Writing for an indie magazine has its challenges, and foremost amongst them are the expectations that our readers have. The readers expect me to be critical, snobby, and elitist, tearing the metaphorical guts out of any recording that I come across that has even a whiff of "selling out" about it. Pop is supposed to be a dirty word, and any influence from the "mainstream" is to be shunned and isolated if at all possible. This makes reviewing "Anniemal" such a difficult job, because it is all of the things that I'm supposed to hate, but it's just... so... catchy!

Allow me to explain. Annie trades in electro-pop, and a lot of her songs have more bubblegum in them than Mark Taylor after a hard day at the office. I've heard her described as a superior, indie version of Britney Spears, and that description isn't that far off of the mark.

What sets Annie apart from all of the other shallow pop divas currently doing the rounds right now though, is that she's about more than catchy melodies and vixenish vocals. On tracks like No Easy Love, she suddenly becomes shaky, vulnerable, and... human. It's not something that most pop starlets will risk, or are even capable of, but these occasional moments of emotional honesty really make this record work, making even the bubblegum seem a lot more authentic and sincere.

Of course, this is a pop record first and foremost, and in most cases, it delivers. Songs like Heartbeat are impeccably performed and produced, and even with their somewhat mundane and cliché subject matter, you can't help but get the melody stuck in your head. The same goes for Chewing Gum and Me Plus One, which are hardly the most innovative or novel songs ever recorded, but do what they set out to do really well, and that is to get themselves stuck in your mind, and you out onto the dance floor.

Annie isn't going to be for everyone, and I can already hear a lot of you readers preparing outraged flames for me accusing me of selling out. However, if you just want a great mindless pop record, and are happy to leave your indie snobbery at the door, this record is pretty good. Just don't expect anything cerebral or ground-breaking.