Annie (From Norway)

Going with a Richard X production as the first single was really the wrong tack. For better or worse, the Xenomania sound hits bigger with radio. X's fortunes waver with the popularity of who he's working with - he has absolutely no X factor chart-wise.

The real mistake was going with "Chewing Gum" part 2, considering the fact that "Chewing Gum" was a flop!

True dat!

"Control of the Knife" is probably the laziest thing in that they didn't even bother with a second verse! I just listed "Close To Love" as an example of how they repeat everything into the ground (that verse is, of course, followed by pre-chorus that's basically four lines sung twice!). Also, the preponderence of Xenomania songs that are basically verse-chorus-verse-chorus (i.e. "Sweet About Me") is a huge step back from something like "The Show" (chorus 1-verse-chorus 2-short bit with oohs-chorus 2-amazing middle eight bit-chorus 1). They're just not trying!

Yeah, it's like they've just run out of songs to glue into one monster of a Frankenstein song like "Biology". So instead of using a few brilliant segments, they turn each of those brilliant segments into a not so brilliant song (by Xenomania's standards, obviously).

Can you imagine what would happen if they intentionally tried to write odd structures, though? It would be diminishing returns off "Biology"- that is, variations on Sexy! No No No- to which the response should be, in fact, "NO NO NO".

With Annie, too, there is a real problem with the voice, or lack thereof- strong vocals can be coaxed out of at least two of the Girls, Sophie's one of my favorite voices ever, Kill Me's knockoff Winehouse… what's Annie? She sounds pinched AT BEST. All the excitement has to be pushed into the instrumental to keep the voice from being overworked.

With Annie, too, there is a real problem with the voice, or lack thereof- strong vocals can be coaxed out of at least two of the Girls, Sophie's one of my favorite voices ever, Kill Me's knockoff Winehouse… what's Annie? She sounds pinched AT BEST. All the excitement has to be pushed into the instrumental to keep the voice from being overworked.

Incidentally, I just put on "Long Hot Summer", whihc LOTS of people said was crap and the beginning of the end, and fuck, it sounds fifty times better than every song off "Tangled Up" that isn't "Call The Shots".

I dunno, I can't comment on the Gabby stuff cause I haven't listened to it carefully. I think she's probably the artist that has worked with Xeno whose style I like the least. But I think you guys are maybe being a bit too harsh. IMO Tangled Up was a solid album, just not an improvement upon Chemistry. The thing I'm worried about though is not liking the Pet Shop Boys stuff.

Most of the songs isolated from Tangled Up just sound weak and unfinished but I still think that that repetitiveness works quite well in the long form of the album.

"Long Hot Summer" is amazing and has always been amazing! I was so surprised to read in an interview that Brian Higgins thought it was crap!

I can't imagine liking the PSB stuff. "Fundamental" sounds well flimsy two years down the track - only four songs worth keeping.

x-post obv "Long Hot Summer" is amazing,it sounds like Betty Boo.

should we have a Xenomania backlash thread and leave this for Annie?

"Long Hot Summer" is a wonderful record, yes.

Yeah, a Xenomania-only thread would be a great idea. There's a lot more to Annie than Xenomania. And I mean A LOT MORE.

I wish she had worked with Röyksopp again.

So wait is this album Xenomania all the way through then?

She should have gone either for the real big budget and got Stuart Price in or have embraced the 'never going to sell any records so why bother?' and worked with Lindstrom & Prins Thomas or Alan Braxe or something. The live version of Heartbeat she played at Glasto was like its own Jacques Lu Cont mix and was transcendent.

So wait is this album Xenomania all the way through then?

Half Timo, half Xeno, split in the middle by "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me".

...and "Songs Remind Me Of You", also a Richard X track.

should we have a Xenomania backlash thread and leave this for Annie?

...or we could revive this thread or this one.

considering the fact that "Chewing Gum" was a flop!

#25 really not that bad all things considered (esp. when looking at how the later Anniemal singles did)

Does Pitchfork ever give anyone crazy love for two albums in a row?

Sure. Lots of acts have consecutive discs rated 8.0 or higher by Pitchfork, e.g., The New Pornographers (3 straight discs); The Hold Steady (3 straight discs); Arcade Fire (2 straight discs); Deerhoof (8k straight discs); Destroyer (2 straight discs); Dizzee Rascal (2 straight discs); M.I.A. (2 straight discs); Radiohead (maybe 3 -- 4 straight discs); Spoon (2 straight discs); Sun Kil Moon (2 straight discs); others. I'm being pretty conservative here, too: Lots of the albums I refer to above got much more than an 8.0 rating (8.0 is just an easy baseline).

From http://xenomanianews.blogspot.com/:

There have been a few rumours floating around these past weeks regarding Annie's upcoming album and single. Supposedly, a source from her label claims that Don't Stop will suffer some changes, with Annie being sent back to a studio to record new songs. Because of this, her new album and single may be delayed until early 2009.

Last week Annie wrote a post on her blog which confirmed that she is indeed going to work on new songs: "This week I'm going to a studio in London, will be working some new songs....I'm really excited. Been writing some lyrics, and have lots of ideas bout the production..... yehaaaa...... will tell more later". Nothing else has yet been confirmed.

Annie's first single from Don't Stop, "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me", spent one week in the UK singles chart, reaching #54. The expected second single, "My Love Is Better", was originally a collaboration with Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and Girls Aloud. However, Girls Aloud's label demanded their vocals to be removed, as they were "due to do promotion at the same time". Annie has since recorded all the backing vocals herself.

It doesn't sound good.

i think THE GUARDIAN curse was put on her via that big piece they ran in june; that whole '...and now ANNIE is becoming a proper pop star...' thing.
then the single went to number 54.

