The Office - Holly

The US version of The Office has the special ability to evolve its characters and storylines with each passing season. This year, in Season 5, the inclusion of a new character called Holly (played by Amy Ryan) is a standout decision. Not only is she beautiful, talented, and cute, but she also has an amazing on-screen personality.

As Season 5 continues to air, one can see just how far the show has come - from its humble beginnings setting up characters, to where we are now with constant witty lines, and excellent characterisation. It's increasingly obvious why The Office (US) is an extremely successful show.

The Dø - A Mouthful

In case you want to spend the next few months of your life referring to this Paris/Helsinki-based band as "The Do" (like I did), heed my warning: it's pronounced "doe", as in female deer.

My infatuation with Olivia Merilahti started earlier in the year. I believe it was after hearing the song 'On My Shoulders'. If you read about the band anywhere, you'll most probably see a mention of Olivia's voice. It's hands down the sexiest female voice in the industry. A folk implosion, of sorts. For anyone who knows me relatively well - I actually think her voice carries more emotion than Will Sheff's of Okkervil River. Yeah, she's that good.

When I heard her cry out: "How long will I sit and wait like a soldier? How many summers will it take?", during the chorus of 'On My Shoulders', backed by blissful folk strings, it hit me like a meteroid. If that chorus doesn't get you somewhere, anywhere, then I pity you.

But that's not even where the brilliance of this album lies. The Dø are a duo, and Dan Levy provides the distinctive folk guitars, which are used to intense effect on 'The Bridge Is Broken' -my favourite track. Here, Olivia sings, "Boy you got nerve, to come along. You'll never learn I'm not your girl, not quite. Now please don't stand in my way." Thank goodness she's not talking to me!

And then there's the addictiveness of 'At Last', where Levy picks a steady, catchy riff. In fact, most of the songs are addictive, which is a massive feat considering there are fifteen tracks in total.

With that being said, you could argue The Dø have tried for too much on their debut album. 'Queen Dot Kong' is an indie rapper. It's not a bad track by any means, and it adds variety to the record, but it's really weird and slightly out of place.

Despite this, the fifteen songs comprising A Mouthful are wonderful and diverse. At one stage you'll be tapping along to some quality folk-rock, with Olivia Merilahti's emotional vocals carrying the song into outer space, then next you'll be hearing a "Song for Lovers". Whatever your musical taste, but particularly if you're into folk, you'll find it here on The Dø's debut album.

Rating: 9.7

The Dø - 'On My Shoulders'

Download:

MP3: The Dø - At Last