Are Arctic Monkeys set for second week at Number 1 with AM?

Will Arctic Monkeys spend a second week at Number 1 with AM? Or will Avicii, Manic Street Preachers, or Sir Elton John steal their crown?

Despite tough competition from Avicii, Manic Street Preachers and Sir Elton John, Arctic Monkeys looks set to hold on to Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart for a second week with AM.

The Sheffield-based band, who set a new Official Charts record on Sunday by becoming the first independent act to score five Number 1 studio albums in a row, are currently ahead of their closest competitor, True by Avicii (Number 2), by 10,500 copies at this midway stage. The superstar Swedish DJ’s hotly anticipated debut album features collaborations with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Adam Lambert, as well as his Official Singles Chart Number 1 smash, Wake Me Up, which is the fastest selling single of 2013 so far.

Manic Street Preachers are new in at Number 3 today with their eleventh album, Rewind The Film, while Sir Elton John is one place behind them with his 30th solo album, The Diving Board (4). The veteran chart star was honoured by the British music industry as the first recipient of the newly created BRITs Icon Award earlier this month.

Katie Melua completes today’s Official Albums Chart Update Top 5 with her sixth album, Ketevan (5).

New Entries

In addition to Avicii (Number 2), Manic Street Preachers (3), Elton John (4) and Katie Melua (5), there are ten other new entries on today’s Official Albums Chart Update.

Deaf Havana are on track for their first Official Albums Chart Top 10 this weekend. The King’s Lynn rockers’ third studio album, Old Souls, is new in at Number 7 today. US folk singer / songwriter Jack Johnson looks set to score his fourth Top 10 album with From Here To Now To You (8). The Temperance Movement, who feature former members of Jamiroquai, Ray Davies’ band, and Ben’s Brother, are set to debut at Number 9, while Placebo are heading for their seventh UK Top 10 album with Loud Like Love (10).

Music To Make Boys Cry, former X Factor semi-finalist Diana Vickers’ long awaited follow up to her 2010 Number 1 album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, is new in at 18 today, and Wise Up Ghost, Elvis Costello’s collaboration with The Roots, is at 21. Carcass are headed for their first Top 40 album with Surgical Steel (25), which is the British death metal pioneers’ first studio album in almost 17 years.

And finally, MGMT are on course for their third Top 40 album this weekend with their new self-titled effort (31), while low-fi pioneer Bill Callahan’s Dream River (36) and The Naked & Famous’ In Rolling Waves (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.

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