PUMPKINS A SMASH, WILL CHALLENGE FOR #1

The Zeitgeist has arrived.

No, not that one, but the new album from Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins, their first since 2000’s Machina/The Machines of God and debut for Reprise Records. Based on reports from retailers around this still-open-for-business country of ours, Zeitgeist will sell between 140-150k in its first week.

That would put it in a race for #1 with this week’s chart-topper, Grand Hustle/Atlantic rapper T.I., who still looks like he should be able to hang on to enough of his 466k total to hold off the bald guy’s challenge.

Aside from Corgan, the only other original member of the group is drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, with guitarist/vocalist Jeff Schroeder and bassist/vocalist Ginger Reyes replacing James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky.

Interpol makes their major label debut on Capitol Records with Our Love to Admire, the New York indie-rockers’ follow-up to 2004’s Antics on Matador, which looks headed toward a first-week total of 80-90k. That won’t be enough for it to overtake Disney’s Hannah Montana 2, with a figure that should go over 100k and a probable #3 finish, but appears a lock for Top 5, on the strength of its #3 ranking at iTunes.

Thanks to being #2 in sales at iTunes, Merge’s Spoon, with their stunningly titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the follow-up to 2005’s critically acclaimed Gimme Fiction, is looking at 40-50k and an outside shot at the Top 10.

Hollywood Records’ sister act Aly and AJ have grown up on Insomniac, their new album which spotlights their rock pedigree, with songs featured in Super Sweet 16: The Movie, currently airing on MTV. That album is on target to sell between 40-45k.

Overall, the market was down 1% vs. last week, down 3% vs. same week last year and now down slightly under 14.7% to date.