Blogs

By Benjamin Leatherman

This week’s version of “What’s Selling” focuses on the central Phoenix location of Zia Record Exchange, 1940 West Indian School Road. The store’s list of top 10 best-sellers for the week of August 11 to 17 is a pretty eclectic mix, ranging from from hard rock and indie music to hip-hop and electronica. Take a gander:

1. Suga Free, Smell My Finger (HMF Entertainment)
2. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (Cash Money)
3. Austrian Death Machine, Total Brutal (Metal Blade)
4. Daz Dillinger, Only on the Left Side (Dog Pound Gangstaz)
5. Roca Dolla, Roca Is a Classic (5ifth Coast)
6. M.I.A., Kala (Interscope)
7. T-Pain, The Midas Touch Man (RBC)
8. Beck, Modern Guilt (Geffen)
9. Five Finger Death Punch, The Way of the Fist (Firm Music)
10. Coldplay, Viva La Vida (Capitol)

By Benjamin Leatherman

It’s a damn shame that in a city the size of Phoenix (the fifth largest in the nation last we checked) there’s a real dearth of cool independent music stores. But, hey, at least it lets us appreciate those scant few record shops that are available all the more. Like Revolver Records, 4214 North Seventh Avenue in Phoenix, and its enviable selection of both new and used music, with a large focus on viynl. Here’s a list of Revolver’s top 10 best sellers for the week of Aug. 4 to 10.

1. Beck, Modern Guilt (Geffen)
2. Ratatat, LP3 (XL Recordings)
3. Mates of State, Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
4. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Sony)
5. Jonathan Richman, Because Her Beauty Is Raw & Wild (Vapor)
6. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Have Another Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)
7. Coldplay, Viva La Vida (Capitol)
8. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colors (Modular Interscope)
9. Dennis Wilson, Pacific Ocean Blue – Legacy Edition (Sony Legacy)
10. Dr. Dog, Fate (Park the Van)

By Benjamin Leatherman

Here’s a list of what’s been selling at Circles Records & Tapes (800 North Central Avenue in Phoenix).

1. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (Cash Money)
2. Suga Free, Sunday School (Siccness)
3. The-Dream, Love Hate (Def Jam)
4. Roca Dolla, Roca Is a Classic (5Fith Coast Records)
5. Bun B, II Trill (Rap-A-Lot/Asylum)
6. Nas, Self-titled (Def Jam)
7. Snoop Dogg, Ego Trippin' (Geffen)
8. Three 6 Mafia, Last 2 Walk (Sony)
9. David Banner, The Greatest Story Ever Told
(Motown)
10. N*E*R*D, Seeing Sounds (Interscope)

By Benjamin Leatherman

It always takes some dexterity to maneuver through the cramped aisles of the seemingly closet-sized East Side Records, 217 West University Drive in Tempe. But believe us, a little fancy footwork and extra is totally worth visiting the shop, since East Side's got all the good shit, whether its new CDs or used vinyl. Here’s a glimpse at their top 10 best-selling albums for the week of July 21 to 27.

1. Rudimentary Peni, No More Pain (Southern)
2. Melvins, Nude with Boots (Ipecac)
3. One Day as a Lion, Self-titled (ANTI-)
4. Torche, Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
5. Flying Lotus, Los Angeles (Warp)
6. Dennis Wilson, Pacific Ocean Blue – Legacy Edition (Sony Legacy)
7. Reks, Grey Hairs (Show Off)
9. Daedelus, Love To Make Music To (Ninja Tune)
10. Jay Reatard, Singles 06-07 (In the Red)

By Benjamin Leatherman

This week’s list of the top 10 best-selling albums at local music stores comes from Kimber Lanning’s indie emporium, Stinkweeds Record Exchange, 12 West Camelback Road. Here’s what being bought at the shop:

1. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive (Vagrant)
2. Fleet Foxes, Self-titled (Sub Pop)
3. Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop)
4. Sigur Rós, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL Recordings)
5. Beck, Modern Guilt (Geffen)
6. Earlimart, Hymn and Her (Major Domo)
7. Tilly and the Wall, O (Team Love)
8. Melvins, Nude with Boots (Ipecac)
9. Silver Jews, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
10. Santogold, Self-titled (Downtown)

Here’s the top 10 best-selling albums for Zia Record Exchange, 1940 West Chandler Boulevard in Chandler, for the week of July 7 to 13.

