Annie - 'Anthonio'
If nothing else, you've got to admire Annie's persistence. Aside from a Top 30 hit back in 2004 with the catchy playground chant 'Chewing Gum', she has yet to reach the massive pop audience her music so clearly deserves. Oh sure, pop bloggers love her, but in the real world her immaculate confections struggle to make headway in the charts. Originally this was attributed to her being signed to a relatively minor label, but her deal with Island didn't work out much better - last year's brilliant 'I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me' only limped in at No.54, leading to Annie's departure from the label and joining the relatively lo-fi surroundings of Richard X's Pleasure Master label.
It's like some crazy philosophical conundrum, isn't it? If a pop star makes an obvious pop record and no-one is there to hear it, does she really exist?
(. Richard X is clearly something of a cheapskate.)
In fairness, there has always been something a little bit otherworldly and strange about Annie's electronic frostypop. At times she comes across like some creepy girl-woman from a horror movie, where the body is a grown-up but the innards - and most importantly the voice - are those of a little girl. There again, a little bit of chilly distance never did Rihanna any harm, and La Roux has a touch of the screaming ice demon to her voice too.
So, it's a bit of a mystery, but she gets props for not giving up, especially when pop acts are traditionally only ever one flop single from the checkout at Iceland. The question is, will this song change the situation?
Well, 'Anthonio' is rather hauntingly good. Annie's vocals are probably something of an acquired taste - very gentle, very soothing, a little hollow, clipped and flecked with reserve - but they work perfectly for this track. It's a lament about a holiday romance which seemed perfect at the time, but ended abruptly with the guy disappearing without a word. (Incidentally, is this Anthonio the same "two-faced lothario" who absconded with Charlotte Hatherley's guitar? ChartBlog insists: WE MUST BE TOLD.)
In the background, a very '80s synth loop plays, leaving the feeling that the single has slipped through a wormhole in the space-time continuum from 1987 or something. Oh, and there's a lovely but unnecessary key change at the end that's very 'The Promise'. This can only be good news.
As to whether it's likely to be third/fourth/fifth/sixth/whateverth time lucky for Annie, sadly it seems unlikely, and given its general nicheness I suspect it'll maybe be a cult hit rather than a chart smash, but I for one hope she keeps going, if only to confuse the philosophers of the future.
Download: Out now
CD Released: May 11th
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music page
(Steve Perkins)
"this perfect pop nugget deserves a lot better than it's likely to get."
"It's a spacey lost-love song."
"It's one of the few songs from the pop princess that sheds true light on the otherwise nonchalant, eternal optimist"
Comment number 1.
At 6th May 2009, pinkparadox wrote:Oh, Annie, I so want her to suceed...
But I do miss seeing her around Bergen.
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Comment number 2.
At 6th May 2009, Nazr wrote:Another great song by Annie. Her lack of commercial success is the biggest pop injustice of the decade.
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Comment number 3.
At 6th May 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Oh I quite like this. Bit dull but her voice is nice and the background is very cool.
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Comment number 4.
At 7th May 2009, Andy wrote:Hello Radio 1,
How about actually playlisting the bloody thing?
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Comment number 5.
At 7th May 2009, Azure107 wrote:I like this song very much, hope it does well! Although I have to say Chewing Gum is my personal favourite.
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