Indie rockers Vampire Weekend have topped the Billboard 200 chart with their latest record 'Modern Vampires of the City,' besting commercial efforts from the likes of X-Factor judge Demi Lovato, Lady Antebellum and the Great Gatsby soundtrack featuring music from Jay-Z and Florence and the Machine.
The New York outfit's album sold 134,000 in its first week of sales, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. It was also the first independently distributed album to debut at No.1 on the chart since country singer Jason Aldean's 'Night Train' in November last year. It was another country star - George Strait - who finished in second place this week with sales of 120,000, while Lovato's 'Demi' sold 110,000 copies to take No.3. Last week's No.1, 'Golden' by Lady Antebellum fell to No.5 while the soundtrack to Gatsby dropped to No.4 from No.2.
Meanwhile, on Billboard's Digital Songs chart, rapper and producer team Macklemore & Ryan Lewis held the top spot with 231,000 downloads of their hit 'Can't Hold Us.' Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, featuring rapper T.I. and Pharrell Williams took second, ahead of Pink.
Continue reading: Vampire Weekend's Billboard No.1 Is A Triumph For Independent Music