Annie
Don’t Stop
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Label: Smalltown Supersound
Initially scheduled to mark cult-electropop singer Annie’s major label debut last year, Don’t Stop has finally made its way onto record shelves. A lot has happened since 2007, when Annie was signed to Island Records based on the success of her critically acclaimed 2004 release Anniemal and 2005′s equally applauded DJ-Kicks compilation, not the least of which was Annie’s subsequent dismissal from the record label for lackluster singles sales.
On both of her earlier releases, Annie demonstrated a certain wit and playful sexiness with a sound that combined guitars and dance rhythms in basic pop structures. Don’t Stop maintains that formula with help from co-writer Richard X and producer Timo Kaukolampi (who also helmed Anniemal), as well as current hit machine Xenomania, but time and musical trends have stolen some of Annie’s thunder. Bands like Datarock, who lend a hand on tracks like “I Can’t Let Go” and “Loco,” have helped popularize the same basic sound Annie rode to prominence in 2004. Having said that, even if Don’t Stop had been released as promised, it’s opening track “Hey Annie!” with its martial beats and whistles, that would still draw direct comparisons to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” though she never reaches the exuberance of her Californian counterpart.
“My Love Is Better” is all legwarmers and head bands, a cheeky nod to ’80s dance-pop. Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos provides the guitar work, though “Bad Times” is more of the guitar-driven dance music that endeared Annie to indie rock fans five years ago, and finds a more sultry Annie whispering, “bad times never sounded so good.” Annie channels Donna Summer for the title track, cooing “I’ll be the fire/ You be the fuel” over a Blondie groove. “I Don’t Like Your Band” is a catchy electro-pop bopper where Annie professes love for her boyfriend, but declaims that his music is passé. It’s a fun metaphor for the album itself; Annie is smart and witty, but ultimately offers little but delightful ear candy.
One of the few exceptions is “Marie Cherie,” with its subdued horns and ’60s-style French air. Annie goes hunting for a Jane Birkin vibe and finds it, though one keeps waiting for her Serge Gainsbourg to emerge after the chorus. This absence helps to make “Songs Remind Me of You” Don’t Stop’s heartfelt moment. Annie has gone on record about being profoundly affected by the 2001 death of her boyfriend and music partner Tore Kroknes, and while the song is written in present tense about a romantic couple, lines like “It doesn’t matter where I seem to be/ Sounds of you remain eternally” and “How does it feel to hear your songs on your radio?/ And does it hurt to hear those songs on the radio?” make it clear that his memory is still a part of her.
With the first half of the record comprised of six breezy pop songs, the album slows down considerably in the second part with “Marie Cherie,” “Take You Home” and “When The Night,” before picking up steam once more for the hook-laden closer “Heaven & Hell.” There are enough moments on Don’t Stop for fans to be happy, but in truth, it lacks continued substance over the album’s duration. Annie might have been better counseled to trim a few of the tracks and release this as series of EPs, better-suited to highlighting her pop sensibilities.
by Sean Marchetto
