Alternative rock group Panic! At The Disco have hit the top of Billboard's Digital Downloads Album Chart. The group held off previous chart toppers David Bowie and Adele to take the top spot and secure their first ever number one album on both the digital and overall album listings.
It's rare for a rock album to hit the top of Billboard's mainstream album charts these days, but last week David Bowie managed the feat posthumously. Fans clamored to hear his new music following his death, resulting in a number one placement for his 2016 album Blackstar, and knocking chart stalwart Adele off her pedestal, sending her record breaking "25" collection to the number two spot.
Observers expected chart queen Adele to rule the roost again this week and return to number one, but it was another rock act, Panic! At The Disco, that racked up the top spot again with its 5th studio release, "Death Of A Bachelor". The robust sales of the group's new disc were no surprise to chart watchers who noticed the group quietly rack up no less than 5 songs on the Top Digital Downloads chart in the past few months, as several singles from the album were released one by one to promote the new collection.
The buildup led to total album sales, as reported by Billboard, of 190,000 for "Bachelor" to nab the top spot, along with 17 million streams, according to Nielsen. Adele managed a not too shabby second place with 147,000 in sales for "25" in its ninth week of release, which is actually an uptick of 3 percent from the week before, indicating her staying power. Bowie's new disc fell to number 4, which was somewhat expected as news of his death and tributes to the artist began to fade from the headlines.
The irony in Panic! At The Disco's first chart topping album is that the group now technically consists of only one member, lead singer Brendon Urie, who also plays various instruments for the "band". The group was originally formed in 2004 as a foursome, which was later whittled down to various configurations of two and three members due to internal discord when the group took a more Beatlesesque, pop-leaning direction on its second album, 2008's Pretty Odd.
"Bachelor" may actually be the group's most varied affair ever, exploring various styles of pop and rock music. In addition to the classic vaudevillian alt rock punk style Panic! became famous for, Urie croons like Sinatra, explores California surf rock harmonies, and dips into electronic beats in his first digital chart topping collection. You can watch the group's recent performance of the aptly titled "Victorious" from "Death Of A Bachelor," on Jimmy Kimmel Live, below.
