back together with Annie

Annie is back, Back, BACK! The Norwegian songstress has returned with a bubbly, 90s rave inspired EP bristling with pop brilliance! "A&R EP" has been masterfully produced by Richard X who has worked with Annie in the past, and has also twiddled knobs for such pop luminaries as Pet Shop Boys and Saint Etienne. In fact, the A&R in the title of the EP refer to Annie and Richard. Simples!

The artwork for the sleeve is all bright and brash which reflects a clubbing era from once a upon a time and long ago. The EP has the look, feel and sound of E fueled evenings (and mornings!) of yesteryear. Actually, it also reminds me of the single sleeve for "How To Be A Millionaire" by ABC which preceded the rave scene by half a decade.

The lead track, "Back Together", features Annie cooing over a ramped up pop banger filled with 909s and Italo piano which wouldn't have sounded out of place in the summer of 1992. To these ears, it sounds like a cross between Saint Etienne and Cathy Dennis. And the video is a treat for anyone that remembers "The Chart Show".



The rest of Annie's EP is just as jubilant as the opener. If this EP was part of an album and this was the early 90s, four of the singles would be massive hits.

"Hold On" is gorgeous with a rhythmic nod to "Break 4 Love" by Raze, lots of tinkly bits and lovely steel drum sounds. A song titled after the act who played the hero in the movie, "The Karate Kid", could have been a cheesetastic embarrassment, but "Ralph Macchio" is a glorious ode to a childhood crush resplendent with swishing hit hats and plonky keyboard bleeps. "Invisible" moves into darker territory with its rave bits, acid squiggles and machine gun handclaps. Think the love child of Baby D and Altern 8 as a reference point. The EP closes with "Mixed Emotions" another slice of 90s retro activity with a killer chorus. It throws a few rave shapes and seems to hint at shades of Electribe 101.

All in all, it's a tremendously strong EP. It's a welcome return considering she dipped her toe back in the pop landscape with the ill-advised "Tube Stops And Lonely Hearts" last April.



Eek! No comment.

the French X factor

France is not one of the likeliest places to find big pop records. From time to time, the cafe strewn streets of Europe's art and fashion hub throw up some surprises.

Enter Christophe Willem, to whom I was introduced this year when "Prismophonic", his third studio longplayer, was a hit during my trip to Paris.



It was released a little over a year ago and has had three singles plucked from it - "Cool", "Si Mes Larmes Tombent" and "Starlite", the best of the lot, IMHO, which boasts some fine mixes from Freemasons even though it regurgitates the hook from "Ain't Nobody" for the umpteenth time.







"Prismophonic" also features some of Kylie's co-conspirators. Steve Anderson makes an appearance as does Richard "Biff" Stannard and Richard X. Kylie even lands a writing credit on the song, "Pas Si Loin".

Christophe first gained stardom when he won "Nouvelle Star", a television program in the "Idol" franchise. A few years ago, he went on the French edition of "X Factor" as judge. His profile has remained quite high in his homeland while being relatively unknown in the rest of the world.

He hopes that's about to change as he prepares the launch of "Love Shot Me Down", the English language version of "Prismophonic". The first single is the title track and it has been reswizzled by none other than Richard X. The original French version is called "L'amour Me Gagne".

Christophe Willem - "Love Shot Me Down" (Richard X Remix)

And here is the English language version of "Starlite".

single tonight

Saint Etienne have revealed the artwork and tracklisting for their current single, "Tonight".

As you can see from the image above, the photo captures the spirit and excitement of attending a gig by your favorite band. Also, it's an homage to The Specials as it is reminiscent of the cover art to their EP, "Too Much Too Young". Because ver Et are sticklers for detail, the photograph was also taken at a gig by The Specials.

"Tonight" will be available on March 12. It will be released on 7", 12" and as a digital download bundle. The physical configurations are being limited to 1,000 copies each. Once they are gone, no more will be pressed. Snatch yourself a copy tout de suite!

The tracklisting for the 7" single features "Tonight" on the a-side and a cover of "Manhattan" which was originally recorded by Scott Walker in his latter day period. Saint Etienne first released it in 2009 as part of "Scott Walker - 30th Century Man", a collection of Mr. Walker's finest moments as interpreted by contemporary artists.

The 12" and DL will include mixes from 2 Bears and Club Clique while Richard X turns in an old school, 1980s style extended version. Huzzah! Someone has answered my prayers.

However, it unsettles me that a CD single won't be released. Surely, their fans would prefer a shiny CD over the less viable 7" single. Why not issue four formats? Have the chart rules shifted once again? Certainly, there is a way to make it as collectable as the other formats.

love is a losing game

Pouty mouthed Will Young is about to unleash "Losing Myself" as the third single from his current longplayer, "Echoes". It's another gleaming, pop track which has been produced under the watchful eyes of Richard X.

The melancholy melody line and Will's mournful vocal delivery are beautifully wrapped in a lush package of shiny synths, rubbery basslines and snappy percussion. The song seems to hint ever so slightly at "Smalltown Boy" by Bronksi Beat which is not unfamiliar territory for Mr. Young. He covered similar ground as guest vocalist on "History", a track on Groove Armada's previous longplayer, "Black Light".

Let's take a peek at the video Will recently lensed for his new single.



He certainly is looking fit and suitably stylish. He's thrown in a few sexy dance moves for good measure. Never a bad thing.

I'm convinced Will Young has taken a more adult turn with his latest elpee in an effort to grow as an artist not unlike George Michael did when he made the transition from 80s pop tartlet to serious songwriter and performer by the time "Faith" was released in 1988. Time will tell if this trajectory works for Will beyond his current album. We wonder. We watch. We wait.