.
There is a veritable trifecta of quality bands releasing records in the first part of ’07: The Shins, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse all have their anticipated albums coming out around the same time, and all three have been given notable praise.
And while every year finds its share of great releases, there are some moments in which music fans really have to search hard to locate them. So far, there are a lot of worthy albums available as close as your local Wal-Mart and as high as a top ten position on the Billboard charts.
How cool is that?
Very cool, when you consider what made up the top ten last week:
- Norah Jones-Not Too Late
- Daughtry-Daughtry
- Fall Out Boy-Infinity On High
- Kidz Bop Kids-Kidz Bop 11
- Akon-Konvicted
- Robin Thicke-The Evolution Of Robin Thicke
- Justin Timberlake-Future Sex/LoveSounds
- Corinne Bailey Rae-Corinne Bailey Rae
- Gerald LeVert-In My Songs
- Toby Mac-(portable sounds)
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