CHOON OF THE DAY: "AMERICAN CARS" - Annie + Top 25 Greatest Annie Hits

Photo by Hildegunn Waerness

Hey synth-pop lovers, may I have your attention please? Annie is back!!! As reported by Pitchfork yesterday, our favourite Norwegian electro pop singer-songwriter and dj Anne Lilia Berge Strand is returning this Autumn with her 3rd full length album "Dark Hearts". Believe it or not, Annie is celebrating 2 decades of making music this year and following a number of EPs, collaborations and remixes she is finally ready to release a follow-up to her vibrantly eclectic collection of scandi-pop, the 2008 "Don't Stop". "Dark Hearts" is heralded by "American Cars" a 1980's-infused, cinematic and subtly Johnny Jewel-esque slice of elegant dream pop. The excitement around this most anticipated single inspired me to re-visit Annie's entire catalogue of tunes spanning across the past 20 years in search of the 25 I treasure the most. Enjoy this mini Annie-fest everyone!



Top 25 Greatest Annie Hits

25 "I Will Get On" (2002)

24 "Crazy For You" [with Designer Drugs] (2010)

Designer Drugs Official · 10 Crazy for You feat Annie

23 "Heartbeat" (2004)

22 "The Wedding" (2005)

21 "Labyrinth (Club Mix)" [with Tuff City Kids] (2016)

permanent vacation · Tuff City Kids with Annie -  Labyrinth - Club mix

20 "Ralph Macchio" (2013)

Richard X · ANNIE - RALPH MACCHIO - From The A&R EP

19 "Helpless Fool For Love" (2004)

18 "Don't Stop" (2008)

Annie · Don't Stop

17 "Out of Reach" (2015)

Richard X · Annie - Out Of Reach (From the Endless Vacation EP)

16 "All Night" (2009)

15 "Marie Cherie" (2008)

Annie · Marie Cherie

14 "WorkX2" (2015)

Richard X · Annie - WorkX2 (From The Endless Vacation EP)

13 "Follow Me" [with Ercola] (2007)

alexander91ivanov · Ercola feat. Annie - Follow Me (Radio Edit)

12 "Anniemal" (2004)

11 "Cara Mia" (2015)

Richard X · Annie - Cara Mia (From The Endless Vacation EP)

10 "Back Together" (2013)

9 "I Don't Like Your Band" (2008)

Annie · I Don't Like Your Band

8 "Chewing Gum" (2004)

7 "American Cars" (2020)

6 "Dadaday" (2015)

Richard X · Annie - Dadaday - (From The Endless Vacation EP)

5 "Ferret Summer" (2009)

4 "Songs Remind Me Of You" (2009)

3 "The Greatest Hit" (2000)

2 "Anthonio" (2009)

Annie · Anthonio (Original Version)

1 "Invisible" (2013)

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "ENCORE" - Vendredi sur Mer /// "COMME SI (HONEY DIJON REMIX)" - Christine & The Queens

Double trouble en français from me today.

First up, Vendredi sur Mer! Whenever I finish listening to her divine debut album "Premier Émois" I am automatically gasping for more of these luscious slices of electro poetry. I have been fascinated by this unique Swiss synth-pop artist ever since I heard the irresistible "La femme à la peau bleue" 3 years ago. The impossibly catchy "Encore" is a fitting culmination of this record and one of the most adorable songs of 2019 so far. What an absolute darling of a tune.



Secondly, the high and mighty - la Reine de la Pop Christine & The Queens has recently charmed us with a fresh assortment of remixes completed for the 5th single taken off "Chris" - "Comme si". Honey Dijon's Saturday-night-ready 90's house flavoured rendition of the track is an instant favourite among the lot. Put on your dancing shoes, baby!

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SHREM'S CLUB BIZARRE PRESENTS: "SENGA" + "SIGNORELLI" - Galleriet

Photos by Petter Löfstedt

The enigmatic Galleriet - California based Swedish interdisciplinary artist and electronic musician, has recently self-released one of this year's most distinctive EPs "Send Me Your Daughter". Katharina Stenbeck, the visual artist behind the project, channels her work through soundscapes of synth-pop, experimental pop and electronica which happen to be right up my musical alley. "Senga" and "Signorelli" - two stand-out tracks among this captivating selection, float aurally between the cold synth waves of early Eurythmics and the avant-pop excursions of Róisín Murphy's "Hairless Toys" era. Pop Art à la 2018.

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "ÉCOUTE CHÉRIE" - Vendredi sur Mer

Every now and then, there comes an artist whose compatibility with my music taste seems almost suspicious. It was that aural fondness I immediately felt stumbling upon the Swiss artist Vendredi sur Mer for the very first time back in 2016 with her captivating electro POP recitation "La Femme à la Peau Bleue". What followed was Charline Mignot's debut EP "Marée Basse" which scored #2 among Top 20 Best EPs of 2017. Vendredi sur Mer beguiles with her half-whispered, half-sung sonic escapades into synth-pop and charmingly old-fashioned French Chanson. The melodies, the lavish arrangements, the artwork and the videos are a luxurious mixture of kitsch, glamour, erotica and camp. All en français!!! If this wasn't enough this Geneva-born chanteuse I am clearly quite obsessed with at the moment, has just returned with her most impressive work to date - the sumptuous "Écoute Chérie" a late but very viable contender for both 2018 Video and Song of the Year. I'm in love...



