Album Sweep: October 6, 2012 - Part One...

Hey gang, it's time for the first half of this weeks "album sweep", where I sample the records making their debut on this week's Top 200 Albums chart in Billboard magazine. This week is chock full of new music, as 38 new albums entered the big list, and I've included links to buy anything on Amazonmp3 if you see anything you like (just doin' it for the love)...

The top-selling album in the US this week is the first #1 album by singer Pink, who sells over 280,000 copies of her set The Truth About Love (the third highest tally this year for a new album). Her last album, Funhouse, started out at #2, so it was only a matter of time, and so far she's got two hits from the CD, the top-5 "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" and "Try"..

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Coming in at #2 and selling over 200,000 is Kanye West's "various artists" set GOOD Music: Cruel Summer. Five songs from the album have already made the Hot 100 pop chart, with two, "Mercy" and "Clique", currently in this week's top-20. (NSFW)

Entering at #3 is the Las Vegas alt-rock band the Killers, selling respectably over 100,000 with their fourth studio set Battle Born. They've only been higher in rank with their sophomore set Sam's Town, which came in at #2 in 2006.

Riding off the success of her single "Call Me Maybe", Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen debuts at #6 with her first American release, Kiss. It's spun off four songs to the Hot 100, with "Call Me Maybe" and "Good Time" with Owl City making the top-10 so far...

Brooklyn indie-rock faves Grizzly Bear score their second top-10 album as Shields arrives at #7, one rung higher than their 2009 set Veckatimest.

The fifth album to make its first week in the top-10 on the albums chart a #10 is the new set by the Ben Folds Five, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, his first to make this level. It's his fourth album with the "Five" (actually three), and the first in 13 years with the trio. And how can you resist the charm of the Fraggles?

Country singer Easton Corbin's sophomore album All Over The Road comes in at #11, one notch below where his self-titled debut landed in 2010. The first single from the album, "Lovin' You Is Fun", has made it finally into the country radio top-10...

Indie-rock group Band Of Horses are in at #13 with their fourth full-length set, Mirage Rock. Their previous set, Infinite Arms, was in the top-10 in 2010...

Alt-country veteran Dwight Yoakam sees his latest album, 3 Pears, debut at #18, surprisingly his best-ever rank on the Top 200 Albums in his 26-year chart history. His first three albums went to #1 on the country-specific albums chart back in the late 80's, when he was a refreshing change on country radio, though now NashVegas has spurned him (and most older singers), but he's got quite a following, and the album featured cameos from Kid Rock and Beck...

Another country act, Big & Rich, see their fourth full-length album be the first to miss the top-10 as Hillbilly Jedi comes in at #25. It probably doesn't help that John Rich consistently alienated half of their audience base, and their first single, "That's Why I Pray", started out strong on radio but ended up missing the top-10 there as well...

Prolific rapper Tech N9ne has his fourth EP E.B.A.H enter at #31. His full-length effort from last year, All 6s and 7s, reached #4...(NSFW)

Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann's eighth solo album since her 'Til Tuesday years becomes her third top-40 CD as Charmer arrives at #33. If you notice, the video for the second single "Labrador" is a shot-by-shot remake of "Voices Carry", with added Jon Hamm (which is always good)...

Metal supergroup Down is led by Phil Anselmo from Pantera, and their fourth set, The Purple EP, comes in at #35...

Americana singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham's fourth album, Tomorrowland, debuts at #36. His last album, Junky Star, made the top-20 on the albums chart...

For better or for worse, Glee is back for a fourth season, and the show I once revered has sunk to its usual tricks in only the second episode in, with a second unecessary tribute episode/product placement for X Factor judge Britney Spears as Glee Season Four: Britney 2.0 EP arrives at #43. The show's other three episode-related EPs, for Madonna, regionals, and the Rocky Horror Picture show, all made the top-10 on the Albums chart, and so far this season, no track has made the top-40 singles sales list (and none from this even made that chart at all). I guess that's what you get when you bug off a chunk of your audience, eh?

Minneapolis rapper Brother Ali has his biggest album to date as Mourning In America And Dreaming In Color pops in at #44, and he is still not shying away from his political beliefs in his work...

Michael Jackson's Bad album is celebrating its 25th anniversary of its release, and while the single-disc rerelease pops back on the chart at #23, the full box-set treatment including a DVD of his concert at Wembley arena in London in 1988 and a bonus CD of B-sides and demos...

Alt-rock veterans Dinosaur Jr. are back after a three-year break with I Bet On Sky at #51. Their last one, Farm, was their sole top-40 album so far...

Mainstream punk group Go Radio enter at #54 with their sophomore full-length set, Close The Distance, making their second also to reach the top half of the chart...

Well that's it for this half...there's a lot of good music here, but to recommend just three, I'd go with the Pink, Aimee Mann, and Grizzly Bear albums, but mostly everything here is really worth it (well, save a couple)...

Tomorrow I'll bring you the other half of this week's sweep, with new stuff from Nelly Furtado, Paul Simon, Ricky Lee Jones, and more.