MUSIC REVIEW: MUM

Mum Present a New Album of Surrealism, Experimentation & Wonder

By: Ashley Schaeffer

August 27, 2009

(Euphono/Morr Music) A never-ending wellspring of entrancing creativity, Múm has shifted its style once again, without changing that airy, surreal quality that keeps its fans eagerly awaiting the next release. Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know diverts from any kind of heavy production or layering, this time favoring a more delicate approach. Incorporating instruments like the vibraphone, a string quartet, and shakers, the ensembles are so elegantly arranged in their simplicity that it would have been unnecessary (and even a shame) to add any more.

Though outlandish to the ear of an FM radio junkie, "If I Were a Fish" is sweetly captivating to the experimental music fan. A soft dulcimer tiptoes along before being joined by airy vocals and a subtle slide guitar which builds to a slow and patient climax. The music is enough to make you fall for the song.

But the really endearing aspect is the lyrics, which reinvents Tim Hardin's classic hit, "If I Were a Carpenter," in a more abstract form: "If I were a fish/And you were a seashell/Would you marry me anyway?/Would you have my baby?" Whether you believe it's nonsense or genius, it certainly makes you think. "A River Don't Stop to Breathe" opens with a marimba that climbs partway up a scale and falls back again, accompanied by more wispy vocals and a violin that lingers and quivers with a strange sort of longing. "The Last Shapes of Never" is an even more haunting song, with sensitive finger-picking, choir-like vocals, and fire crackling at intervals in the background. The intro to the title track, "Sing Along," sounds a bit like what you might hear if you were playing a Nintendo game set in outer space. It unfolds to be an exuberant, upbeat testament to you, the listener: "You are so beautiful to us/We want to keep you as our pets." By the end of the song, you can't help but sing along. After all, if it's a song you don't know at this very moment, "You'll never know until you sing along."

For Fans Of: Lamb, Tim Buktu, Bjork, Jonsi & Alex

Standout Tracks: "The Last Shapes of Never", "A River Don't Stop to Breathe", "If I Were a Fish"