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
The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records
múm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From your hand
Broken birdie
Lost his voice
Black black lightning
Broken calls
Painful babies
Crying pictures
Swallowed me whole
Oh so bottled
Little bird
Levelly
Stand a little
From your hand
Broken birdie
Lost his voice
Crying pictures
Swallowed me whole
Oh so bottled
Little bird
See me loathing
In a peep
Lying supple
Crumb of war
Open pa-pa
Oh, sinners
Lost a big peep
Sailing free
Levelly
The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records by múm describes the struggle of a little bird who has lost its voice and can no longer express itself. The opening lines urge listeners to "stand a little" away from their own hands, maybe suggesting that the cause of the bird's broken voice is linked to humans. The bird's voice is not simply broken; it has been "lost," indicating it may never be heard again. The next two lines, "black black lightning, broken calls," paint a picture of a scene in which the bird's attempts to communicate are painful and ineffective.
Line by Line Meaning
Stand a little
Take a step back and re-evaluate the situation
From your hand
Acknowledge your involvement in the issue
Broken birdie
Someone or something that has suffered physical or emotional damage
Lost his voice
Unable to communicate or express oneself
Black black lightning
Sudden and intense dissonance or strife
Broken calls
Attempts to communicate that fail or fall short
Painful babies
New and vulnerable aspects of the situation that are causing distress
Smokes of land
Signs of destruction or decay
Crying pictures
Visual representations of emotional pain
Swallowed me whole
Completely consumed by the intense emotions of the situation
Oh so bottled
Feelings that are being repressed or concealed
Little bird
A symbol of fragility and vulnerability
See me loathing
Feelings of disgust or contempt towards oneself or others
In a peep
Despite being small or insignificant in the grand scheme of things
Lying supple
Misrepresenting oneself or being manipulated by others
Crumb of war
Escalating tensions that have led to conflict or hostility
Open pa-pa
A sudden and unexpected release of tension or pressure
Oh, sinners
Acknowledging the mistakes or wrongdoing that led to the situation
Lost a big peep
An important participant or aspect of the situation has been removed
Sailing free
The situation is resolved or ending, bringing a sense of relief
Levelly
Acknowledging the situation with a sense of calm acceptance
Contributed by Lincoln P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jimicope4988
Stand a little from your head, broken birdie lost it's voice
Black, black lightening, broken chord, playful baby, swan-soft land
Crying picture, sorry hum, lonesome sparrow, little bird levelly
(Let the weakling go to air)
Stand a little from your head, broken birdie lost it's voice
Crying picture, sorry hum, lonesome sparrow, little bird
Singing of it's pity peep, lying shattered gram-a-phone
Open papa, wholesome tones, lonesome sleeping sailing free levelly
(Let the weakling go to air, let the weakling go to air)
@Arak_Drakoniz
One of my exes (then best friend) had this in her playlist. I liked it but never bothered to ask her what it was called. I figured I’d never find out after she passed away. It wasn’t until after finally being arsed enough to watch Until The Light Takes Us that I finally found out.
R.I.P. Melly, I still listen to a lot of the songs you listened to.
@mihalymate624
You found it accidentaly?
@Arak_Drakoniz
Mihály Máté what do you mean?
@mihalymate624
@@Arak_Drakoniz i mean the song
@Arak_Drakoniz
Mihály Máté, I mean, it was on my friend’s playlist the first time I ever heard it.
@Weighted-Earmuffs
Sounds more like a lost love then an X. Sorry for the loss
@g00zik97
fenriz walking in the snow with this music in the background crushed me hard. mystical. this whole album is great, but when this song appears in the end of the UTLTU documentary... something else
@pariskotsaros
Until The Light Takes Us brought me here,the best documentary about black metal!
@OctopusOwl
same here. loved the song and the documentary helped me find a new artist. yay!
@BradleyBarrows
i am thankful for a documentary that helped me understand a music scene I enjoy and also expanded my musical taste.