Two
years on from the stellar Finally
We Are No One, Múm return with yet another
delicate slice of oblique electronica. Now a trio, following
the departure of Gyða Valtýsdóttir,
the band continue to explore the sonic landscapes they
have made theirs with previous releases and dig deeper
into the emotional soil of their melancholic compositions.
Originally the project of long term friends Gunnar Örn
Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason
following years lost in the wilderness of Icelandic
indie rock bands, the pair recruited classically-trained
twin sisters Kristin Anna and Gyða Valtýsdóttir
to add vocal textures and additional instrumentation
on what was to become the band’s first album,
Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK.
Mixing electronic elements with live instrumentation,
the album, released on Reykjavik’s TMT Entertainment,
captured the imagination of many, thanks to its delicate
sonic touches, ethereal melodies and child-like vocals.
If the band’s sound could loosely be associated
with that of Boards Of Canada
or Isan, the unique nature
of Múm’s work put them apart from the electronic
pack. The album was followed by two remix projects,
one published on TMT, with contributions from µ-ziq
and Ruxpin, and the other, featuring reworked versions
from Christian Klein, Phonem and Isan,
on Berlin-based Morr Music. Their second album, Finally
We Are No One, saw the band further establish
their distinctive sound on the international music scene.
After a year of intense touring and months of gestation,
Múm, minus Gyða who left to pursue her passion
for Art, return with Summer Make Good, their
most accomplished record to date. Remaining firmly into
melancholic territories, this album sees the band experimenting
with recording techniques further as they abandon the
comfort of modern technology to explore the possibilities
of vintage amplifiers and analogue tapes. This results
in sounds being more grainy, rougher, and organic, bringing
the human aspect of their music right to the front.
Kristin now being the sole vocalist means that more
linear vocal forms have replaced the duality trait of
the band’s earlier work. Yet, the same elements
of innocence are to be found all over Summer Make
Good. Her voice, isolated against the music, appears
increasingly fragile, pushed to breaking point at more
than one occasion, the melodies appearing more scarce
and sketched, more natural and poignant. This could
drive any other record down to the ground, but it actually
works surprisingly in the band’s favour here as
it transcends the mood of each song as much as it is
part of them. The result is a superbly crafted album
where every shard, every defect, gives more body to
the whole work.
Summer Make Good reflects in many ways the
arid landscapes of the band’s native country,
but similarly evokes the warmth of a good winter fire
in the chimney. This album, like its predecessors, doesn’t
open easily, but when it finally does, it unveils unsuspected
riches, myriads of details that seem almost too much
to take all in at once. And that’s perhaps the
key to Múm’s work. However much one listens
to their records, one can never fully grasp them entirely
as they retain an element of mystery. Summer Make
Good is no exception, constantly unveiling new
facets of its complex character without ever giving
the game away.
4.7/5 |
