Unless a major sea change takes place in the hearts and minds of the mass populace, Norway’s finest electropop diva Annie could end up with a career much like Kylie Minogue’s. That is: superstardom in almost every country in the world apart from the States. Though if Annie and her collaborators have any indication that that might be where she’s headed, they certainly aren’t doing anything to stop it.
Her second album is 12 tracks of candy floss pop given a extra coat of gloss at the hands of a selection of uber-producers who have sent dozens of young women to the top of the charts around the world: Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sophie Ellis-Baxtor), Richard X (Roisin Murphy, Sugababes) and Timo Kaukolampi. The tone of the album is pure Eurovision dancefloor fodder constructed Christian Marclay-style with chunks of 12″ singles from the ’80s. The shimmery tones and disco overdrive perfectly ape the disposable feeling that permeated pop hits from that bygone era; songs meant to be heard for a night of chemically-enhanced dancing and then forgotten about 12 hours later.
What will likely make the album stick is Annie’s vocal delivery – a tone that is the perfect combination of come hither and kiss off – and her arch lyrics. She sends an ex packing with flair on “My Love Is Better” (”My kiss is wetter than your kiss/My lips are wetter than your trick/You know you’ll never have these hips/I’m so much better so eat this”), pokes holes in the ego of another up-and-comer with “I Don’t Like Your Band”, and has time left over on “The Breakfast Song” to take some playful (and likely loving) jabs at M.I.A. In this respect, mass consumption might elude Annie here in the States simply due to her savvy and her smarts. Until the rest of the country wises up: keep dancing.
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It is a prety good album in my oppinion. I very much like this type of club music as it is not like the usual house music but the pop sounding makes it kind of fresher. My favourite song from this album is “I Don’t Like Your Band”. There are other good ones ofcourse. A definitely recommended album!
December 6th, 2009 at 9:39 am