1. Beck, Modern Guilt (Geffen)
2. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (Universal)
3. The Maine, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (Fearless)
4. Sigur Rós, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL Recordings)
5. Alkaline Trio, Agony & Irony (Epic)
6. Tech N9ne, Killer (Strange Music)
7. Coldplay, Viva La Vida (Capitol)
8. Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! (Fader)
9. Disturbed, Indestructible (Reprise)
10. Three 6 Mafia, Last 2 Walk (Columbia)

By Benjamin Leatherman

Here’s a list of what’s been selling at Circles Records & Tapes (800 North Central Avenue in Phoenix) for the Week of June 30 to June 6:

1. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (Cash Money)
2. Plies, Definition of Real (Atlantic)
3. The-Dream, Love Hate (Def Jam)
4. Bun B, II Trill (Rap-A-Lot/Asylum)
5. Keith Sweat, Just Me (Keia)
6. Mariah Carey, E=MC² (Island)
7. MC Magic, Magic City Part 2 (Thump Records)
8. Big Gemini, History in the Making (Diplomat)
9. N*E*R*D, Seeing Sounds (Interscope)
10. Usher, Here I Stand (LaFace)

By Benjamin Leatherman

Rockzone Records, 1721 East Warner Road in Tempe, isn’t your typical music store. It’s more of a haven for vinyl junkies like our music columnist Steve Jansen, who prefer their sounds to flow from an old-school needle and groove instead of some new-fangled iPod or CD player. Almost 90 percent of the Rockzone’s stock consists of albums on wax, so as such, a majority of their top 10 best sellers are records. Here’s a list of what’s getting bought (with an * indicating it’s the LP version).

1. Motley Crue, Saints of Los Angeles (Eleven Seven Music)
2. Metallica, Kill ‘Em All re-issue (Warner Bros.) *
3. Portishead, Third (Mercury) *
4. Madonna, Hard Candy (Reprise)
5. Van Morrison, Keep it Simple (Reprise) *
6. Radiohead, In Rainbows (ATO) *
7. Eddie Vedder, Music for the motion picture Into The Wild (J-Records) *
8. The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely (Warner Brothers) *
9. Kate Nash, Made of Bricks (Interscope)
10. Alanis Morissette, Flavors of Entanglement (Warner Bros.)

By Benjamin Leatherman

Here's a rundown of the top 10 best-sellers at Stinkweeds Record Exchange, 12 West Camelback Road, for the week of June 16 to 22.

1. Fleet Foxes, Self-titled (Sub Pop)
2. Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop)
3. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges (ATO)
4. The Notwist, The Devil, You + Me (Domino)
5. Coldplay, Viva La Vida (Capitol)
6. Silver Jews, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
7. Spiritualized, Songs in A&E (Sanctuary)
8. The Black Angels, Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic)
9. Islands, Arm's Way (Anti)
10. Joan As Police Woman, To Survive (Cheap Lullaby)

By Benjamin Leatherman

What are the Top 10 best-selling albums at East Side Records, 217 West University Drive in Tempe? Here’s a list, yo.

1. Dystopia, Self-titled (Life is Abuse)
2. King Khan and the Shrines, The Supreme Genius of King Khan (Vice)
3. Atmosphere, Sad Clown Bad Spring 12 (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
4. The Okmoniks, Party Fever (Slovenly Recordings)
5. Flying Lotus, Los Angeles (Warp)
6. Andrew Jackson Jihad, Only God Can Judge Me (Plan-It-X)
7. Times New Viking, Rip It Off (Matador)
8. Subtle, Exiting Arm (Lex)
9. The Bananas, New Animals (Recess)
10. Cheap Time, Self-titled (In the Red)

By Benjamin Leatherman

Here’s a rundown of the top 10 best-selling albums at Zia Record Exchange, 105 West University Drive in Tempe, for the week of June 2-8.

1. Weezer, Weezer (Red Album) (Geffen)
2. Disturbed, Indestructible (Reprise)
3. Portishead, Third (Mercury)
4. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs (Atlantic)
5. Flobots, Fight With Tools (Universal Republic)
6. Opeth, Watershed (Roadrunner)
7. Flight of the Conchords, Self-titled (Sub Pop)
8. Fleet Foxes, Self-titled (Sub Pop)
9. The Cool Kids, Bake Sale (Chocolate Industries)
10. Spiritualized, Songs in A&E (Fontana International)

By Benjamin Leatherman

We used to have a feature in the print version of the Phoenix New Times where we pimped the top 10 best-selling CDs at various local record stores. Now the feature is back, albeit in online form.

Here’s a list of what’s been selling at Circles Records & Tapes (800 North Central Avenue in Phoenix) for the Week of May 26 to June 1:

1. Mariah Carey, E=MC² (Island)

2. Usher, Here I Stand (Jive)

3. Keith Sweat, Just Me (Rhino)

4. Lyfe Jennings, Lyfe Change (Sony Urban Music/Columbia)

5. Snoop Dog, Ego Trippin’ (Geffen)

6. Bun B, II Trill (Rap-A-Lot/Asylum)

7. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (Universal Motown)

8. Big Gemini, History in the Making (Upstairs Records)

9. Madonna, Hard Candy (WEA/Reprise)

10. Leona Lewis, Spirit (J-Records)