Not much going on in terms of new releases, which means lots of stuff is climbing instead…

40.  Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin – “Don’t You Worry Child”

A number 1 at the tail end of last year.  I’m guessing that it’s back because somebody covered it in an X Factor audition.

34.  Chris Brown featuring Nicki Minaj – “Love More”

The second single from his upcoming album (it’s the third in America, but apparently “Don’t Think They Know” was deemed unsuitable for UK promotion for whatever reason).  If you leave aside the fact that it’s by Chris Brown, it’s okay.  Ish.  It’s going to climb a bit from here, but it’s not on course to set the world alight.

29.  Lethal Bizzle featuring Ruby Goe – “Party Right”

I don’t think that’s really his house.  Not unless having a number 11 hit eight years ago pays a lot better than I thought it did.

The track in question is “Pow”.  He pops occasionally in the lower reaches of the chart, but he’s never really come close to matching his debut hit.  (The YouTube blurb describes this as following up “his recent top 20 success”, which I take to be a reference to his appearance on “Not a Saint” by Vato Gonzalez in January.  It made number 20.)

This sounds like something trying to emulate Wiley’s more commercial recent stuff but not quite landing the radio friendliness – or not quite being able to suppress the urge to make the verses a bit too irritating for mass appeal.  It’ll be gone next week.

Debut hit for Ruby Goe, who receives a featured artist credit despite her vocals being processed to smithereens.  She’s released records in her own name before, without tremendous commercial success – here’s her 2012 single “Badman”, which turns out to be a pretty good electro track.

28.  Bastille – “Things We Lost in the Fire”
27.  Olly Murs – “Right Place Right Time”

Both climbing into the top 30, though judging from the iTunes chart, this could be as far as they’re going to go.

25.  Ben Pearce – “What I Might Do”

This came out last October and didn’t chart.  It wasn’t even in the midweeks at all, but it suddenly turned up on Sunday, apparently because Tesco are using it in an advert.  Yes, Tesco.  It was previously a number 3 hit in Italy, and it’s his Italian label Ego Italy who posted the video to YouTube – hence a description which informs us that “Ben Pearce has grown up together with Electronic Music.  Born in the suburbs of Manchester, it has been electronic clubbing scene of the big city to push him to attempt and carry on with this road.”

14.  Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know”

Back up ten places as a side effect of the album coming out this week.  Current single “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High”, also still hanging around, rebounds from 26 to 20.

13.  Example – “All the Wrong Places”

Example’s first single with his new record label.  He’s back in rave/synthpop mode here.  Dunno about this one, really.  Sounds a bit like something that’s been written for use in a dance game for a few years ago.  According to Wikipedia, it’s in the soundtrack for the Alan Partridge film, but I harbour some doubts about that, partly because it’s not on the soundtrack album, but mostly because it’s Example doing a retro rave track.

12.  Coldplay – “Atlas”

Our highest new entry in a very quiet week for new releases is the first new material Coldplay have released in two years – which to be honest you might have expected would go higher for that reason alone.  It’s from the soundtrack to Hunger Games, and apparently, if you know the books, it’s immediately obvious that this really has been written for the film, and isn’t just a cast-off that’s been palmed off on the licensing guys.  Nonetheless, somewhat to my surprise, it’s going to swandive next week.  Admittedly, it’s not a track that has a very obvious home on radio, but it’s a pretty thing and far from uncommercial.

9.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert – “Same Love”

Climbing eleven place to give them their third top ten hit of the year.

2.  OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”

This has now moved 43-30-20-17-13-2, to supplant “Apologise” as their biggest UK hit.  (Well, in terms of chart position at any rate – “Apologise” only got to number 3, but it did hang around for months.)

1.  Katy Perry – “Roar”

Second week.  She’s probably not going to manage a third, but you never know.

On the albums chart, it’s a busy week.

• “AM” by the Arctic Monkeys at 1, as already noted.
• “If You Wait” by London Grammar at 2.  The single “Strong” is still at 16.
• “Tales of Us” by Goldfrapp at 4.  Their seventh album, and one of their higher chart positions – though “Supernature” and “Seventh Tree” both got to 2.  Lead single: “Drew”, which pretty much jettisons all their usual electronics.
• “Snapshot” by the Strypes at 5.  Irish throwback indie band, rather unhelpfully described on Wikipedia as “rhythm & blues”, a term which has somewhat changed its meaning since the 1960s when it was last being applied to stuff like this.  Single: “What a Shame”.
• “Kiss Land” by the Weeknd at 12.  Officially his debut album, since last year’s “Trilogy” is technically a compilation.  Here’s the title track.
• “The Clash Hits Back” by the Clash at 13.  It’s a greatest hits album
• “The Electric Lady” by Janelle Monae at 14.  Her second album, and the first to make the UK album chart.  Apparently it comprises the fourth and fifth suites of her projected seven-suite concept project Metropolis.  Lead single: “Q.U.E.E.N.”
• “Rarities” by Rod Stewart at 35.  Self-explanatory compilation.
• “Doctor Who Series 4 OST” by Murray Gold at 37.  Yes, really.
• “Liquid Spirit” by Gregory Porter at 40.  Californian jazz singer.  He’s quite big in the Netherlands, and with this album they seem to be promoting him in the rest of Europe.