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Don't Stop: new tracklist + what the blogs are saying
Posted at 6:24 PM, 02 July 2008 -

According to Pitchfork, this is Don't Stop's tracklist:

1. My Love Is Better
2. I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me
3. Sweet
4. Loco
5. Bad Times
6. I Can't Let Go
7. Marie Cherie
8. When the Night
9. Heaven and Hell
10. What Do You Want (The Breakfast Song)
11. Take You Home
12. Songs Remind Me of You

Half of Annie's new album has already been leaked onto the Internet. The response to the recently leaked tracks has been generally favorable. Here's what has been written on a few blogs:


SONGS REMIND ME OF YOU
A wonderful, storming throb of electro-electricity, hauntingly thin vocal work, and plenty of minor glitches and bleeps. Put them all together in a glittery blender and hit "pulse." It follows the winning formula that J. Timberlake outlined when "SexyBack" first came out: Create a chorus that could stand on its own. Then, make it your bridge and create an even better chorus. The result is instantly infectious, and a sure-fire win. I'll be unable to forget this one for a long time. I'm thinking ringtone? MuuMuse

this songs reminds me about everything that i love about richard x. i’m weak for synths. and this one is pretty heavy on them from start to end. the chorus is pretty hypnotic. i can imagine ‘and does it hurt to hear your songs on the radio?‘ consuming my head like earworms for weeks to come. so far, stellar. dbc

“Songs Remind Me of You” is a really lovely song that feels (to me at least) like a trance song but has more of a pop song structure, with full verses and a chorus instead of a few words here and there like a trance song would have. It even has a climactic drum buildup followed by an awesome breakdown, which you find all the time in trance music. So this song could act as yet another gateway, this time to bring in more people from the dance music crowd. Annie News Corner

This easily ranks as one of my favourite pop songs ever. The pulsing, ostinato bass line is what makes it so great. Sure, it’s one of pop’s oldest tricks, but God, it works so well. Amazing. 11/10 Glitter Lust

MY LOVE IS BETTER
Fantastic, driving beat that acts as another Aloud track that never was, especially considering this was the axed collaboration effort. It's actually a grower for me. Even though it was solid to begin with, the chorus is getting more playful by the minute each time I listen. It's a lot of sass, "You know you'll never/ Have my hips / I'm so much better / So eat this." Now, now Annie...A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. Or is that her plan all along for her unnamed arch enemy? Dirty! MuuMuse

“My Love is Better” moves a little bit away from “indie” and moves more toward the mainstream pop sound. It has a powerful sound and the cheeky sort of lyrics that quite a few Annie songs seem to have. It could act as another “gateway song” to win some listeners who are more into mainstream pop music. And it’s not a bad song at all! It isn’t flat or full of empty clichés the way a lot of mainstream pop songs are. Annie News Corner

WHEN THE NIGHT
Here's the ballad. Sounds as if Annie is singing through a single stream of dripping water in the last hour of prom night. An interesting effect that brings Dannii's "Disrememberance" to mind briefly, as well as a droplet of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." A very pensive, beating track that slips away quickly. I approve. MuuMuse

(...) its early 90s pop balladry sound allows me to recapture some of that times magic. dbc

Annie said she was a huge lover of power ballads, and this is her attempt at one. It makes for a nice little slow song in the midst of what seems to be endless upbeat ones. She sounds very heartfelt here, so it doesn’t veer into cheesy territory. 8/10 Glitter Lust

MARIE CHERIE
A seductive bossa nova-tinged track about a shy little girl that slips away from society. Quite spooky. It works well for Annie's barely-there-vocals, and brings Emma Bunton's cover of "Life In Mono" to mind instantly. Sort of haunting, sort of creepy...yet warm, at the same time. A welcome change from the often overbearing pop ditty-ness of her previous work. A bit...mature, even. MuuMuse

‘marie cherie’ is as cute as perfectly cliched 60s french pop, quite atmospheric and annie’s vocals fit like a glove. but why not sing about the marvelous marie curie instead?! dbc

Another slow burning song about a friend of Annie’s. This, again, makes for a nice breather. Annie’s writing is probably her best here as she tells the story of her friend Marie. Her longing for Marie sounds very sincere, and kind of reminds me of “Jackie Jackie (Spend This Winter With Me)” by Sally Shapiro. 8/10 Glitter Lust

LOCO
Easily one of Annie’s best songs. “Loco” screams summer pleasure. Another thing to note is the noticeable improvement in Annie’s singing since her debut. Her once thin voice has gained some boost over the years, and here it works beautifully. 10/10 Glitter Lust

It's the Girls Aloud track that was never recorded by the girls. "Long Hot Summer" is the most obvious similarity here, but it plays like a true What Will The Neighbours Say? album track. I think this one would be more fun if it were sung by the group, but that's not fair to say really. It's a 8/10'er for me. MuuMuse

‘loco’ and ‘my love is better’ borrow girls aloud’s trademark sound. is that a bad? you loco! quite the contrary. brian higgins is genius. anytime. everytime. not much to be said about his xenomania productions! dbc

Annie employs a jangly guitar (gasp!) riff over a hopping dance beat and soaring synths. Of course, it 1000% works. Not that there were any doubts, mind you. It's funny, but one does not usually associate guitars with Annie, thus evidence that her music isn't just rehashed bubble-gum pop from 2005. Nope, homegirl is putting out some nice tracks. Olga Loves Yuri

I’ve listened to this song approximately 25 times in a row. I don’t know what it is: the driving synth beat, the post-punk mopey guitars or Annie’s sweet voice. But if I could transform this song into a pop-bliss serum and enter it intravenously, I would. gideon bullock

"Loco" is a bit glossier than Annie's other Richard X-produced efforts, tempering the mid-'80s electropop feel for a smoother sound with slippery vocals that bring to mind Girls Aloud and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Is that a complaint? Not at all; I can see this being an even more formidable summer-jam candidate than "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me," even. (Plus any song that has a stuttery guitar-solo outro is 100% fine by me.) Idolator

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just wanted to thank you for linking my blog. I'm glad someone other than me and a couple close friends are reading what I have to say. :)

July 8, 2008 at 4:38 AM  


Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is remarkable, it is very valuable answer

December 27, 2009 at 2:19 PM  



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