News

Grizzly Bear's <i>Veckatimest</i> Hits the Top Ten

1:45 p.m. · June 3, 2009 · by Andrew Winistorfer

This week's number one album is no surprise; it's Eminem's Relapse for the second week in a row, as the set moved 211,000 copies, selling 819,000 copies in two weeks. But the Top Ten had a surprising inclusion: Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest hit number 8 with 33,000 copies sold. Granted, that's 1/7 of Em's sales, but it's pretty damn unlikely that a subtle album from a New York art-folk band would hit the Top Ten.

Also of note is that Veckatimest beat Merriweather Post Pavilion's chart position (Animal Collective's latest hit number 13 in January) and sales (MPP moved only 25,000 copies). Considering both are heavy in the "album of the year" talk, Grizzly Bear hold a decided, yet unpredicted, commercial edge. [Billboard]