I first came upon The Dø through an indie rock playlist I downloaded while wrapping up my last semester at college. I’ve patiently awaited the Chicago run of this incredibly upbeat and profound Franco-Finish duo. The Dø (pronounced “dough”) released their debut album, A Mouthful, in France in 2008, soaring to the top of the charts despite their dicey career choice to sing in English. Reminiscent of a more poppy Björk, another eclectic Scandinavian, singer Olivia Merilahti has a unique voice and lyrical style. Merilahti’s boldly plays between Finish folk, dark techno and hints of hip-hop. She hit it off with Dan Levy (instrumentalist) while scoring a film together in 2004. The rest is musical history.
My favorite song on A Mouthful by far, is “Playground Hustle” a unique fife-and-drum corp and child chorus of Brazilian samba school influence with a rock-n-roll finale. The song questions gender and social norms, as Merilahti pronounces, “girls and boys giggle in the sharing,” all the while remaining playful and youthful. The pop hit, “On My Shoulders” conjures comparisons to The Cardigans while dabbling at dark, and dizzying instrumental interludes. The song “Unissasi Laulelet” is an effete homage to Merilahti’s Finnish heritage. The finish folk fifes echo a universal chord with indigenous folk music of the Americas. Merilahti dips her big toe into the murky waters of hip-hop with the dazzling track, “Queen Dot Kong,” with genre-crossing fearlessness.
Don’t miss the performance of a life time at the very intimate Schubas Tavern on September 13. The Dø dynamically conjures up a unique blend of indie rock, folk, dance, electronic-pop. Check out of facebook contest. Be the lucky son-of-a-gun to snag 2 free tickets to their Chicago show and a free copy of their debut album, A Mouthful. Contest proudly brought to you by or lovely partners, The Muse Box.
