múm

múm (pronunciation: [muːm] – moom) are an exploratory Icelandic musical group whose music is characterized by experiments in electronic music, soft vocals, glitch beats, innovative sampling and eerie effects with a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. The band was formed in 1997 by original members Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Smárason and has since then released six full albums, as well as a mountain of other music, singles, EP’s, collaborations, theatre and film music. In 2013 múm released a single with Kylie Minogue, Whistle from the film Jack & Diane which the band composed the original score the year before. In 2015 múm wrote a special piece named Drowning with German pianist and composer Hauschka, commissioned by the MDR Sinfonieorchester in Leipzig where it was performed that summer. One of múm’s more recent extracurricular project is a semi- improvised electronic music score to the silent masterpiece Menschen am Sonntag (1930) and a special performance at Iceland Airwaves Festival 2016 in collaboration with the Kronos Quartet, playing songs from múms backcatalog at Harpa Concert Hall.

In 2019 múm released a special 20 year anniversary edition of their 1999 debut album Yesterday was Dramatic, Today is OK, and followed the release up with a special anniversary tour of Europe & China. The US leg of the tour, scheduled to take place in spring 2020, was postponed because of the global pandemic.

A brief history:

In 1997 múm released their first record, a split “10 vinyl called Stefnumót Kafbátanna, followed by countless lo fi releases. They were joined a year later by twin sisters Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir and released their debut album Yesterday was dramatic, today is OK in 1999. Pitchfork described the album as „sublime and gorgeous” and called it „one of the most deeply, purely emotionally affecting albums of the year.” The Guardian said the album was „passionate and gorged with special talent“ in a 5/5 review. múm

recorded two albums as a quartet, but were aided on the second album by drummer and reggae percussion wizard Samuli Kosminen, who also joined the touring troupe.

2002, after the release of Finally we are no one and the first world tour, Gyða left the band to return to her studies in Reykjavík. The ensemble evolved to include Eiríkur Ólafsson and Hildur Guðnadóttir (who both had played on múm recordings from the beginning) and Ólöf Arnalds. In early 2006, Kristín also left the band after releasing and heavily touring the album Summer Make Good. Their fourth album recorded during 2006 was released in September 2007, entitled Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy and Sigurlaug Gísladóttir (mr.Silla) and Róbert Reynisson joined the party.

múm has always worked on project which could be classed as unusual for a pop collective, among which is their own soundtrack for the classic Sergei Eisenstein film, Battleship Potemkin. Live performances of the score took them to film festival around the world. múm have also composed for theater, most notably two radio theater plays, winning the Nordic Radio-theater prize in 2005. The same year they were invited to Amsterdam by the Holland Festival to collaborate with the National Dutch Chamber Orchestra to create a performance piece based around various compositions of the late avant-garde composer Iannis Xenakis for one of the centre piece shows at the festival. In Japan múm has worked with pop singers Aco and Tomoyo, writing and producing songs for both of these artists albums.

In August 2009 múm released there fifth full album Sing Along to Songs you don’t Know. Mojo Magazine said the album was “arguably a career peak” in their review and Clash Magazine stated that “múm have produced an innately beautiful record, again proving that experimental songwriting is far from dead.” múm followed the release up with an extensive world tour, taking them all around Europe, to Russia, Japan, the US and Mexico. Almost a whole year of touring ended in a spectacular show in Krakow, Poland where múm invited many of their friends and colleagues (Mugison, Sin Fang, Amiina, Jóhann Jóhannsson among many others) to play along with them and the Sinfonietta Cracovia and the Polish Radio Choir for a spellbinding evening of music. In the summer of 2012 múm launched a compilation of early and rare recordings featuring 15 tracks recorded between 1998 and 2000 titked Early Birds.

In 2012 múm were handpicked by Brian Eno to play Punkt festival in Kristiansand Norway, curated by the artist. The performance was remixed live in an adjacent room by Finnish artist Vladislav Delay. 2013 saw the release of múm’s sixth studio album entitled Smilewound and followed the album up with extensive tours in Asia and Europe. The

album was nominated for the Nordic Music Prize the same year. In 2014 múm wrote new music for Teatr Miniatura’s staging of the Blue Planet by Andri Snær Magnason, who the band have collaborated extensively in the past.

In 2016 múm rolled out their Menschen am Sonntag (1930) project. The semi-improvised score was initially sculpted through a series of monthly events at local art gallery Mengi and later múm went on the road with the perfomance through out Europe. The score was also performed at countless film festivals as well as 8 sold out shows at Berlin’s Radialsystem theater.

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