Death Cab takes ‘Stairs’ to the top

Wide or narrow, Death Cab for Cutie has climbed to the top of the national sales chart for the first time on “Narrow Stairs,” the emo-rock group’s fourth album, which sold 144,000 copies in its first week in stores. It’s been three years since the quartet’s previous album, “Plans,” entered the chart at No. 4 with an opening-week figure of 90,000 copies.

Frank Sinatra fell in right behind Death Cab at No. 2 and 99,000 copies sold for “Nothing but the Best,” a new compilation of his Reprise Records recordings, released last week in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of his death on May 14, 1998.

Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz also logged a new personal high on the chart with “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things,” which entered at No. 3 with sales of 73,000 copies. And there’s another new British singer in the chart’s upper reaches: Soul-pop throwback Duffy, who hails from Wales, showed up at No. 4 with her debut album, “Rockferry,” which sold 71,000 copies out of the gate.