Anniemal
Encyclopedia
Anniemal is the debut album of Norwegian
electropop singer Annie. It was first released by 679 Recordings
in September 2004. Annie began recording music in 1999 with her boyfriend, Tore Kroknes, who died in 2001. She returned to recording later that year, collaborating with Richard X
, Röyksopp
, and Timo Kaukolampi.
The album combines Annie's thin, airy vocals with heavily layered beats. It is heavily influenced by 1980s dance-pop
. Upon release, the album was successful in Norway. Blogs leaked tracks from Anniemal before it was released internationally, and publications from other countries soon praised the album for its blissful but melancholic sound.
Before releasing the album internationally in 2005, Annie's record label 679 Recordings was not confident in the album's ability to achieve commercial success overseas, so it did not heavily promote Anniemal. The album eventually sold over 100,000 copies worldwide. It yielded four singles: "Chewing Gum
", "Heartbeat
", "Happy Without You", and "Always Too Late".
, Norway. There she met producer Tore Kroknes, and the two began dating. Annie and Kroknes borrowed a small studio from downtempo
duo Röyksopp
to record her debut single "The Greatest Hit". The song, which uses a sample of Madonna
's 1982 dance-pop single "Everybody", had a limited edition release in 1999. It became an underground hit at clubs in Norway and Britain, resulting in offers for record deals. The two recorded Annie's second single, titled "I Will Get On". She focused on vocals and melodies in music, and Kroknes concentrated on production, influenced by techno
, disco
and house music
. As Annie began to work on her debut album, Kroknes became ill due to a heart defect. He died eighteen months later, in April 2001.
Half a year passed before Annie returned to music. She asked Timo Kaukolampi from Finnish electronic group Op:l Bastards
to DJ in Bergen. Starting with a song titled "Kiss Me", he had Annie contribute vocals to some of his tracks. She asked Kaukolampi to work on the album, and he produced nine of its songs for her. Before being signed to 679 Recordings, she could not afford to rent a studio, so Annie recorded demos
by asking to use local studios at night or borrowing one owned by her friend. Producer Richard X
, impressed with "The Greatest Hit", asked Annie to record vocals for his debut album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
. In exchange, he contributed "Chewing Gum" and "Me Plus One", both written with Hannah Robinson
. Annie also worked with Röyksopp, who co-wrote and produced three songs on the album. She titled the album Anniemal based on a suggestion by Kroknes. The two had planned on writing a song titled "Anniemal", so she chose it as the album's title because to her, "it just made sense. Anniemal is simple and easy and good."
The lyrics of Anniemal generally describe falling in or out of love. Annie's vocals are thin and breathy, working within a narrow vocal range. Reviewers noted a sense of melancholy in the vocals, suggesting that it could be attributed to the death of Kroknes. Annie acknowledged that none of the songs "are directly happy" and that some are "happy but still a bit melancholy." She stated that she thought bittersweet melodies "[sound] timeless…Very Scandinavian of me!" She insisted, however, that she tries to write songs that are cheerful:
Anniemal focuses on heavily layered beats, with a strong 1980s influence. Annie was influenced by 1980s dance-pop, and on "No Easy Love", she includes a sample of Shakatak
's 1982 song "Easier Said Than Done". Unlike many of her contemporaries, Annie avoids using an ironic or kitsch
y in her take on 1980s music. The songs' styles span genres including bubblegum pop
, electro, disco, R&B
, dance-pop, and rock
. Annie's DJing experiences taught her about sound and production and had an impact on her music. She stated that she wanted to make a pop album that would not quickly become dated, "an album that you could listen to in five years and it wouldn't sound terrible." Annie considered excluding "Greatest Hit" from Anniemal to achieve this but ultimately included it because she felt it did not sound as if it were five years old.
