A Mouthful

iTunes Review

The Paris-based duo of Finnish vocalist Olivia Merilahti and Frenchman Dan Levy turns out a surprising debut, one that delivers an exuberantly playful and adventurous punch right on the kisser. Merilahti sings while both play keyboards and various other instruments. The Dø swerves between cheeky kid stuff (the sassy, Go! Team–inspired “Playground Hustle,” the coy “Stay”), urbane M.I.A.–meets–Lady Sovereign cool (“Queen Dot Kong,” “In My Box”), catchy indie rock (the feverish “Aha,” the galloping, handclap–driven “Tammie”), and even global jamming (the Finnish-language "Unissasi Laulelet," the smoky, downtempo “Coda”). There are a few traditional pop moments here, like the ballad “Song for Lovers,” but those mostly accentuate the duo’s flair for reshaping the familiar into something new, as when The Dø turns the semi-ballad “The Bridge Is Broken” into a delightful, swinging hodgepodge of tambourines, spare acoustic guitar, and ambient noise. Merilahti’s imperfect crooning on “At Last” is mesmerizing, and the swaggering finger-pointing of “On My Shoulders” is delivered brilliantly like a barely contained temper tantrum.