Glow

Finnish-French duo the Dø, (rhymes with "glow") releases A Mouthful April 6th, 2010. Don't worry, it's in English. And even if wasn't, it'll still make the hair on your back stand up. They're hailed as akin to the Cardigans by the press and other bloggers. I can see that. Olivia B.Merilahti has a very pretty voice and Dan Levy is capable of complex arrangements. And like the Cardigans, there's a darkness underneath the shiny pop surface.

What's different here is that there is a strange tension in their songs. Written in minor key, there's a kind of tension that is reserved for empty room scenes in movies and the kind of tension you feel creeping up on you in your twenties. What is that sound? Is it loneliness? Is it the dizziness of dealing with "real" life? What is it?

Maybe that tension comes from songs that straddle between different genres, referencing from all over, but never falling into one category. It's whimsical with an indie weirdness. Blues, jazz, doowop, rock and glossy pop are all covered here and it makes for a very compelling listen.

The Dø - On My Shoulders (mp3) (buy)