Múm, Finally We Are No One (Fat Cat) 9+
Iceland's rockists turned organica magicians Múm formed in 1997 when Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason was wooed away from his guitars by the electronica of Aphex Twin. After collaborating with other artists, including Icelandic poet Andri Snaer Magnason , they released the U.K.-only 2000 debut Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK, a masterpiece of moody ambience and toy instrument symphonies, combining the acoustic and analog post-rock instrumentation of bands like Fridge and Pram with the glitchy digital experiments of Oval and Autechre. The effect on that album and the new Finally We Are No One is that of gauzy dreams of a distant childhood, similar to The Boards Of Canada but with occasional singing by twin sisters Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. Their fey vocals tingle and shiver, like The Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine if they were child-ghosts. What's striking about this music is how they manage to create such seductive melodies that sneak up on you. You'll be floating in a placid stream and in imperceptible increments you find yourself embroiled in an oceanic storm, whipping up sheets of drama to rival Björk and Sigur Rós. It's difficult to address specific tracks, as it all flows as a singular piece. Múm combine seemingly disparate elements into a seamless, iridescently beautiful whole in a way that is frankly much more listenable than Sigur Rós' more cumbersomely bombastic moments. Inevitably someone else will learn how to milk their more obvious charms for popular consumption, while they drift in semi-obscurity with Autechre and their ilk. No matter, the quiet innovators will get their recognition (if not their drugs and groupies) some day. In the meantime, seek out their essential import and keep both discs handy for your next astral trip.
