Annie.

[Mr S]

This thread is amazing - so much posting! Looking forward to Don't Stop, new cover is great, as for the tracklisting? Not really too bothered as I've got all the tracks, just really happy that she's got some new songs (although really no Sweet?)

I LOVE Annie, I love your new site Aaron, I even love Kirkland!

[coveredinpunk]

Wow Aaron that's an amazing site, very well done, I'm sure Annie will really like it.
I'll link it on my Richard X blog

xo

[Suasexed]

I'm surprised over the not so hateful feelings towards "The Breakfast Song". Last year I could swear I was the only one on here who loved it!

Nope, I loved it too! I'm gutted the UK isn't getting it... I'm gonna have to wait and import the US version.

It's a shame we're not getting proper, completely finished and mastered versions of 'Sweet' and 'I Can't Let Go'. Maybe they will appear on album 3 or as B sides?

[filmnoirish]

I'm sure they rejigged the old songs from Don't Stop, otherwise would two-three new songs been worth all this wait?

I ask myself the same thing. When Annie meant she needed to work through the album maybe she meant simply tweaking a bit the original tracklist. Although she's quoted of saying ''she had about 60 tracks, almost for a double album'' maybe she was so happy with the original tracklist she thought it would be better to save the other tracks for later (maybe a third CD). Again who are we to understand Annie's tastes?. But again it is against all logic that she took all this time to add only two tracks and an intro, and besides she probably recorded them on late 2008, during her first sessions with Paul (remember her mentioning something about an intro on her myspace). She really meant that all this time was to make Don't Stop better, as in tweaking it and polishing it a bit, not in transforming. Maybe she's just anticipating a third album  with all the new material she has

I think Marie Cherie and Take You Home are definite growers. Annie is one of those rare artists who can get very offbeat with her music (I don't know why she chose to go a bit goth this time) and make the tunes sound immensely alluring, stylish, even sexy (I think Take U Home almost rivals Britney in femme fatale tactics). It's just that, as a DJ (I recommend you download her Opphold mix to understand where the Annie sound comes from), music-wise she's eclectic, a bit quirky and willing to try everything, I think she is totally on it when she calls her music ''pop with strange edges''. Just because she makes pop she doesn't feel a need to adhere so strictly to that formula, like Little Boots who overexerts the electro-pop thing to a point of blandness and lack of personality. I love Annie's quirkiness, and how she makes quirky sound accessible and cool, and I think that's what makes her a great artist and more of a left-of-field ''pop'' musician than someone like Rachel or Little Boots

What I really can't get over it is the fact that Heaven In Hell is there. An undeniable dud.

Another point....I think she didn't add the singles because it would end up being a bit of a greatest hits compilation, and I think they were meant to be released independently, away from the concept of the album. It adds to their charm.

[Nunya B]

There is definitely an appeal in believing that the new, better Don't Stop will present the old tracks in new, better ways- and if she added only three new tracks (at least two of which are older than usual) then all that time with Xenomania had better not have been spent on Mini Viva.

I think "Two of Hearts" and "Anthonio" were never going to be on the album, but it just baffles me that she would stick on "Heaven and Hell" over "I Know…" much less "Sweet" (whose exclusion I am still saddened by).

[Pet Shop Boy]

I think some people are seriously jumping the gun with this talk of album three. I very much doubt Annie is storing songs away for a third album when she's lucky to even be releasing the second one.

Surely now that she has the support of a label behind her and things actually happening she would want to release the best possible album with the highest quality of material she has, and is seeing this as her one shot/last chance, instead of thinking in the mindset of "I will keep these amazing songs I supposedly have hidden away for my third album in 2015..." I don't think so.

Be that as it may she could just be accepting a life of 'strictly for the fans' releases and therefore will release Don't Stop v2 and a third album next year with no hopes of anyone buying any of it...

[Suasexed]

I think some people are seriously jumping the gun with this talk of album three. I very much doubt Annie is storing songs away for a third album when she's lucky to even be releasing the second one.

Channel 4's Planet Sound (music teletext pages) said that she plans to release her third album next year. Plus Annie herself has said ages ago that she's already started work on album 3 and wants to release as much new music over the next year as she can. So infact, I don't think some of us are jumping the gun at all.

[Nunya B]

Yeah, especially she's mentioned much she recorded and didn't manage to get on the original, Island-A&Red Don't Stop.

[Pet Shop Boy]

Well in that case I retract my previous statement as it seems Miss Annie herself is the one jumping the gun.

As I said, you'd think she'd be putting her all into this campaign rather than planning an album which may not even happen. But be that as it may I suppose she is on an indie label now and providing they support her even when this album bombs, I'll be very glad of more Annie next year. I love artists that give more.

[filmnoirish]

The real mystery is.....what has Annie been doing these months? Ok, she has been making new music that could be released on the future (judging from all the huge stock of tracks she has said of having), but again I also read she said she felt the album was not ready enough and that due to her being ''  a typical Scandinavian perfectionist'', she felt she needed to work on it more. She also mentioned that she had a lot of material that ''was just too good'' and that she didn't want people to miss those songs in an album. I don't get her. By releasing most of the tracks from the old Dont Stop along a couple of new ones, she totally contradicts what she said about an album full of new tracks that were just too good not to be on it. She must have really polished and redone most of the V1 tracks, or I don't get what that Scandinavian perfectionism is all about.

Oh Annie, so mysterious!!.....My sweet guess is that there will be a CD number 2 out in December named Don't Stop, Keep Going, with tons of new material and two new singles for the first half of 2009. Ahhhhh it's so easy to dream......Tell me that wouldn't be incredible though......

[sushimuffin]

Well in that case I retract my previous statement as it seems Miss Annie herself is the one jumping the gun.

As I said, you'd think she'd be putting her all into this campaign rather than planning an album which may not even happen. But be that as it may I suppose she is on an indie label now and providing they support her even when this album bombs, I'll be very glad of more Annie next year. I love artists that give more.

After the roller-coaster saga of Don't Stop (WHICH ISN'T OVER YET, MIND YOU), I don't think it's exactly being that harsh to seriously question whether a third album from her will see the light of day so soon.

That said, I think it would be fantastic for her to get a third one out in 2010 so she can bloody move on already!

[phoenix_15]

I haven't even got the second album yet and I am day-dreaming about the new one.

[Mvnl]

Maybe after Don't Stop v2 she'll release Full Stop, including all currently missing songs?

[outsync]

Actually this is what she said:

"I actually have enough for two albums, so I don't know if I'm going to put out the one as it is, and one right after, or just some songs as [Don't Stop] with a couple that no one's heard. But I want to release a lot [this] year."

So you see she never said she was going to competely change up Don't Stop.

[Aaron]

I think it's good she held back songs off Don't Stop for her 3rd album and that a 3rd album is even on her mind. It shows her determination and shows she's not going to give up easily regardless of whether Don't Stop sells well or not.

I hope we get a video for Songs Remind Me of You and as much promotion as possible but I hope she doesn't try releasing it at the end of August with no promotion.