referred to the songs as a "dozen slices of stylish, sophisticated electro-pop, crisp tracks that move between the fizzy and the woozy, all anchored by Annie's breathy (sometimes almost muted) vocals." Pitchfork listed the album at number fifteen on its list of the top 50 albums of 2004, stating that its strength was how "its downtime feels so decidedly personal", and the album appeared at number 167 on Pitchfork's list of the decade's top 200 albums. In his review for Allmusic, Andy Kellman described Anniemal as "cunning" but also "deeply affecting." Dylan Hicks' review for The Village Voice
stated that the blogosphere
and British music press overrated Anniemal but that "an overrated good record is still a good record". Jody Rosen
wrote for The New York Times
that the album "is a true album, strong from top to bottom" and that "there is charm in [Annie's] deadpan delivery, and her songwriting is full of the flair for melody for which Scandinavian pop
is famous." Rosen contributed a review to Slate
, where she noted that "other singers have made whole careers out of singles less winning than 'Chewing Gum,' but [Anniemal] includes several other superb songs". Kitty Empire
's review in The Observer
stated that the album's songs "boast a winning combination of innocence and experience, breezy blonde melodies and just-so productions". PopMatters
' Pierre Hamilton called Anniemal "riveting" for how "it lacks the waxy sheen" that listeners were used to hearing in manufactured pop music. However a second PopMatters review, written by Rob Horning, criticised the album for using a similar formula to previous generations of electropop, adding that the result was "exquisitely empty…enough to suck the feelings out of its listeners and leave them happily vacant, blank and unburdened." In his review for Billboard
magazine, Michael Paoletta described the album as "slinky and sensual, cool and classy, fun and fiery" and labeled it "one of the best debut albums of 2005." Anniemal was placed on Slant Magazine
's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 23.
Several reviewers drew parallels between mainstream pop acts and Annie. Entertainment Weekly
's Raymond Fiore called the album an "addictive" debut where Annie "flaunts whispery Kylie
cool and old-school-Madonna cheekiness", but added that "this sugar rush of an album proves…candy is best consumed in moderation." Hua Hsu of Blender
magazine made a similar comparison, proclaiming Annie the "Kylie Minogue hipsters don't have to feel guilty about liking". Barry Walters of Rolling Stone
touted how the album "comes packed with both instant surface fizz and quirky finesse that sustains repeated listenings", and ending his review, "Goodbye, Britney
. Hello, Annie." The magazine listed Anniemal at number 39 on its "Top 50 Records of 2005" list, exclaiming "Hail the Norse goddess." The online music magazine
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679 Recordings first released Anniemal in Norway on 28 September 2004. The album debuted at its peak of number six on the Norwegian Albums Chart. It won in the pop category at the 2005 Alarm Prizes, and Annie won for newcomer of the year. She again won for newcomer of the year at Spellemannprisen
2005, where she was invited to present an award.
Following the album's Norwegian release, the songs were leaked onto the Internet, and some appeared on year-end best-of lists in other countries. Annie stated that she had not expected North American publications to show interest in the album because she thought "the record sounds really European." Through the Internet, the album reached an underground audience, a phenomenon which was at the time far more common for indie rock
than European dance-pop. 679 released the album in the rest of Europe during early 2005 but was unsure how to categorise and market Anniemal. It asked Annie about artists like Goldfrapp
whose audiences 679 thought it should target. Uncertain that the album's Internet hype would significantly bolster the album's sales, the label did not heavily promote it. In support of the album, Annie opened for English alternative dance
band Saint Etienne
at several June 2005 gigs in the United Kingdom. Annie had never performed her songs live before the release of Anniemal, so replicating the sound of more electronic songs like "Chewing Gum" became a long process. By September of that year, the album had sold 20,000 copies.
For its 7 June 2005 American release, Anniemal was distributed by Big Beat Records. To promote the album, Annie performed a set of DJing gigs in the United States for the Anniemix Tour during late June and early July 2005. She and Kaukolampi spun vinyl, and Annie performed her songs during the tour. Before the tour began, Anniemal was selling over one thousand copies per week in the U.S., and Nielsen SoundScan
tracked 20,000 albums sold. Although it did not chart on the U.S. Billboard 200
, Anniemal reached number thirteen on the Top Electronic Albums
chart. When released in Australia the following year, the album failed to chart on the ARIA Albums Chart but peaked at number twenty-five on the dance albums chart. Anniemal sold a total of over 100,000 copies worldwide.
in September 2004. Built around a retro beat by Richard X, the song uses chewing gum as a metaphor for men, with Annie singing "You spit it out when all the flavor has gone/Wrap him round your finger like you're playing with gum". It was the album's most commercially successful single, reaching number eight on the Norwegian Singles Chart and number twenty-five on the UK Singles Chart
. It was also a critical success, listed thirty-first on the 2004 Pazz & Jop
list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau
.
