The Do - A Mouthful Album Review

Review of The Do's album A Mouthful released through Get Down.

The DØ (pronounced doe) are Finnish/French duo Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy. Now based in Paris, their album went straight in at number one in the French charts. They are now trying their unusual European pop style out on us Brits. Their influences are vast; from Jimi Hendrix to Bjork, Muddy Waters to Peaches, so it's no wonder their album is a bit of a mixed bag. The whole record is built around Olivia's stunning vocals that range from Bjork esque screeches to The Cardigans' type melodies with echoes of PJ Harvey, what more do you need? However, the pair's wide influence brings a little bit of just about everything to the record.

As Playground Hustle kicks in, you realise this is going to be something different, chanting kids and funky percussion before those vocals kick in; you can't help but be intrigued. It is followed by At Last !, which is the first of a number of more melodic indie-pop tunes, each a little different to the last. The lo-fi ballad Song For Lovers has gentle strings complimenting the tender vocals and romantic lyrics 'If Dragonflies with heavy hearts cut the air like darts' Olivia whispers. Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer) is another pretty melodic number but this time the lyrics echo the sentiments of Lily Allen's Not Fair as Olivia sings 'I knew for sure/that he would never be the satisfying shag I needed'. Mid way through they throw in haunting harmonies of Unissassi Laulelet, the only non-English track on the album and it marks another change of direction, with the rest of the album having a more up-tempo, bigger sound with more keyboards. Queen Dot Kong can't go unmentioned for its purely bizarre 90s throw back rap effort - brilliant!

Ambitious but fun, A Mouthful is a real statement album without being pretentious. Its upbeat vibe makes it a staple summer record, but I'm sure it will be one of the most eclectic and inventive pop albums you'll hear for the whole year.

Rating: 8/10

Robyn Burrows