Keane block Tenacious D's Rize to the top of the Official Album Chart

Though the mighty Tenacious D’sself-claimed ‘swords of rock’ looked strong in Wednesday’s Official Chart Update, reigning album titleholders Keane slowly clawed their way back to retain their position at the top of the Official Albums Chart today with Strangeland.

Jack Black and Kyle Gass, aka Tenacious D,took an early lead over Keane, but Rize Of The Fenix finishes the week in a very respectable second place, giving the comedy rock duo their highest charting album to date in the UK. Their previous highest placing came courtesy of 2006’s The Pick Of Destiny (10).

In a rock premonition earlier this week, musician and comedy actor Black claimed that his band will eclipse former chart toppers Jack White, Foo Fighters and Gotye.

"I do love Jack White, I love the Foo Fighters, and Goyte, but our album is better than all of those,” the actor told Reuters. "In a hundred years' time, no-one will remember Gotye or the rest, but the shining beacon of The D - they're going to start religions after us!"

Completing today’s Official Albums Chart Top 5 is Emeli Sande with Our Version Of Events (3), Adele’s 21 (4) and Salford-born singer/songwriter Ren Harvieu who debuts at Number 5 with her first album, Through The Night. 

New Entries

In addition to Tenacious D (2) and Ren Harvieu (5), Scottish/American rockers Garbage are back and straight in the Top 10 with their long-awaited new studio album Not Your Kind Of People (10).

There are four further new entries in this week’s Official Albums Chart. Self-styled ‘dream pop’ duo Beach House grab their first Top 40 album with Bloom at Number 15. The cast of hit US TV show Glee are new in at Number 17 with The Graduation Album, which features covers of tracks by Lady Gaga, Queen, Fun and Green Day among others.

Legendary ‘60s crooner and our 2012 Eurovision hopeful Engelbert Humperdinck’s Release Me – The Best Of enters at 21 today.  With less than ten days to go until he represents the UK at the annual Eurovision Song Contest, British entrant Engelbert Humperdinck is already a winner, thanks to the Official Charts Company.

Engelbert, who was the guest of honour at The BPI’s annual Rock The Boat parliamentary event this week was presented with two Official Singles Chart Number 1 Awards.

The Official Number 1 Award was created by the Official Charts Company in December as part of the 60th anniversary of the Official Singles Chart. The brushed aluminium trophy is presented in partnership with BBC Radio 1 and OfficialCharts.com to every new artist who reaches the coveted Number 1 spot, with recipients to date including Jessie J, Gotye, Tulisa, DJ Fresh, Rita Ora, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Military Wives and Cover Drive among others.

Engelbert Humperdinck is the first heritage artist to receive the award, in recognition of his two Number 1 singles, Release Me and The Last Waltz, which both reached the top of the Official Singles Chart back in 1967.  In addition to famously keeping The Beatles’ classic Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields from the top of the Official Singles Chart with Release Me, Engelbert became the first solo artist in British chart history to achieve million-selling status with two different singles.

“I'm very proud that people have supported me and bought my music,” he told OfficialCharts.com. ”I’ve sold about 150 million albums, so it’s been a good life and a good journey. Let’s hope we carry it on for a little bit longer.”

Former A-Ha lead singer Morten Harket scores his third solo Top 40 album with Out Of My Hands new in at 37.

This week's Official Albums Chart Top 10 is below. You can view the full Top 100 here after 7PM this evening.