"Heartbeat" was the second single released from Anniemal. It narrates a night of going to clubs with friends, using a beat symbolizing a heartbeat, which doubles its tempo when Annie's persona catches the attention of her romantic interest on the dancefloor. Like "Chewing Gum", it received acclaim from music critics. It was one place behind "Chewing Gum" on the Pazz & Jop list, and Pitchfork Media named it the best single of 2004. However, it did not sell as well as "Chewing Gum", reaching number eighteen in Norway and fifty in the United Kingdom. "Happy Without You" and "Always Too Late" were released as the third and fourth singles in 2005, but neither charted.
Japanese bonus tracks
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
electropop singer Annie. It was first released by 679 Recordings
679 Recordings
679 Artists is a Warner Music Group-owned record label based in London, England....
in September 2004. Annie began recording music in 1999 with her boyfriend, Tore Kroknes, who died in 2001. She returned to recording later that year, collaborating with Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
, Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
, and Timo Kaukolampi.
The album combines Annie's thin, airy vocals with heavily layered beats. It is heavily influenced by 1980s dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
. Upon release, the album was successful in Norway. Blogs leaked tracks from Anniemal before it was released internationally, and publications from other countries soon praised the album for its blissful but melancholic sound.
Before releasing the album internationally in 2005, Annie's record label 679 Recordings was not confident in the album's ability to achieve commercial success overseas, so it did not heavily promote Anniemal. The album eventually sold over 100,000 copies worldwide. It yielded four singles: "Chewing Gum
Chewing Gum (Annie song)
"Chewing Gum" is an electropop song written by Richard X and Hannah Robinson for Norwegian singer Annie's debut album Anniemal . The song is based on metaphor which likens men to chewing gum....
", "Heartbeat
Heartbeat (Annie song)
"Heartbeat" is a pop song written by Röyksopp and Norwegian singer Annie for Annie's 2004 debut album Anniemal. It was released with the title "My Heart Beat" as the album's second single in November 2004 . The lyrics of "Heartbeat" describe finding new love at a nightclub, surrounded by close...
", "Happy Without You", and "Always Too Late".
Background
In the late 1990s, Anne Berge Strand opened a club night called Pop Till You Drop in her hometown of BergenBergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Norway. There she met producer Tore Kroknes, and the two began dating. Annie and Kroknes borrowed a small studio from downtempo
Downtempo
Downtempo is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. The beat is sometimes made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling...
duo Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
to record her debut single "The Greatest Hit". The song, which uses a sample of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's 1982 dance-pop single "Everybody", had a limited edition release in 1999. It became an underground hit at clubs in Norway and Britain, resulting in offers for record deals. The two recorded Annie's second single, titled "I Will Get On". She focused on vocals and melodies in music, and Kroknes concentrated on production, influenced by techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
. As Annie began to work on her debut album, Kroknes became ill due to a heart defect. He died eighteen months later, in April 2001.
Half a year passed before Annie returned to music. She asked Timo Kaukolampi from Finnish electronic group Op:l Bastards
Op:l Bastards
Op:l Bastards was formed by Timo Kaukolampi , Vilunki 3000 and Tuomo Puranen from Helsinki, Finland. Kaukolampi and Vilunki had earlier on played in the garage rock band Larry and the Lefthanded...
to DJ in Bergen. Starting with a song titled "Kiss Me", he had Annie contribute vocals to some of his tracks. She asked Kaukolampi to work on the album, and he produced nine of its songs for her. Before being signed to 679 Recordings, she could not afford to rent a studio, so Annie recorded demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
by asking to use local studios at night or borrowing one owned by her friend. Producer Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
, impressed with "The Greatest Hit", asked Annie to record vocals for his debut album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 is the debut compilation album by British pop producer Richard X. The album features 15 tracks all produced by Richard X, most of which feature guest vocals....
