On their first two albums Paris-based duo the Dø often took the scenic route when it came to melodies, contorting their avant-garde poems into experimental shapes. Despite its awkward title, tThird album Shake Shook Shaken offers a refinement of their sound, the ramshackle percussion of old replaced by warm synths and laptop beats. The more structured approach pays off, opener Keep Your Lips Sealed recalling vintage Broadcast, while the stuttering Opposite Ways caresses Olivia Merilahti’s tense yelp into something softer. While previously choruses were sometimes lost in obfuscation, here they’re allowed to breathe, particularly on the glorious Sparks and highlight Trustful Hands. The change has done them good.
