Albums to watch

Both Ways Open Jaws

The Do

Both Ways Open Jaws

Off-beat indie pop on the French-Finnish duo's 2nd album, getting a very belated UK release

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
Village Green
UK Release date
14/11/2011
US Release date
15/11/2011
  1. 9.3 |   Beats Per Minute

    Will strike you as both new sounding and classic, as both fresh and rooted in tradition. Most importantly, it will strike you as a treasure, and probably, as the best album you have heard in a long time
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  2. 9.0 |   BBC

    Truly impressive, The Dø gracefully pull off the kind of intriguing ‘oddness’ the likes of Florence Welch strain and wheeze for, and with better tunes
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  3. 8.0 |   DIY

    Each track is like a beautifully-crafted story, akin to a Brothers Grimm fairytale and set to an orchestral backing
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  4. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    A focused, determined sequel, sharpening their sometimes uneven sound to a dreamy, sepia-tinged set of songs that are far more elegant than the punk-pop-ish titles would let on
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  5. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    There's much lyrical nonsense to relish and the overpowering sense that, at the very least, cult status beckons
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  6. 8.0 |   Uncut

    They scored a French chart-topper with A Mouthful, but this terrific sequel feels bigger and better. Print edition only

  7. 8.0 |   NME

    A chaotic record that makes such a racket, you’ll be able to hear Sweden quaking in its boots
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  8. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    It takes a few listens for all the oh-but-that-sounds-like moments to dissolve. But then, underneath all the little bites/homages, underneath the idiosyncratic silt, there it is – as it really is. A record that ranges widely without ever feeling tacked-together
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  9. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A journey through literally every aspect and tendency of modern indie music
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  10. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    Where previously their ideas flew off in all directions, on this record the songs are cleanly-written and build towards strong conclusions
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  11. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Wildly creative music that is both challenging and accessible
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  12. 7.5 |   Pitchfork

    Traipses from the Tom Waits-via-Lykke Li boho-hobo hoedown of "Gonna Be Sick!" to charming electro-folk waltz "The Calendar", it makes plenty of detours for unlikely avant-pop percussion and warped vocal effects
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  13. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Provides an escapist, immediately engaging dreamscape for the listener
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  14. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    An album that is best when taken as a whole and wholly intriguing trip into that most treacherous and elusive of terrains: the happy marriage of eccentricity and pop song craft
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  15. 7.0 |   Clash

    On a record characterised by intricate sonic details, it’s her voice that captivates the most
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  16. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    What brings you back to the album for more listens, though, is the way the duo combine so many different thematic strands – from melancholic to chaotic to conventional to eccentric – without losing the plot
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  17. 4.0 |   Q

    Too often, they meander, relying heavily on Dan Levy's kitsch instrumentation. Print edition only

  18. 4.0 |   Mojo

    For the most part their airy-fairy lyrical approach achieves only universal incomprehensibility. Print edition only


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