Annie - Don't Stop
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Small Tow Super Sound
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Originally scheduled for release way back in 2007, Annie’s follow up to ‘04s Annimal has belatedly arrived. Annie is the uber-cool Norwegian pop poster girl that’s a rarity as she's written and produced her own album, as well as assembled her own team.
Forget that copies of Don’t Stop were doing the rounds 12 months ago. Don’t Stop is now what was heard plus a few bonus tracks that include producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Primal Scream).
So has it been worth the wait? Well, yes – it has. Annie knows her way round a pop tune and can happily turn the mundane into the magnificent. However, the blurred lines between pop and indie remain.
The album kicks off with Hey Annie, a track that seemingly sums up the struggle and tribulations of getting Don’t Stop out in the public domain with lyrics that reference the present and the future. My Love is Better includes a nifty guitar rift from Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, delivered over a backdrop of synths with lyrics that are a nod to a few of Annie’s female adversaries. Bad Times is another confident, solid output that’s backed by heavy guitar rifts.
The misguided stab at commercialism fails with the ballad When the Night as it just doesn’t fit within the context of the album. I Don’t Like Your Band has the male species in the line of fire and attacks his primary source of weakness: his music.
Having teamed up with some of the most innovative producers around, Don’t Stop should have been one of the best pop albums of 2007. Instead it’s one best albums to arrive this year.
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Written by Stuart Evans
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