Published
Fri, Aug 14, 2009, 13:00
- The Norwegian electro-pop princess will again link up with Timo Kaukolampi and Richard X for her sophomore album.
Annie is set to return to the full-length format this year with her second album, entitled Don't Stop.
When asked about the content of the new record, the singer (real name Anne Lilia Berge-Strand) was keen to define her sound as "pop with strange edges." Strange is definitely the right word for Anne's musical journey so far, starting off on Norwegian independent label Tellé before teaming up with Timo Kaukolampi and Richard X for her debut album Anniemal, which spawned the infectious singles "Chewing Gum" and "Heartbeat." The latter track even picked up Pitchfork's "best song of the year" accolade for 2004, but there hasn't been much to follow up on the momentum she had gathered at that point.
Some of that is down to her relationship with Island Records, who had originally planned to release Don't Stop back in 2008, but then decided to reverse their decision and drop Annie from the label. Fellow Norwegians Smalltown Supersound were there to rescue the recordings from obscurity, with plans now set in stone for a release on the label at the tail end of this year.
Annie worked again with Timo and Richard, but didn't rely solely on their prowess behind the desk, drafting in help from Paul Epworth (AKA Phones) and Xenomania's Brian Higgins (who you may know as one of the producers behind UK girl band Girls Aloud) on numerous tracks. Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos also makes an appearance on "My Love Is Better," but even with these guest slots, the major focus is on Annie and her naive and innocent vocal delivery. Expect lovelorn ballads ("Bad Times"), Gainsbourg-inspired ditties ("Heaven & Hell"), and plenty more polished electro-pop when the record finally drops in November.
Tracklist
01. Hey Annie
02. My Love Is Better
03. Bad Times
04. Don't Stop
05. I Don't Like Your band
06. Songs Remind Me Of You
07. Marie Cherie
08. Take You Home
09. The Breakfast Song
10. Loco
11. When The Night
12. Heaven And Hell
Smalltown Supersound will release Don't Stop on November 17th, 2009.