Arctic Monkeys challenge Daft Punk for fastest selling album of 2013

Arctic Monkeys’ AM takes on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories for the title of fastest selling album of 2013!

Arctic Monkeys could be on course for the fastest selling album of 2013 with their fifth studio release, AM, according to Official Charts Company data.

Over 97,000 copies of AM have been purchased in the UK so far this week. And, if sales continue at their current rate, the Sheffield band could feasibly overtake current record holders Daft Punk whose highly anticipated Random Access Memories album clocked up sales of more than 165,000 during its first week on sale in May.

AM, which is released on the Domino label,will also be Arctic Monkey’s fifth consecutive Number 1 studio album. Should Alex Turner and Co maintain their lead, it would mean Arctic Monkeys are the first independent act to achieve such a feat in British chart history.

Following on from the success of their Top 40 singles Wasting My Young Years and Strong, British indie pop trio London Grammar are set to score this week’s second highest new entry. The trio’s debut album, If You Wait, is new in at Number 2 today.

Goldfrapp are heading for their fourth Top 10 album on Sunday with Tales Of Us (Number 3), while current Official Albums Chart champs The 1975 fall three places to Number 4 with their eponymous debut album. Today’s Top 5 is completed by young Irish band The Strypes’ debut album, Snapshot (5).

New Entries

In addition to Arctic Monkeys (Number 1), London Grammar (2), Goldfrapp (3) and The Strypes (5), there are eight other new entries on today’s Official Albums Chart Update.

Abel Tesfaye, AKA The Weeknd, is set for his highest charting UK album to date on Sunday. Kiss Land, the follow-up to last year’s Trilogy album, is new in today at Number 7. Janelle Monae, who featured on Fun’s million-selling single We Are Young, is also headed for the Top 10. Her new album, The Electric Lady is at Number 9.

Composer Murray Gold’s Doctor Who Series 7 soundtrack is at Number 13. Rod Stewart’s Rarities album is at 15 while The Clash’s new Best Of Collection, The Clash Hits Back, is at 17.

US jazz vocalist Gregory Porter is set to score his second UK Top 40 album on Sunday with Liquid Spirit, while Madonna’s new live album, MDNA World Tour (37), and The Clash’s Sound System box set (38), complete this week’s new entries.

The Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows. The Official Albums Chart Top 100 will be posted in full, here, on Sunday at 7pm.

1	AM	ARCTIC MONKEYS
2	IF YOU WAIT	LONDON GRAMMAR
3	TALES OF US	GOLDFRAPP
4	THE 1975	THE 1975
5	SNAPSHOT	THE STRYPES
6	TIME	ROD STEWART
7	KISS LAND	WEEKND
8	THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM	RICHARD & ADAM
9	THE ELECTRIC LADY	JANELLE MONAE
10	BAD BLOOD	BASTILLE
11	HALCYON	ELLIE GOULDING
12	ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS	PASSENGER
13	DOCTOR WHO - SERIES 7 - OST	MURRAY GOLD
14	IN A PERFECT WORLD	KODALINE
15	RARITIES	ROD STEWART
16	LONG WAY DOWN	TOM ODELL
17	THE CLASH HITS BACK	THE CLASH
18	TAKE ME HOME	ONE DIRECTION
19	ROARING 20S	RIZZLE KICKS
20	HOTEL CABANA	NAUGHTY BOY
21	GRAFFITI ON THE TRAIN	STEREOPHONICS
22	TO BE LOVED	MICHAEL BUBLE
23	RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME	OLLY MURS
24	HOME	RUDIMENTAL
25	LIQUID SPIRIT	GREGORY PORTER
26	UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX	BRUNO MARS
27	OUR VERSION OF EVENTS	EMELI SANDE
28	HAIL TO THE KING	AVENGED SEVENFOLD
29	UP ALL NIGHT	ONE DIRECTION
30	HESITATION MARKS	NINE INCH NAILS
31	NOTHING BUT THE BEAT	DAVID GUETTA
32	BABEL	MUMFORD & SONS
33	NIGHT VISIONS	IMAGINE DRAGONS
34	18 MONTHS	CALVIN HARRIS
35	SETTLE	DISCLOSURE
36	THE 50 GREATEST TRACKS	LUCIANO PAVAROTTI
37	MDNA WORLD TOUR	MADONNA
38	SOUND SYSTEM	THE CLASH
39	YOURS TRULY	ARIANA GRANDE
40	THE HEIST	MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS