Mùm
Finally We Are No One

THE REVIEW

Poetic Mum! Delicate, ethereal, intangible, and above all fairytale-like.

The fairy tale is modern, however, and with their minimalism, Mum are never conventional. The traditional orchestration, complete with accordion, is accompanied by experimental sounds in a context that prioritizes musicality. From Iceland's Sigur Rós, they echo the breaking of musical norms, the dragging of notes, and the creation of a fluid and suspended atmosphere with intriguing phrasing. And from the Icelandic Bjork, they recall a unique way of singing.

When you listen to Mum for the first time you wonder: “But who's singing? A woman, a child, an elf, the snow fairy, a shy alien wanting to befriend you?” In turn, it's the twin sisters Gyda and Kristin Anna Valtisdóttir (Gyda left the group in 2002 to study cello at the Conservatory) with their delicate and deliberately subdued timbre and dreamlike voice setting, as if they want to whisper a beautiful secret in your ear. They sing in English but you rarely understand the words, not so much because of their accent, but because the voice just emerges from the ensemble. Serene and captivating singing. The beautiful "Green Grass of Tunnel" starts with bells and sweet sounds in the distance: are Santa's reindeer about to arrive? The electronic keyboard joins, accompanied by a type of percussion that resembles the sound of horse hooves, then turns into discreet traditional drum accompaniment. And here the song gains body with Gyda's mysterious voice over the simple and alluring melody. Towards the end, with aspirated sounds, you find yourself feeling great tenderness for her, and a little smile spreads across your face.

Then comes "We have a Map of the Piano": again, a bit livelier, are they horse hooves, or perhaps castanets, and the keyboard melody introduces Gyda's very strange voice. The accordion enters on the refrain and everything brings you to a cushioned dimension light years away from the room you're in. "Finally We Are No One" instrumental, is slow and drawn out, and like the following "The Land between Solar Systems" decidedly hypnotic. This last track, almost 12 minutes long, consists of very few musical phrases repeated, enriched by the variation of instrumental accompaniment and the voice that gives this piece in particular the flavor of a lullaby, a story of distant places and times set to music.

Not all the tracks on the album are at the same level and for this reason, my rating is not the highest; however, nothing undermines the pleasantness and sense of relaxation induced by the almost-drone of Mum's music. Reading some reviews in English, the adjectives I found are "magical, beautiful, haunting, dreamy, evocative, playful, calming, unique"; their music displays "an impressive melodic sense" accompanying you on a "dreamy and evocative journey".