AFI's playing fox in the Dixie Chicks' henhouse.
The California goth rockers stormed the coop with their seventh studio album, Decemberunderground, ending the Texas trio's two-week run atop the pop charts. Released on the appropriately demonic 6-6-06, Decemberunderground finished the week ended Sunday by selling more than 182,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan.
"It's an amazing feeling to have something you believe in so strongly, that is so much a part of you, touch so many people," said AFI vocalist Davey Havok. "But it was truly our fans that did this. They have brought us this recognition, and we are deeply honored. I am truly elated not just for us but for them as well."
In scorings its best one-week sales mark, this summer's Vans Warped Tour coheadliner took the top spot from the Chicks' high-profile comeback album, Taking the Long Way, their first since their Bush-bashing in 2002. The Chicks, which opened at number one with more than 500,000 in first-week sales, fell to runner-up status with third week sales of 175,000 copies.
The latest Bad Boy rapper, Yung Joc, came in at number three with New Joc City, which debuted with 148,000 copies. The Atlanta-based emcee benefits from the Top 40 hit "It's Goin' Down"--the first artist in Diddy's Bad Boy stable to score a Top 40 hit since Mase's "Welcome Back" and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" in 2004.
Yung Joc narrowly edged out one of hip-hop's elder statesman, Ice Cube, whose Laugh Now, Cry Later opened at number four, selling nearly 145,000 copies. In the six years since his last album, 2000's double-disc War & Peace, the rapper furthered his acting career while struggling to work out a new recording deal, most notably a failed negotiation with Dr. Dre's Aftermath in 2002. Cube ultimately started his own label, Lench Mob Records, through which he released his long-awaited return.
With Cars parked atop the box office, its soundtrack raced to the seven spot with sales of 68,000 discs. The disc features Rascal Flatts' version of "Life Is a Highway," versions of "Route 66" by Chuck Berry and Brad Paisley and other cuts by Sheryl Crow, James Taylor and John Mayer.
Meanwhile, R&B songbird Rihanna climbed back into the Top 10 as Girl Like Me sold more than 51,000 discs to come in at number nine. Total sales for the album now stand at 417,000 discs.
A pair of albums, both in their 10th weeks, slid down four spots. Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang dropped to eight on 65,000 copies, while Now That's What I Call Music! 21 skidded to 10 on 48,000 copies (edging out Gnarls Barkley's surging debut, St. Elsewhere, by about 700 copies as the latter jumped 10 spots to 11). Rounding out the Top 10 were a couple of former chart-toppers, the High School Musical soundtrack, now at five, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium at six.
Another rapper also had a strong debut as DJ Khaled landed at 12 with Listennn... The Album! moving 44,000 copies. The New Orleans-born, Miami-based artist is also a radio deejay and a member of Fat Joe's Terror Squad, best known for the 2004 radio hit "Lean Back."
Other noteworthy debuts included the Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road at 19, the 51-track Vans Warped Tour '06 compilation (which ironically doesn't feature a track by AFI) at 27, Live's Songs from Black Mountain at 52, Head Automatica's Popaganda at 69, Zero 7's The Garden at 94 and Cheap Trick's Rockford at 101.
Overall sales were down nearly 15 percent from this same week last year, and year-to-date album sales still lag behind 2005.
Here's a recap of last week's Top 10 albums:
1. Decemberunderground, AFI
2. Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
3. New Joc City, Yung Joc
4. Laugh Now, Cry Later, Ice Cube
5. High School Musical soundtrack, various
6. Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. Cars soundtrack, various
8. Me & My Gang, Rascal Flatts
9. Girl Like Me, Rhianna
10. Now That's What I Call Music! 21, various