Vampire Weekend, George Strait top Billboard album chart
“Modern Vampires of the City,” the adventurous new album by New York’s Vampire Weekend, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, reflecting sales of 134,000 copies, more than the band has sold before in a single week.
Recorded partly in L.A. with producer Ariel Rechtshaid, the disc is Vampire Weekend’s second chart-topper following “Contra,” which bowed with 124,000 copies sold in 2010. It’s also, as Billboard noted, the first indie-label release to hit the top spot this year.
George Strait came in at No. 2 with “Love Is Everything,” the country star’s first album since he announced last year that he planned to stop touring after the conclusion of his current Cowboy Rides Away trek. “Love Is Everything” topped Billboard’s country tally, earning Strait his 25th No. 1 there.
Behind Vampire Weekend and Strait, Demi Lovato’s “Demi” took third place, one spot better than she did with 2011’s “Unbroken.”
The soundtrack to “The Great Gatsby” and Lady Antebellum’s “Golden” rounded out the top five.
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Twitter: @mikaelwood
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