THIS WEEK IN VIBE-RATERS

Epic’s Modest Mouse jumps to #1 from the #3 slot in this week’s edition of Vibe-Raters, HITS’ weekly ranking of projects most likely to break, as picked by the HITS Editorial Board. Find Vibe by clicking the link above, or the “Vibe-Raters” near the top of the window from any page of this site.

The ’Mouse is about to kick off a U.S. tour and has 750k copies of Good News for People Who Love Bad News in the street. Single “Float On” has major radio and video support, and the band will be hitting the Conan O’Brien show and Spin and Rolling Stone over the next few weeks.

This week’s Vibe also features the return of Richard Marx, as one of the most successful songwriters in the country over the last five years returns with his first album since 1997 on the label that gave him his start, Manhattan. And speaking of comebacks, check out Morrissey’s new Attack/Sanctuary single, “First of the Gang to Die,” impacting PoMo radio now.

Other notable developments this week include: Ashlee Simpson, who’s gaining radio momentum as her album’s 7/20 release date nears; Alter Bridge, moving up as the ex-Creed members’ band scores Top 10 Most Added status at Rock radio; and Lenny Kravitz, still seeing increased momentum thanks to his TV ad for Target.