W♥M (Archive)

The Dø at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (01 June 2015)

The Dø Setlist Omen A Mess Like This Keep Your Lips Sealed Miracles (Back in Time) Opposite Ways Trustful Hands Anita No! Too Insistent On My Shoulders Slippery Slope Going Through Walls Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy -- Encore -- Dust It Off Sparks Nature Will Remain Tour Dates 6/2/15 Chicago, IL @ Schubas 6/3/15 Detroit, MI @ Shelter 6/5/15 Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha 6/6/15 Montreal, QB @ Theatre Fairmount 6/7/15 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall 6/10/15 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 6/11/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle Read More The Dø Winner of Album of the Year for Shake, Shook, Shaken! at this year's Victoires de la Musique (the French's version of the Grammy's), Franco-Finnish The Dø will be stopping by the 7th Street …

French/Finnish indie pop band The Dø stopped by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis last night, touring in support of their latest album Shake Shook Shaken.

Cool Pollution

Opening up the show, playing in near darkness was local Ilya Garelik, under the stagename Cool Pollution. Songs on his set included some tracks from his free EP Landlocked with Lakes, including "Where's My Phone?" He offered the EP to the audience... if you weren't there, no problem, you can also download it for free via bandcamp.com.

Normally a duo of Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy, for this tour, The Dø is joined by extra drummer Pierre Belleville. This was the second time the band played the 7th Street Entry (they previously came here in September 2010 with Zoo Animal as opener), and judging from singer Merilahti's statement, "Thank you for coming back with your friends"... the attendance last night was way up from 2010 (the turnout was pretty terrific for a Monday show).

Setlist

Merilahti came on stage with what looked like a reflective space thermal shawl. Normally with these warm clothing, they're often discarded by the third song... but Merilahti kept it on throughout the set - until returning for the encore. While the two drummers/keys remained in the background, Merilahti seemed to have put together her own dance choreography. Her routine is obstructed because Levy would change the set list every night.

There were a few dedicated fans on the dancefloor, often helping sing back to some of their catchy singles, including "Anita No!" They seemed to know The Dø's songs very well.

I think my favorite song on their set was the closer "Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy", which Merilahti pretended to be the captain of the ship, "This is your Captain speaking. Prepare for take off..."

The Dø's latest album Shake Shook Shaken is out now on Something Local.

The Dø at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (01 June 2015)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Zaz

Tour Dates 07/30/11 Rockwood Musichall (NYC - FREE) 07/31/11 City Winery (NYC) 08/01/11 Cooper Square Hotel (NYC - FREE) 08/02/11 Barnes & Noble (Union Square - FREE) More French Singers Zazie As stated on the CD insert, It was written by Dominique Dalcan, who's released a number of pop albums under his own name and a couple of Downtempo ones as Snooze. French pop star Zazie contributed the vocals.

Isabelle Geffroy is better known by her nickname, Zaz. Her self-titled debut album, released in France in May 2010, was a big hit for her, especially for her single "Je Veux" (I Want). Having just listened to the album, I can see why the French, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany audiences all fell in love with her, her voice is not the typical sexy French candy-coated pop singers. It sounds classic, like French 1930s-era.

Her journey started when entered and won the 3rd annual Tremplin Génération France Bleu/Réservoir contest, which #1 recording French artist Raphaël wrote three songs for her. The three songs ("La Fée", "Port Coton", "Éblouie par la nuit") all appeared on her debut album. While this is a boon to Zaz, and fans alike, but, personally, I found his style of writing to be too slow and sad for my taste. Maybe it's because I don't understand the language to really appreciate the Raphaël songs.

The songs I liked were "Ni Oui Ni Non" (Yes or No) for its shoutback chorus and "Prends Garde à Ta Langue" (Mind Your Tongue) for the upbeat swing-style music.

Well, the good news is that the US is finally getting her album, to be out exclusively at Barnes & Noble bookstores this July 5th, via SonyMusic Independent Network and Play On Records. This album is recommended if you like a bit of easy-going, scat-Jazz, and don't mind hearing French. None of the songs are in English, which is fine, I rather not hear clumsy English translations, but it is a bit of a barrier for American audiences. If you're still on the fence, head over to zazofficial.com and download "La Fée (unplugged)" for free.

vu () ♥ zazofficial.com