Annie Albums (2)
'Don't Stop'
Release Date 11/6/2009
Tracks 12
Label Smalltown Supersound
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Annie ran into some obstructions on the way to the release of her second album. Don't Stop was supposed to come out on Island well over a year before it was finally issued on Norway’s Smalltown Supersound; Island had gone as far as releasing "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" as a single and video, as well as a cover of Stacey Q’s "Two of Hearts" as a promotional single, but Annie and Island split, and Don’t Stop finally surfaced with a different track list that included neither "Girlfriend" nor "Hearts." As on Anniemal, Don't Stop contains some of the catchiest, most clever dance-pop in circulation, highlighted by the fizzy "I Don't Like Your Band," one of three songs produced by Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Florence and the Machine). Nearly as ensnaring as "Chewing Gum," Annie’s taunting, attitudinal wordplay is in top form, with "It's not you, it's your tunes" closely followed by a pointedly insincere-sounding "I feel bad." The collaborations with Xenomania (five songs), Timo Kaukolampi (three), and Richard X (one) aren’t as powerful, however, with a good handful of their songs no match for Anniemal’s weaker moments. The worst of all, "The Breakfast Song," has a chorus and call-and-response that resemble a flabby M.I.A. parody. [Some copies came with a bonus disc, the All Night EP, which included "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" and some other material that originally leaked prior to the album's release.] ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1999, Annie and her boyfriend/producer, Erot, made a slippery-sexy single called "The Greatest Hit." Though it came out of Norway, it sounded more than a little American, sampling Madonna's "Everybody" while also echoing the nonchalant ecstasy of Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots." It didn't take off, at least not in the traditional sense. It floated around the underground, saw release on labels in different territories, and eventually became a pseudo-secret smash. Within a couple years, dancers and DJs in a few countries began to wonder what became of Annie. Erot's life was claimed by a heart defect in 2001; his partner, quite understandably, went quiet for a while. She picked herself up, took a very active role in the Bergen, Norway, music community, and recorded Anniemal with production help from Richard X, Röyksopp, and Op:L Bastards' Timo Kaukolampi. "The Greatest Hit," thankfully reprised here, is indicative of the album as a whole, bursting with sparkling melodies (often spiked with just a hint of melancholy) over mostly danceable rhythms that are either wholly modern or mischievously referential to early-'80s club hits (Tom Tom Club, the Human League, Arthur Russell's Dinosaur L). Annie's voice might be a little thin, but that's no real factor when it's so sweet and likable. The topics -- teasing, aching, longing -- aren't unfamiliar, yet they're often dealt with in a clever manner. Take "Chewing Gum," in which a dumped boy gets sort of objectified and verbally slain at the same time ("You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum"), or "The Greatest Hit," containing the most foolproof come-on you could ever give a record geek ("C'mon, baby, you're my greatest hit"). As cunning as it is, Anniemal is also deeply affecting. "Heartbeat" is the least resistible of all, glowing with anticipatory pulses, tremulous sighs, and quivering electric piano vamps. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
