I'mnot sure why it took me so long to discover Múm: the records havealways been available and they've toured through these partsand received rave reviews and comparisons to lots of music that Ilike, so it would seem natural that I'd have picked up a couple of Múmrecords by now, but not so. Morr Music
I'm happy Morr Music reissued Múm's debut full-length and that I've got a lull in theschedule where I can finally catch up with a group that deserves the attention. Listening to Yesterday Was Dramatic in avacuum of Múm knowledge, and perhaps baggage, it's easy to appreciatewhat the group is doing with a simple design. The songs here are earthyand natural despite being obviously digital in many ways, and when Ithink back to the year (2000) that this album was originally released,I can see how it predicted a lot of the folktronica and bedroom laptopmusic that's come out in the time since. There's a nice bridge herebetween the synthetic and odd-but-real world that makes the songs alittle familiar and a little alien at the same time.
Stylisticdescriptions aside, Múm's first record is perhaps best described as'cute,' an adjective that I don't find myself using very often, but onethat seems completely appropriate for Múm's distinctly childlikeapproach to music. So much of the music that works from this same potof sounds seems drowned in its own melancholy or created as a personaltherapy activity, but Múm is something altogether different. There's achildlike wonder at the magic of music on display in tracks like "Thereis a number of small things" and even the more somber tracks like "Theballad of the broken string" seem almost playful. I imagine the membersof Múm sitting around and asking one another "can you play theaccordian?" "No, can you?" and then just picking the thing up to seewhat it can do. The winding of music boxes, the whistle of toy flutes,and the digital cut up and manipulation of everything adds up to awonderfully experimental bit of exploration.
As breathy vocalstake the stage on "The ballad of the broken birdie records" the recordmomentarily stretches past my patience for cuteness and gets a littletoo precious for my tastes. I've heard that other people have had asimilar reaction to later Múm material, but for this record which isfive years old but new to me, and newly remastered, Múm's work isenchanting.
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