After last week’s improbable departure into the realms of 90s pop, normal service is now resumed.

(Briefly.)

40.  Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”

Are Imagine Dragons on a crusade to provide fodder for chart trivia collectors?  The band had their first UK hits in December when “Radioactive” and “Hear Me” both made the lower reaches of the top 40 in the same week.  In fact, that was largely the result of a misfired promotion: “Radioactive”was the song everyone wanted, but it was released as the B-side to “Hear Me”.  So, under chart rules, if you downloaded “Radioactive” alone, it was credited as a sale of “Radioactive” – but if you downloaded the entire single, it was credited to “Hear Me”.

And now Imagine Dragons have landed another two hits in the same week, thanks to cherrypicking from their album (which enters at number 2).  “It’s Time” was originally released last year and was a reasonably big hit in the US.  It’s going to be a single in Britain in a few weeks, but in the meantime it’s starting to pick up sales as an album track download.

We’ll come to the other new entry shortly.  “Radioactive”, which has been hanging around for months, also picks up real momentum this week, climbing 32-14 in its 19th week out.

38.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Can’t Hold Us”

“Thrift Shop” is still at number 11 this week, but this track gets Macklemore’s name off the list of one-hit wonders.  I’m not quite sure why it’s in the chart – it’s not technically a single, and the only video for it seems to be this live performance for a Seattle radio station.  Apparently it’s being used in adverts, but I’m not sure if they’re airing in this country.

Sticking with the white rappers…

36.  Iggy Azalea – “Work”

This started picking up sales during the week, and it’s going to climb.  This is kind-of-sort-of Iggy Azalea’s debut single, in the sense that it’s the first one to be given a full scale release, though she’s had a couple of tracks released with videos before.  The video seems to be trying to position her as some sort of unholy cross between the brattishness of Ke$ha and the self-mythologising of Lana Del Rey.  Musically, it’s really rather good, with a nicely laid back feel to the verses.  The made-in-America feel of the video is a bit odd considering that she’s Australian, but then she did indeed arrive in Miami at 16 as the lyrics claim.  It’s my favourite of this week’s crop.

34.  Imagine Dragons – “On Top Of The World”

Yes, the bottom end of the chart is overloaded with new entries this week, isn’t it?

This isn’t the official current single, but it’s being promoted on Spotify, and it’s being used in some video game soundtracks at the moment, which probably explains why it’s here.  Wonder if they’ve chosen the wrong track to promote (again)?

30.  Haim – “Falling”

The follow-up to “Don’t Save Me”, which made number 32 at the end of last year.  I’m intrigued by the level of support Haim seem to have in Vaguely Alternative circles, since they sound to me more like a quality 80s-radio pop act that ought to more naturally appeal to a middle-aged audience.  But then, the pop cycle is based on genres going into disuse, then getting revived by a new generation too young to remember them as unfashionable.  Haim are thoroughly retro, but they’re good at it.

29.  Chris Brown – “Fine China”

If I were Chris Brown, I might steer clear of songs comparing women to breakable objects, with the lyric “It’s alright, I’m not dangerous.”  Oh, but you are, Chris!  You literally are!

The video takes matters one step further, brilliantly discarding the entire china metaphor in favour of having him hang out with a Chinese girl and battle the Triads over the course of six excruciatingly self-important minutes.

If Chris Brown was any less self-aware, he’d forget to breathe.

10.  Michael Buble – “It’s a Beautiful Day”

A rare visit to the upper reaches of the singles chart for the Canadian MOR star – though not unprecedented, as “Haven’t Met You Yet” made number 5 in 2009.  Not really aimed at the usual singles buying audience, but it’s a bouncy little number with a decent enough video, and fine if you like that sort of thing.

It was released at the end of February and didn’t even make the top 75.  The sudden surge of interest is because he got to do it – kind of – on Ant & Dec’s show last week.  Ant & Dec don’t do straight musical guests normally,  hence the downright bizarre presentation.  (The idea is that the hosts and all the other guests have assured him they’re looking forward to the song but are actually  decamping to the pub across the road.)

(Great mysteries of our time: who thought it was a good idea to get Lewis Hamilton to read a script?)

Anyhow, that’s two straight weeks that Ant and Dec have managed to get a record into the top ten.  Do not expect this to go unnoticed in the record industry when their show returns for its next series.

1.  Duke Dumont (featuring A*M*E) – “Need U (100%)”

Dance music, as if you need told.  Dumont is a English producer who’s been DJing and remixing for years, but this is his first single to be seriously promoted beyond the clubs.  Hence the video, which is excellent.  Mind you, it’s still hardly an obvious chart topper – when dance records make number one these days they tend to be anthems like Avicii or novelty records like that thing with the ducks, and comparatively speaking, this is more in club territory.

A*M*E is vocalist Amy Kabba, who’s also on the BBC’s “Sound of 2013” list, and I suspect may turn out to be the main event here.  She’s originally from Sierra Leone, and she’s signed to, um, Gary Barlow’s label.  Here’s her ultra-80s single “Play The Game Boy” from last year.

On the album chart, it’s indie and metal week!

• Justin Timberlake is still at 1.
• “Night Visions” by Imagine Dragons at 2, as already mentioned.
  
• “Sempiternal” by Bring Me The Horizon at 3.  A metalcore band who made number 2 with their previous album – deep breath – “There Is A Hell, Believe Me, I’ve Seen It.  There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret.
• A reissue of “Bat Out of Hell” by Meat Loaf at 9.
• “Disarm the Descent” by Killswitch Engage at 15.
• “Wolf” by Tyler, The Creator at 17, providing a brief diversion into alt-rap.
• “Machineries of Joy” by British Sea Power at 19.
• “The Ascent” by Wiley at 21 – those single sales are not translating in album sales, for whatever reason.
• “People Hell & Angels” by Jimi Hendrix at 30 – this is the posthumous album that went largely unnoticed a few weeks ago but has finally picked up sales.
• “The North Borders” by Bonobo at 34.  He’s a DJ and producer.