DØ - Shake Shook Shaken

The French-Finnish duo made up of Dan Levy and Olivia Merilahti arrive at their third album after the solid reception earned by “Both Ways Open Jaws”, a fine pop work that in 2011 matched the brilliance of their debut “A Mouthful”. The incredible ease with which the two musicians managed, in just two albums, to pack in so much potential has sparked legitimate curiosity about this new release.

“Shake Shook Shaken” brings profound changes to the band's sound right from the opening “Keep Your Lips Sealed”. Gone are guitars or any other acoustic instrument, replaced by synths, drum machines and deep, fleshy keyboard layers. We've thus moved from the art-pop-before-St. Vincent sound to a synth-pop strongly inspired by the eighties, where robotic lines take precedence over the classic pop framework. Are we then faced with yet another exhumation of sounds we've heard a thousand times before? DØ manage to dodge the obvious thanks to tremendous compositional imagination, in which the more decisive use of electronic instruments is simply another way of expressing their music. Authors of killer choruses that are never banal, the band has a gift for blending accessibility with sonic exploration, giving the songs unexpected facets. A substantial part of the project's appeal is undoubtedly Olivia's presence, whose voice surprises with its versatility, able to move effortlessly between shadowy and upbeat tracks, while her introverted yet sensual demeanor adds undeniable appeal. Judging by performances around the world, this album's live rendition appears to be exhilarating.

Memories of the undeniably cool indie-pop we'd grown used to are still here (the lovely vocal interplay of "Trustful Hands"), yet the new direction erupts in the form of notable techno deflagrations – the fantastic "Miracles (Back In Time)", the instrumental "Omen" – sun-drenched electro-pop singles (the radio-friendly "Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy", "Anita No!", "Going Through Walls"), alternative schoolyard anthems (the great keyboard drive of "Lick My Wounds"). A melancholy mood grips other tracks, giving the whole thing a faint sheen that's anything but pop ("Sparks", "A Mess Like This", "Opposite Ways"). This mix of sounds, feelings and temperatures makes the album a fine concentrate of pop alchemy, in which compositional imagination is merely an aid toward the seemingly perfect shape of pop-song pandemonium.

Despite the absence of a few guitar chords being felt, along with one or two stretches that overstay their welcome ("Nature Will Remain"), "Shake Shook Shaken" is truly a lovely listen. If you enjoyed the duo's previous two albums, or even just appreciate well-rounded pop, you won't be disappointed by a record whose greatest merit is refusing to trivialize references that have long since grown stale. They're on the right path, and we expect great things from Dan & Olivia on their next outing.

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30/07/2015