Album Sweep: April 19, 2014 - Part One...

Hey gang, I'm ready to kick in gear the first half of this week's "album sweep", where I sample the records making their first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums sales charts, which electronically and accurately monitored most of the record sales in America. As usual, I've included highlighted links to buy anything you see as well as some of the artists' other big albums....

The top-selling record for the ninth non-consecutive week is the soundtrack to Frozen, which sold close to 150,000 copies...

Coming in at #2 and almost grabbing the top spot short of about 6000 copies is Australian "boy-band" 5 Seconds Of Summer with their She Looks So Perfect EP. They've been opening for A-list teen idols One Direction on tour...

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Chicago-area hard rock band Chevelle nabs their highest chart placing at #3 with their third top-ten set La Gargola...

Christina Perri, a pop singer/songwriter from the Philly suburbs, lands at #4 with her sophomore effort Head Or Heart. It matches the peak of her first, lovestrong from 2011...

New country duo Dan + Shay place their first album Where It All Began at #6. It's the top-selling country record in America this week...

Progressive bluegrass trio Nickel Creek reunite after a nine-year break at #7 with their first top-ten album A Dotted Line...

Post-hardcore band Chiodos enter at #12 with their fourth studio album Devil. In 2007 they peaked at #5 with Bone Palace Ballet...

Atlanta-based indie-rock group Manchester Orchestra land at #13 with their highest-charting album, Cope. It's their fourth studio set and third to make the top-40...

The cavalcade of hard rock releases marches on as The Used arrive at #14 with their sixth studio album Imaginary Enemy. Their last four had made the top-ten, with both In Love and Death and Lies for the Liars reaching #5...

Iconic metal singer Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010 from stomach cancer, and the multi-artist tribute album Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life ascends to #20 on the chart. It has tracks from the likes of Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, and even Tenacious D, and the set benefits the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Ironically, this is higher than any of the albums that Dio's namesake band released or the ones he appeared on with Rainbow and Black Sabbath...

L.A. comedic glam metal outfit Steel Panther comes in at #24 with their third album and highest yet, All You Can Eat...

Italian goth metal band Lacuna Coil are back at #27 with their seventh studio album Broken Crown Halo. It's their fourth consecutive top-40 album; their last, Dark Adrenaline, went to #15 in 2012...

Canadian indie-rock singer/songwriter Mac DeMarco debuts at #30 with his second full-length album Salad Days. It's his first on the chart...

Pop music duo MKTO, made up of two former Nickelodeon Channel stars, come in at #31 with their self-titled debut set...

Country singer Josh Thompson lands his second top-40 album out of two tries as Turn It Up is in at #36. His first, Way Out Here, went to #28 in 2010...

Well that's it for the first half of the new crop. Out of these fourteen the three I would choose first are the Dan + Shay, Nickel Creek, and Lacuna Coil albums...

I'll return tomorrow with part two!