Originally a duo, the band has expanded and contracted in the 12 years of being and has counted 15 - 20 people along the way.
The band was formed in 1997 by original members Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason, their first release was a split 10" with the girl-band Spúnk and saw light in the summer of '98. They were joined a year later by twin sisters Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir and released two albums as quartet. Following a number of collaborative projects, the group’s celebrated debut album Yesterday was dramatic - today is OK (reissued by Morr Music in October 2005) gained a wealth of glowing press and widespread praise. A remix project, Please Smile My Noise Bleed, also released on the Morr Music label in November 2001.
In 2002, after the release of Finally We Are No One and the extensive first world tour, Gyða left the band to return to her studies in Reykjavík. Shortly after, the third sister Ásthildur Valtýsdóttir joined for singing duties temporarily and Serena Tideman replaced Gyða on cello, for a single European tour. The band's third album, Summer Make Good, a darker and foggier, nautically themed work was released in May 2004, flanked by two singles, Nightly Cares and Dusk Log. By then the ensemble had evolved to include Eiríkur Ólafsson and Hildur Guðnadóttir (who had guest appearances 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.
The start of 2006 saw the band's creativity start to blossom once again, starting with two remixes Goldfrapp of the tracks ‘Number 1’ and ‘You Never Know’. They followed this with two legendary DJ sets at the FatCat Festival in Belgium in February and SXSW in Austin Texas 2007. With a combination of decks, effects, laptops, toy microphones, old cassette player recordings and vocals, coupled with their own recorded material, strange electronic covers by friends, gypsy folk music and general craziness on stage. They were also subsequently invited DJ at Summer Sonic Festival in Japan as well as be headline act as DJ's in Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank tent at Bestival on the Isle of Wight. In september 2007 múm released Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy which turned out to be the bands last release for the Fatcat Records.
múm has always worked on projects which could be classed as unusual for a pop band or a pop collective. Among their extra curricular activity is their own soundtrack for the classic Sergei Eisenstein film, 'Battleship Potemkin', live performances of which have taken place in Hafnafjordur Iceland, Brooklyn Lyceum New York, and at the distinguished Gijon Film Festival Spain. múm have also composed for theater, most notably two radio theater plays, 'Svefnhjólið' (Sleeping Wheel) by Gyrdir Eliasson which won the Nordic Radio-theater prize and in 2008 Augu þín sáu mig (Your eyes saw me) by poet Sjón (which múm also worked with in 1999 on the operetta Kisa (cat). In 2005 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.
múm released their fifth studio album, Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know, in August 2009. The collective now consists of founding members Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason and for touring and recording, this line-up is expanded to include their friends Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson (trumpet / piano/ keyboards), Hildur Guðnadóttir (cello / vocals), Sigurlaug Gísladóttir (Vocals / ukulele/ various), Róbert Reynisson (guitars/ukulele's) and the Finnish Samuli Kosminen (drums / percussion). The musical group sometimes extends to Ólöf Arnalds, Högni Egilsson, Ólafur Björn Ólafsson and Guðbjörg Hlín Guðmundsdóttir as well as a never ending family of friends and musicians who may join at the drop of a hat.
Official website: http://www.mum.is
Now There's That Fear Again
múm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Float down strangers
Flow and stay
Hang on to the skin and stay
Float with a noise without rhymes
Float down stream
Interpreting the lyrics to múm's song "Now There's That Fear Again" is an intriguing task since the words are dreamlike and abstract. The song begins with the phrase "Give a stale piece of my braids," which could be a reference to the singer's hair or even their identity. The image of "braids" suggests the singer has a complex and perhaps twisted or knotted self-image. The next line "Float down strangers" could imply that the singer is trying to detach themselves from others or society by drifting away from "strangers."
The repeated phrase "Hang on to" in the next lines "Hang on to the skin and stay" and "Hang on to my eye to my eye" might suggest that the singer is grasping onto a part of themselves to keep from losing touch with reality entirely. These lines could also be interpreted to symbolize a fear of loss or decay. The final lines, "Float with a noise without rhymes/ Float down stream" are confusing yet cryptic, but could imply that the singer is moving into the unknown. The lack of "rhymes" or anything familiar could suggest that they are leaving something behind and searching for something new.
Line by Line Meaning
Give a stale piece of my braids
Offer a part of myself that is no longer fresh or new
Float down strangers
Drift away from unknown people or situations
Flow and stay
Move forward while also remaining anchored
Hang on to the skin and stay
Hold on to the superficial and stay in a familiar place
Float with a noise without rhymes
Drift along with an unpredictable, nonsensical sound
Float down stream
Surrender to the current and go with the flow
Hang on to my eye to my eye
Clasp onto a sense of self and individuality
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@novanva3916
the title is perfect. takes you somewhere deep and dark, but extremely blissful.
@trevorlobban6724
was on a harvey danger / our lady peace binge, went to a few hour modest mouse marathon, found mum in the related section and this one really stuck out to me, music is wild fellas.
@melrn.r
Depressing,Dark, Mysterious and Beautiful
@NewLogic87
Their new album's better than ever! And happier, too.
@LordLux
i was here 4 years ago...
@Atomgrafika
AMAZING!!!...CSODÁLATOS....
@olatznuria
can't stop listening to this album...40 £ in discogs :(
@RegularNobodyII
Jump off the bridge on our bikes
Float downstream to us
Float downstream
Hang onto the steer, to the steer
Float with the noise with our bikes
Float downstream
I hang on to my bike
To my bike
To my bike
@user-lv2lj9xr4e
AMAZING!!!
@realmdudormir
wow!! new favorite mum song!