The Smile’s ‘A Light for Attracting Attention’ Tops Alternative Albums, Hits Top 10 on Album Sales Chart

Keith Caulfield
·6 min read

The Smile’s A Light for Attracting Attention surges into the top 10 across multiple Billboard album charts following the set’s release on CD and vinyl on June 17.

The set reaches the top 10 on Top Album Sales, Top Rock Albums, Vinyl Albums, Tastemaker Albums, Independent Albums and Top Current Album Sales. It also debuts at No. 1 on Top Alternative Albums. (All charts dated July 2.)

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A Light for Attracting Attention is the debut project from the trio, comprising Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, with Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner. The album was initially released on May 13 via streaming services and digital retailers.

Also in the top 10 on Top Album Sales: the latest albums from Drake and Logic arrive, while catalog titles from Pearl Jam and Prince return to the tally thanks to new Record Store Day Drop releases.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.

For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

A Light for Attracting Attention re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 3 with nearly 20,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending June 23, according to Luminate (up from a negligible sales figure the week previous). Of that sum, physical sales comprised a little over 19,000 (15,000 on vinyl; 4,000 on CD) and digital download sales comprised the remainder of the week’s sales. Previous to the latest tracking week, the album had sold a little more than 5,000 – essentially all from digital album sales. (There were a handful of early sales of the vinyl album a week ago.)

Light had spent one week on Top Album Sales previously, at No. 18 on the May 28-dated chart, following its digital retail release. The set also re-enters Top Current Album Sales at No. 3 (after spending one week on the list in May at No. 13 after its digital bow). Top Current Album Sales ranks the week’s biggest-selling current albums (not including catalog – older – releases).

On the Vinyl Albums chart, which lists the week’s top-selling vinyl LPs, Light debuts at No. 2. The set was issued in two vinyl variants – a standard black vinyl pressing and a yellow-colored edition.

Light also starts at No. 1 on Top Alternative Albums, No. 2 on Top Rock Albums, No. 2 on Independent Albums and No. 3 on Tastemaker Albums.

Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums rank the week’s most popular alternative and rock releases, respectively, by equivalent album units. Independent Albums reflects the week’s most popular albums, by units, released by independent record labels. Tastemaker Albums ranks the best-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores.

At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, BTS’ Proof holds atop the list for a second week, selling 53,000 copies (down 80%). The album has now sold 319,000 copies in the U.S. after two weeks on sale. Harry Styles’ former No. 1, Harry’s House, is a non-mover at No. 2 with 23,000 sold (down 13%). It continues to reign as 2022’s top-selling album in the U.S., with 468,000 copies sold.

Two catalog albums return to the top 10, following new vinyl pressings for Record Store Day’s Drop on June 18. Pearl Jam’s Live On Two Legs, first released in 1998, jumps back onto the chart at No. 4 (a new peak) with 16,000 sold (up from a negligible sum the week previous). It also debuts at No. 1 on Vinyl Albums.

Prince returns with The Gold Experience, originally released in 1995, re-entering at No. 5 on Top Album Sales (a new peak) with 14,000 sold (up from basically nothing a week earlier). Nearly all of the sales for both Live On Two Legs and Gold came from vinyl. (On Billboard’s charts, The Gold Experience continues to be credited to The Artist [Formerly Known As Prince], as the album was originally billed to his then-stage name, an unpronounceable symbol. Its new vinyl pressing also credits the symbol.)

Live On Two Legs was reissued in a double LP gatefold package on crystal clear vinyl, while The Gold Experience was reissued as a double LP on gold-colored vinyl (paying homage to a promotional version of the set released on vinyl in the U.S. in 1995). Live On Two Legs originally debuted and peaked at No. 16 on Top Album Sales (Oct. 12, 1998), while The Gold Experience had debuted and peaked at No. 6 (Oct. 14, 1995). Total U.S. album sales for Live On Two Legs is nearly 1 million, as the set’s cumulative sales now climb to 985,000. As for The Gold Experience, it surpasses a half-million sold, as its sales rise to 509,000.

Drake’s new studio album Honestly, Nevermind debuts at No. 6 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 sold – all from digital downloads. No physical release for the set has been announced. Drake has not released an album in a physical format in the U.S. since 2018’s Scorpion. Since then, he’s issued five further titles that have only been available to purchase as a digital download (So Far Gone and Care Package in 2019, Dark Lane Demo Tapes in 2020, Certified Lover Boy in 2021 and Honestly, Nevermind).

Olivia Rodrigo’s former No. 1 Sour is stationary at No. 7 on Top Album Sales with 10,000 sold (up 2%).

Logic’s latest album Vinyl Days starts at No. 8 with 9,000 sold (all from digital downloads and CD sales). Despite the album’s title, it was not available on vinyl LP.

Rounding out the new top 10 are a pair of former leaders: TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child falls 6-9 (9,000; down 30%) and SEVENTEEN’s SEVENTEEN 4th Album: Face the Sun dips 5-10 (9,000; down 47%).

In the week ending June 23, there were 2.107 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 7.5% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.726 million (up 8.7%) and digital albums comprised 381,000 (up 2.4%).

There were 701,000 CD albums sold in the week ending June 23 (down 22.8% week-over-week) and 1.014 million vinyl albums sold (up 51.3%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 16.203 million (down 10.7% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 18.652 million (up 1.1%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 45.096 million (down 8.4% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 35.098 million (down 4.6%) and digital album sales total 9.998 million (down 19.6%).

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