. In exchange, he contributed "Chewing Gum" and "Me Plus One", both written with Hannah Robinson
Hannah Robinson
Hannah Robinson is a British songwriter. Her best known compositions include the "Some Girls", a UK #2 for British pop star Rachel Stevens and Ladyhawke's "My Delirium". She also a vocalist and in 2006 achieved a #1 on the U.S...
. Annie also worked with Röyksopp, who co-wrote and produced three songs on the album. She titled the album Anniemal based on a suggestion by Kroknes. The two had planned on writing a song titled "Anniemal", so she chose it as the album's title because to her, "it just made sense. Anniemal is simple and easy and good."
Composition
When working on songs, Annie was involved with the whole recording and production processes, with a focus on the melodies. Annie stated that while promoting the album, she wanted to make sure people knew of her involvement in the album's writing and production. Of its twelve songs, ten were co-written by Annie. She stated that although singing songs written by someone else might not feel less personal, "It's special to be on the stage and actually sing something you had done." With respect to her involvement in the songwriting process, Annie referred to herself as "a bit of a control freak".The lyrics of Anniemal generally describe falling in or out of love. Annie's vocals are thin and breathy, working within a narrow vocal range. Reviewers noted a sense of melancholy in the vocals, suggesting that it could be attributed to the death of Kroknes. Annie acknowledged that none of the songs "are directly happy" and that some are "happy but still a bit melancholy." She stated that she thought bittersweet melodies "[sound] timeless…Very Scandinavian of me!" She insisted, however, that she tries to write songs that are cheerful:
Anniemal focuses on heavily layered beats, with a strong 1980s influence. Annie was influenced by 1980s dance-pop, and on "No Easy Love", she includes a sample of Shakatak
Shakatak
Shakatak are an English jazz-funk band, founded in 1980.-Career:Shakatak scored a number of chart entries, including two Top Ten hits in the UK Singles Chart, "Night Birds" and "Down on the Street" plus a further 12 entries in the Guinness book of British Hit Singles...
's 1982 song "Easier Said Than Done". Unlike many of her contemporaries, Annie avoids using an ironic or kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
y in her take on 1980s music. The songs' styles span genres including bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
, electro, disco, R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, dance-pop, and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Annie's DJing experiences taught her about sound and production and had an impact on her music. She stated that she wanted to make a pop album that would not quickly become dated, "an album that you could listen to in five years and it wouldn't sound terrible." Annie considered excluding "Greatest Hit" from Anniemal to achieve this but ultimately included it because she felt it did not sound as if it were five years old.
Critical reception
Anniemal received very positive reviews from music critics. Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
referred to the songs as a "dozen slices of stylish, sophisticated electro-pop, crisp tracks that move between the fizzy and the woozy, all anchored by Annie's breathy (sometimes almost muted) vocals." Pitchfork listed the album at number fifteen on its list of the top 50 albums of 2004, stating that its strength was how "its downtime feels so decidedly personal", and the album appeared at number 167 on Pitchfork's list of the decade's top 200 albums. In his review for Allmusic, Andy Kellman described Anniemal as "cunning" but also "deeply affecting." Dylan Hicks' review for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
stated that the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
and British music press overrated Anniemal but that "an overrated good record is still a good record". Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....
wrote for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that the album "is a true album, strong from top to bottom" and that "there is charm in [Annie's] deadpan delivery, and her songwriting is full of the flair for melody for which Scandinavian pop
Nordic popular music
Nordic popular music biggest bands are ABBA, a-ha and Aqua. The 3 bands are by far the biggest non-metal acts to come out of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, respectively....
is famous." Rosen contributed a review to Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, where she noted that "other singers have made whole careers out of singles less winning than 'Chewing Gum,' but [Anniemal] includes several other superb songs". Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic.Empire was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in 1988....