Maybe she was set up for failure by that very early review that called the album a modern pop classic, or something like that. Sometimes that kind of high-praise is the worst thing that can happen to a disc.

^OTM

Oh, I guess they should try to re-release it now. There seems to be some kind of Norway-fad in the UK right now, with two different Norwegian acts in the UK Top 13 at the same time. :)

Well, no, the worst thing that happened to that first album was the lack of promotion her record company gave to it. XL can't seem to be able to deal with any act who isn't called the Prodigy.

Doesn't sound promising, though, the second one; I mean, Xenomania, Girls Aloud and FF have all basically gone down the pan now, haven't they?

XL can't seem to be able to deal with any act who isn't called the Prodigy.

Adele? Dizzee? Basement Jaxx? Presumably Annie just isn't a priority for them.

tbh the album as it was isn't a huge loss

I'm half hoping for a Robyn-style out-of-nowhere hit, but otherwise does anyone really think she could be a Top Pop Star? It never seemed likely tbh.

at least the new Xenomania-produced Alesha album will be a runaway success oh yeah...

Did you listen to the whole album, Lex ? or just the sampler ? Btw I absolutely hate the principle of promo samplers where you get about half of the album, it basically kills the envy for the full length for me.

Basement Jaxx - when were they last big?
Dizzee - does "Dance Wiv Me" indicate good handling of an artist ("they wanted a more commercial me")?
Adele - oh yeah, white BRIT totty's always going to get preferential treatment, I forgot.

i've heard the whole album, alarmingly the sampler really did consist of its best songs

step away from xenomania, alesha :( i was just listening to mis-teeq this morning, they were so amazing.

step away from xenomania, alesha

'knock down' is excellent

'Loco' is climbing up my most played tracks list pretty fast

The whole thing has leaked now. "Bad Times" is the standout track of the new bunch IMO. It would be almost perfect if it wasn't for a lazy transition from the wonderful interlude to the second verse.

Yep - "Bad Times" is the best song on the whole disc - glorious. A rejigging isn't the worst thing that could happen - "Marie Cherie" is just not up to standard, "What Do You Want" is just gimmick in full-length (an interlude stretched too far), "Sweet" is a bit rote and "Take You Home" seems to go on forever and that middle bit is very jarring. "I Can't Let Go" is a lot better than I expected too.

So, nothing outstanding, certainly nothing even remotely close to "Heartbeat"/"Chewing Gum"/"Me Plus One"/"Come Together" standard.

Very Good: Bad Times, Loco, Heaven And Hell, Songs Remind Me Of You
Good: My Love Is Better, I Can't Let Go, When The Night
OK: Girlfriend, Sweet
Poor: What Do You Want, Marie Cherie, Take You Home

my notes from the playback i went to say, next to 'loco', "AAAARGGHHHH".

I love Marie Cherie, it sounds like a Virna Lindt song.

I lowered expectations because of this Xenomania backlash (which I'm only one foot in on) but 'Don't Stop' is roughly as good as 'Tangled Up' which I liked. I like 'What Do You Want' too. It's a bit ridiculous how much at least half of these songs sound like they came straight from a GA stockpile tho (and if they had been on the next GA album that wouldn't be bad going really) .

that breakfast song is the worst thing i've heard all year. skimmed the rest of the album and was left very unimpressed,nothing comes close to greatest hit or chewing gum.

annie's career is a masterclass on how not to be a popstar. a constant stream of missed opportunities, bad decisions and all-round cluelessness.

the first 20 seconds of WDYW i was sort of alarmed but halfway thru there's this really cool 'whistley' noise in the background that i love. as simple as that sounds it's the main reason i still like Xenomania as can still rely on them to drop these neat sounds/ideas/hooks into things that are unexpected even if they are increasingly formulaic much of the rest of the time (not necessarily more than some other production teams across the pop pool).

the idea of 'make this sound like a Girls Aloud album but by just one girl' isn't a recipe for disaster by any means, but her voice probably doesn't suit that in the end. so the concept is more flawed than the execution. i'd have preferred a Royksoppier sound for this overall with XM just doing 3-4 tracks tops.

what's the breakdown of producers for each track? rich x did a few didn't he?

i do like 'when the night', sounds like a throwback to all the over-emotive cheapy synthy latin freestyle ballads from the mid 80s. is that a cover?

ha that one's probably my least favourite

over the breakfast one?! stevem, you've gone menkle.

what's the breakdown of producers for each track? rich x did a few didn't he?

(From http://xenomanianews.blogspot.com/)

01. My Love Is Better
(produced by Xenomania)
02. I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me
(produced by Richard X)
03. Sweet
(produced by Xenomania)
04. Loco
(produced by Xenomania)
05. Bad Times
(produced by Xenomania)
06. I Can't Let Go
(produced by Timo Kaukolampi)
07. Marie Cherie
(produced by Timo Kaukolampi)
08. When The Night
(produced by Xenomania)
09. Heaven and Hell
(produced by Xenomania)
10. What Do You Want (The Breakfast Song)
(produced by Timo Kaukolampi)
11. Take You Home
(produced by Timo Kaukolampi)
12. Songs Remind Me Of You
(produced by Richard X)

Note that "The Breakfast Song" is NOT Xenomania.

It's time to say it. Brian Higgins, if you're reading this, the time has come to just do it.

Fire Miranda Cooper. She's gone from being one of pop's best lyricists to being a complete embarrassment, and fucking lazy to boot.

It's sad really, three years ago in the midst of "Biology", Xenomania seemed like they could go anywhere and do anything, now it really seems like they're ploughing one template to breaking point, and instead of Uber Songs of Death, they're still doing what they did to shit effect on "Tangled Up" - i.e. write half a song and repeat every bit until you're bored sick.

Even "Bad Times", which is outstanding, could have done with another verse.