Don't Stop

With the recent crop of female indie and electronic pop artists, there seems to be a longing to embrace a multimedia music experience. Many of these artists, such as Róisín Murphy, Ladyhawke, Yelle, Elly Johnson (of La Roux), the well established Kylie Minogue, and especially the inimitable chanteuse Annie Lennox (despite her veteran status and not being a 'recent' arrival on the scene), exult in the harmonious melding of music, fashion, videography, and publishing. The surprising miracle in this trend is that the quality of songwriting not only thrives, but excels. So it is with Norwegian singer-songwriter Annie in her second album, Don't Stop, which was released 19 October in the UK, 26 October in Norway, and 16 November in the U.S.

The album consists of an assortment of shoegaze and new wave-tinged pop tunes featuring jangling guitars, sweeping synthesisers, whispering vocals, eerie melodies, and poignant lyrics about love and loss. All throughout, the listener becomes aware of the intelligent combination of instrumentation, lyrics, song structure, and stylistic trends. However, each song stands out as an individual, memorable tune which can be listened to as easily in the living room as in a really cool dance club in Berlin or San Francisco--one is almost glad that the album's release was delayed a year due to record label issues. The chief commercial single seems to be I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me, which recalls Top 40 artists such as Lady GaGa, but the rest of the album--such as I Can't Let Go--smacks uncannily of edgier material by the Ting Tings or Magic Wands. Perhaps the most standout track is the ethereal Songs Remind Me Of You, which shows not only raw demo video footage, funky fashion, and trance-inspired hi-nrg synthpop, but also a similar theme to that of Erasure's Phantom Bride:

Once upon a time there was a girl
Met a boy that said he'd change the world.
Promises he only made for me
Vanished into what he could not be.

Annie leaves the listener gasping, panting for fresh air after a frenetic display on the dance-floor, all the while sending the simple, cynical message of hope and betrayal. Don't Stop shows a smart combination of lyrical wit, orchestral elegance, and sweet, soft vocal techniques; it is a refreshing reprieve from the whiny, banal conventions of Top 40 R&B and a markedly androgynous retreat away from the hypersexual, hyperfeminine stars which dominate the U.S. pop charts.