Weekender

A new Monday service rounding up everything we've learned in the last couple of days:

CHART OF DARKNESS: Shayne Ward's still up there, and according to a list on CoolClarity last week it's comfortably among the ten best sellers of the decade so far. Go on, whistle it. Not to suggest this is a slow time for the singles market or anything, but of the three new entries in the top 40 one is Editors' right chancing (number 10 for Munich's re-release, one below where we put it in the 2005 list), one workaday Chicago house track and one Baywatch/Phat Planet mashup. We know Leftfield are no more, but surely they don't need money that urgently, and that's a week ahead of another Baywatch theme sampling dance track. Over in albums the Strokes are third time lucky, First Impressions Of Earth becoming their first number one where previously they'd been kept at number two by the unlikely duo of Slipknot and Dido, while 314 days after release Funeral finally makes it into the top forty. We're claiming the credit.

BARGAIN HUNT: The post-Christmas sales are still in full swing, and may we point you at HMV this week where Blur's Best Of is £4.99. Just ignore the new version of For Tomorrow.

FREE MUSIC: Celebration - War: a high speed collision between PJ Harvey, Rip Rig & Panic and Clint Boon's organ by TV On The Radio's mates (David Sitek produces).

EVERYBODY GET RANDOM: Village Voice ponder Korn's supposed secret member and from there the possible Sixth Beatle; entire comments box fails to get the joke