's review in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
stated that the album's songs "boast a winning combination of innocence and experience, breezy blonde melodies and just-so productions". PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
' Pierre Hamilton called Anniemal "riveting" for how "it lacks the waxy sheen" that listeners were used to hearing in manufactured pop music. However a second PopMatters review, written by Rob Horning, criticised the album for using a similar formula to previous generations of electropop, adding that the result was "exquisitely empty…enough to suck the feelings out of its listeners and leave them happily vacant, blank and unburdened." In his review for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine, Michael Paoletta described the album as "slinky and sensual, cool and classy, fun and fiery" and labeled it "one of the best debut albums of 2005." Anniemal was placed on Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 23.
Several reviewers drew parallels between mainstream pop acts and Annie. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
cool and old-school-Madonna cheekiness", but added that "this sugar rush of an album proves…candy is best consumed in moderation." Hua Hsu of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine made a similar comparison, proclaiming Annie the "Kylie Minogue hipsters don't have to feel guilty about liking". Barry Walters of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
touted how the album "comes packed with both instant surface fizz and quirky finesse that sustains repeated listenings", and ending his review, "Goodbye, Britney
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. Hello, Annie." The magazine listed Anniemal at number 39 on its "Top 50 Records of 2005" list, exclaiming "Hail the Norse goddess." The online music magazine
Online magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
Release and commercial performance
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
2005, where she was invited to present an award.
Following the album's Norwegian release, the songs were leaked onto the Internet, and some appeared on year-end best-of lists in other countries. Annie stated that she had not expected North American publications to show interest in the album because she thought "the record sounds really European." Through the Internet, the album reached an underground audience, a phenomenon which was at the time far more common for indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
than European dance-pop. 679 released the album in the rest of Europe during early 2005 but was unsure how to categorise and market Anniemal. It asked Annie about artists like Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
whose audiences 679 thought it should target. Uncertain that the album's Internet hype would significantly bolster the album's sales, the label did not heavily promote it. In support of the album, Annie opened for English alternative dance
Alternative dance
Alternative dance or indie dance is a musical genre that mixes rock subgenres with electronic dance music...
band Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne (band)
Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...
at several June 2005 gigs in the United Kingdom. Annie had never performed her songs live before the release of Anniemal, so replicating the sound of more electronic songs like "Chewing Gum" became a long process. By September of that year, the album had sold 20,000 copies.
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
tracked 20,000 albums sold. Although it did not chart on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, Anniemal reached number thirteen on the Top Electronic Albums
Top Electronic Albums
Dance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five...
chart. When released in Australia the following year, the album failed to chart on the ARIA Albums Chart but peaked at number twenty-five on the dance albums chart. Anniemal sold a total of over 100,000 copies worldwide.
Singles
"Chewing Gum" was released as the album's lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
in September 2004. Built around a retro beat by Richard X, the song uses chewing gum as a metaphor for men, with Annie singing "You spit it out when all the flavor has gone/Wrap him round your finger like you're playing with gum". It was the album's most commercially successful single, reaching number eight on the Norwegian Singles Chart and number twenty-five on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It was also a critical success, listed thirty-first on the 2004 Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
.
"Heartbeat" was the second single released from Anniemal. It narrates a night of going to clubs with friends, using a beat symbolizing a heartbeat, which doubles its tempo when Annie's persona catches the attention of her romantic interest on the dancefloor. Like "Chewing Gum", it received acclaim from music critics. It was one place behind "Chewing Gum" on the Pazz & Jop list, and Pitchfork Media named it the best single of 2004. However, it did not sell as well as "Chewing Gum", reaching number eighteen in Norway and fifty in the United Kingdom. "Happy Without You" and "Always Too Late" were released as the third and fourth singles in 2005, but neither charted.
