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Anniemal
by Annie

Annie reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 81 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.4 out of 10
based on 23 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 57 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

This debut full-length by the Norwegian singer is preceded by quite a bit of critical buzz on both sides of the Atlantic.

LABEL: Big Beat / 679
RELEASE DATE: 07 June 2005
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Electronic, Pop

NOTES: UK release 7 Mar 2005.


What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Uncut
It excels at that classic pop trick of combining the euphoric with the melancholy. [Apr 2005, p.108]
91
Stylus Magazine
If you come expecting a great album full of hit singles, you won’t get it. If you come with an open mind, what will greet you is the opening chapter of a tale about a girl living through music, remembering through music, exploring her art and herself, starting out to create something special and different.
Read Full Review
90
All Music Guide
As cunning as it is, Anniemal is also deeply affecting.
Read Full Review
90
Amazon.com
Not since the days of The Tom Tom Club, Bananarama, and "Lucky Star"-era Madonna, has dance-pop been this fun, this bouncy, this unabashedly optimistic.
Read Full Review
90
Tiny Mix Tapes
Perfect pop bliss.
Read Full Review
90
Filter
Annie is to Kylie Minogue as Kasabian is to Primal Scream: same song, different packaging. [#16, p.97]
88
Pitchfork
This all-star team of Northern European electro-house producers infuses the record with often low, rumbling bass, twitchy synths, and an oddly high-altitude light-headedness-- like floating, high on oxygen, just above a dancefloor.
Read Full Review
80
ShakingThrough.net
One of the stronger debuts released this year.
Read Full Review
80
Drowned In Sound
If you have even the teensiest taste for the guilty charms of Kylie, the ‘Babes or Girls Aloud, this album is a must.
Read Full Review
80
Slant Magazine
Annie the songwriter is breathless and unsure of herself, her voice barely registering above a church-wafer-thin whisper for most of the record.
Read Full Review
80
Blender
[Annie] masterfully fus[es] synth-pop rhythms with her own feline coos. [Jun 2005, p.108]
80
The New York Times
Annie has a breathy wisp of a voice, and her vocal range is limited; but there is charm in her deadpan delivery, and her songwriting is full of the flair for melody for which Scandinavian pop is famous. [2 May 2005]
80
Urb
Annie explodes with a white-hot teen spirit that shames 99% of what passes for pop in America today. [Jun 2005, p.76]
80
Prefix Magazine
As much as the album may be a breath of fresh air, it still resembles what the Britney’s on our side of the Atlantic are putting out, closer than many would like to admit.
Read Full Review
75
Entertainment Weekly
This sugar rush of an album proves Mom right yet again: Candy is best consumed in moderation. [10 Jun 2005, p.107]
74
cokemachineglow
What makes Anniemal such a strong pop effort is its refusal to drop its high standards for production, melody, and hooks.
Read Full Review
70
Village Voice
If much of Anniemal isn't vibrant enough to move physically or resonant enough to move emotionally, its peaks suggest a worthy midway state.
Read Full Review
70
Planet
Kylie Minogue for hipsters. [#10, p.70]
70
Rolling Stone
Sounding mainstream but thinking indie, Anniemal comes packed with both instant surface fizz and quirky finesse that sustains repeated listenings.
Read Full Review
70
Splendid
Annie has delivered a solid pop record that does a lot of things well, but -- and this is the important thing -- that's what we should expect from all of our pop records.... Anniemal isn't a high-water mark; it's a benchmark.
Read Full Review
63
Los Angeles Times
And though a few of the tracks are downright painful... the end product is certainly something to chew on. [24 Jul 2005]
60
Dot Music
“Anniemal” is a textbook pop album – with all the passion that entails (i.e. none).
Read Full Review
50
PopMatters
Anniemal is pleasant enough to listen to; when I played it in my car while I was stuck in traffic, it helped take the edge off. It reminded me of music heard in malls, peppy and buoying, but not so compelling as to distract you from the clothes.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 57 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Drake gave it a10:
The best album of it's kind since Madonna's classic "Like a Virgin" album came out back in the 80's. The Tiny Mix Tapes review says it best "Perfect pop bliss".

Logan gave it a10:
Solid all the way through. Sensational debut by the lovely, Annie.

Paco E gave it a10:
A fun, unique pop album with some of the catchiest songs I've heard in ages. Simply perfect!

Lucky gave it a10:
Pop hasn't been this good in ages. A stunning album! You will definitely fall in love with Annie!

Cat gave it a10:
A solid pop album

Mike D gave it a9:
I love this album with a passion and I've listened to it about at least 50 times.

Damien D gave it a10:
Amazing, fun, energetic, upbeat and lovely. What more can you ask for in a pop album?

Read more user comments...

Discuss this album in our forums

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