Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 19/10/09
Label: Smalltown Supersound

If the same mechanism that delivers pop stars operated in real life then, rather than being confused for a "Toy Story" character, Buzz Aldrin would be more famous than Neil Armstrong. For commercial success in pop, and the opportunity to release records on a major, means following suit rather than playing trump. Just look at The Velvet Underground and all the others who sold bugger all and yet are acknowledged as first arrivals.

Annie is another. In her tough, silver-plated electro-pop, the diminutive Nord preceded much of what's dominated the charts in recent years. Yet, rather than stratospheric success, she's faced more obstacles than an SAS recruit.

Her 2005 debut, "Anniemal", was slow in coming after the death of musical partner Tore Andreas Kroknes and, too early for the '80s renaissance, didn't shift anything like the units "Chewing Gum" and "Heartbeat" deserved. With everything in place for a well-funded follow-up, a leadership change at Island and a beef with Girls Aloud over the use of their backing vocals on "My Love Is Better" delayed "Don't Stop", which was tipped for massiveness back in May '08.

Well, it's better late than never. Sharp and sassy like a glinting, razor-edged stiletto, and with the fingerprints of Xenomania, Richard X and Paul Epworth all over it, "Don't Stop" would, in an ideal world, stamp an Annie-shaped hole in the charts, scratching that itch for handbag electro while introducing weirdness in the process. As displayed on her DJ-Kicks compilation, Annie's '80s sensibilities (Madonna, Mel & Kim, Tom Tom Club) are tempered by punk-funk, dub and acid house and "Don't Stop" distils all these into a glossy formula much too edgy for the likes of The Saturdays.

A tribal, R&B-leaning "Hey Annie" brings A Guy Called Gerald, Missy Elliot and St Etienne together on a Venn diagram, "My Love Is Better" is a feisty indie-electro number with a heel aimed at the planet's gonads and the title track is a Hacienda anthem. "Songs Remind Me of You" is so suited to flickering strobes Madonna would kill for it and the breathy elegance of "Marie Cherie" signals a dark, lustful melancholy reminiscent of Francoise Hardy. Only "The Breakfast Song" breaks this run in its attempt at Ting Tings-like daftness.

Annie named her dog Joey after both Joey Ramone and Joey McIntyre from New Kids On The Block and this record pitches up between the two: big-ticket pop with heart and an f-you attitude.

    by Chris Parkin