And here are Vendredi sur Mer's previous singles:

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "IL FAIT CHAUD" - Corine

Corine's debut EP "Fille De Ta Région" was a thing of disco wonder. The all-killer-no-filler selection was then promptly topped-up by a rather immense selection of remixes, one of which, Polo & Pan's instantly iconic rendition of "Pluie Fine" became one of the greatest tracks of 2017 while scoring the Gold Medal for The Remix of the Year in my annual countdown of choons. Now the coquettish chanteuse is announcing the release of the 2nd instalment in her "Fille De Ta Région" saga which drops 13th April via Kwaidan Records. The upcoming EP is promoted by another tongue-in-cheek summer gem "Il Fait Chaud". Pure fun!

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SHREM'S FUTURE ANTHEMS: "COMEBACK" - Ssion

The impossibly irresistible Cody Critcheloe and his marvellously eccentric electro-pop-punk ensemble SSION return with an aptly titled "Comeback" the first new material since their deliciously eclectic "Bent" album in 2012. The track mixes genres and styles in a signature SSION manner, never holding back while balancing between sweet and vicious, slick and rough, catchy and esoteric. "Big As I Can Dream" drops early 2018 via DERO ARCADE while "Comeback" is out now.



And here are some of our favourite SSION tracks from their vibrant back catalogue:

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "COCKTAIL" - Corine /// "LARME À GAUCHE" - Vendredi sur Mer

Both Corine and Vendredi sur Mer have been on our radar since last year when both chanteuses scored highly in our #BestOf2016 countdown with "Pourquoi Purquoi" and "La femme à la peau bleue" accordingly.

"Cocktail" is Corine's another attempt to revive the wondrous French disco traditions with a sensual, slow disco moment, reminiscent of Cerrone, Bernard Fevre and Amanda Lear. This half-whispered, saxophone-laden, seductive late night groove is Corine's first new material since her rapturous debut EP "Fille De Ta Région" and her unexpected space disco cover of Serge Gainsbourg "My Lady Héroïne ". Have a sip of this sweet and salty Disco Pop below.

Photo by Lucie Gibierge

Vendredi sur Mer is a Swiss electro Pop artist who caught our attention with a stream of delectably dreamy, half-recited/half-sung singles. Joining forces with Lewis OfMan once again for her brand new song "Larme à Gauche", Charline Mignot is announcing the release of "Marée Basse" - a 6-tracker scheduled for release via Profil de Face on 24th November. With the previously praised "Les filles désir" (#3 in our June Crème de la Crème) it is shaping already to be a double bill for Vendredi sur Mer at the end of 2017 when compiling our annual Best Of countdown.

You can preview the whole EP HERE!

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SHREM'S BIGGIES BUT GOODIES BASKET: "SYSTEMAGIC" - Goldfrapp

The electrifying video for Goldfrapp's latest single "Systemagic", directed by Alison Goldfrapp herself, has just been released. The "Supernature" flavoured synth pop gem, arguably "Silver Eye"'s most anthemic moment, is a follow up to the magnificent "Anymore" which ruled my Crème de la Crème charts for two consecutive months earlier this year. Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp's 7th creative era may as well be their strongest to date both visually and aurally.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "SWEET" - Little Dragon /// "OCEAN" - Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp and Little Dragon both returned this year with fantastic come-back singles. The Swedish quartet beguiled us with the mellifluous "High" while Alison Goldfrapp and her artistic partner in crime Will Gregory treated us to a gritty electro feast of "Anymore". Now both bands are well into the promotion of their upcoming records and continue to impress with a second portion of tunes.

Yukimi Nagano and her team serve the impossibly addictive "Sweet" one of their most dancefloor-friendly offerings to date. Little Dragon's 5th studio album "Season High" drops on 14th April.

Tracklist:

01 Celebrate
02 High
03 Pop Life
04 Sweet
05 Butterflies
06 Should I
07 Don’t Cry
08 Strobe Light
09 Push
10 Gravity

Goldfrapp are almost ready to release "Silver Eye", their 7th record, on the last day of this month. If we were to judge the LP by the excellent "Anymore" and this intensely exquisite slice of pop noir "Ocean", produced by the enfant terrible of electronica, The Haxan Cloak, we can assume a strong contender for the 2017 Album of the Year. Magnificent!

Tracklist:

01 Anymore
02 Systemagic
03 Tigerman
04 Become The One
05 Faux Suede Drifter
06 Zodiac Black
07 Beast That Never Was
08 Everything Is Never Enough
09 Moon in Your Mouth
10 Ocean

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SHREM'S BIGGIES BUT GOODIES BASKET: "ANYMORE" - Goldfrapp

Alison Goldfrapp and her creative partner Will Gregory are back with "Anymore" heralding the arrival of Goldfrapp's hotly-anticipated 7th studio album "Silver Eye" scheduled for 31 March. The always unpredictable London duo continue their eclectic musical journey across genres, styles and moods with "Anymore" suggesting a turn into electro and synth-pop soundscapes. Pre-order your copy of "Silver Eye" HERE!

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SHREM'S NEWBIES BUT TO-BE'S: "LOVE TO HATE IT" - Off Bloom

One can never have enough of new Scandinavian synth pop acts right? One of my favourite fellow bloggers - Disco Naïveté was singing this new Danish trio's praises the other day. "Love To Hate It" is a richly produced slice of Nordic Pop and places Off Bloom confidently on the map of European POP. Catchy yet alternative, this effervescent, unpretentious song may just be the remedy we need in yet another mediocre week for POP new releases.

Check out the whole "Love To Hate It" EP below.

The video was directed by Nadia Marquard Otzen.

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