Track listing
| # | Title | Writers | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | Annie, Richard X Richard X Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens... , Timo Kaukolampi |
X, Kaukolampi | 0:54 |
| 2 | "Chewing Gum Chewing Gum (Annie song) "Chewing Gum" is an electropop song written by Richard X and Hannah Robinson for Norwegian singer Annie's debut album Anniemal . The song is based on metaphor which likens men to chewing gum.... " |
X, Hannah Robinson Hannah Robinson Hannah Robinson is a British songwriter. Her best known compositions include the "Some Girls", a UK #2 for British pop star Rachel Stevens and Ladyhawke's "My Delirium". She also a vocalist and in 2006 achieved a #1 on the U.S... |
X | 3:56 |
| 3 | "Always Too Late" | Annie, Kaukolampi, Yngve Sætre | Kaukolampi | 4:16 |
| 4 | "Me Plus One Me Plus One (Annie song) "Me Plus One" is a pop song written by producer Richard X and songwriter Hannah Robinson for Norwegian singer Annie's 2004 debut album Anniemal. The song was written about former Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell. The lyrics refer to a "wannabe senorita" who needs to realise she's "got to let it go"... " |
X, Robinson | X | 3:38 |
| 5 | "Heartbeat Heartbeat (Annie song) "Heartbeat" is a pop song written by Röyksopp and Norwegian singer Annie for Annie's 2004 debut album Anniemal. It was released with the title "My Heart Beat" as the album's second single in November 2004 . The lyrics of "Heartbeat" describe finding new love at a nightclub, surrounded by close... " |
Annie, Svein Berge Svein Berge Svein Berge makes up half of the duo Röyksopp. Berge was born in Tromsø, Norway.-Musical career:* In 1999 debut as Röyksopp on Tellé with "So Easy" 7" and "Your Hands" on the Beatservice compilation "Arctic Circles 2".... , Torbjørn Brundtland Torbjørn Brundtland Torbjørn Brundtland makes up half of the duo Röyksopp. He was born in Tromsø, Norway.-Musical career:* Between 1994-1995 Brundtland was a member of Aedena Cycle with Gaute Barlindhaug and Kolbjørn Lyslo . Release: Traveller's Dream 12" released on R&S* In 1995 Brundtland was producer for Volcano... |
Röyksopp | 3:06 |
| 6 | "Helpless Fool for Love" | Annie, Kaukolampi | Kaukolampi | 3:58 |
| 7 | "Anniemal" | Annie, Kaukolampi, Veikka Ercola | Kaukolampi, Ercola | 3:35 |
| 8 | "No Easy Love" | Annie, Brundtland | Annie, Brundtland | 4:02 |
| 9 | "Happy Without You Happy Without You "Happy Without You" is a pop song performed by Norwegian singer Annie. It was written and produced by Annie and Timo Kaukolampi for her debut album Anniemal . The song was released as a single in 2005 by Sixsevenine.-Critical reception:... " |
Annie, Kaukolampi | Annie, Kaukolampi | 3:16 |
| 10 | "Greatest Hit" | Annie, Erot in the Sandal | Annie, Erot | 3:39 |
| 11 | "Come Together" | Annie, Kaukolampi | Annie, Kaukolampi | 7:49 |
| 12 | "My Best Friend" | Annie, Berge, Brundtland, Kaukolampi | Annie, Berge, Brundtland, Kaukolampi | 3:57 |
Japanese bonus tracks
- "Chewing Gum" (MyloMyloMyles MacInnes , better known by the stage name Mylo, is a Scottish electronic musician and record producer.-Career:...
Remix) - "Heartbeat" (Röyksopp's Mindre Tiljengelige Remix)
- "Heartbeat" (PhonesPaul EpworthPaul Epworth is an award-winning British music producer, musician, and songwriter. His production credits include Adele, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Plan B, Friendly Fires, Bloc Party, Primal Scream, The Rapture, Jack Peñate, Kate Nash and Maxïmo Park.-Lomax:From 2002-2004 Paul provided...
Maximo Remix) - "Heartbeat" (Video)
Personnel
- Annie – vocals
- Hannah Robinson – backup vocals
- Richard X – backup vocals
- Svein Berge – backup vocals
- Torbjørn Bruntland – backup vocals
- Pete Hofmann – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, engineering, mixing - Tuomo Puranen – synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Pekka Lahti – bass
- Sami Nieminen – Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Fredrik Saroea – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- David Vogt – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Abdissa Assefa – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Jyri Riikonen – programming
- Yngve Sætre – engineering, mixing
- Veikka Ercola – mixing
- Timo Kaukolampi – mixing
- Magnus Unnar – photography