múm (pronounced [muːm], “moom”) is an experimental electronic group from Ic… Read Full Bio ↴múm (pronounced [muːm], “moom”) is an experimental electronic group from Iceland whose music is characterized by soft vocals, eccentric beats and colorful effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments.

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

Toothwheels
múm Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This door will never open
Why would it?
We never tried to
Exterminating angel
A black hole
Of beauty

In a world of complete make-believe

There's a chance to practice what we preach
In a world of complete make-believe
There's a chance to practice what we preach

In a world of complete make-believe
There's a chance to practice what we preach

Throw the hammer, burn the gasoline
We're all toothwheels in the death machine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in múm's song "Toothwheels" describe a sense of hopelessness and resignation towards a situation that is difficult to change. The metaphor of the door that won't open implies that they have accepted this fate and never attempted to change it. The line "Exterminating angel" could refer to a supernatural being that is causing their struggles or a reference to the Luis Buñuel film of the same name, which portrays a group of people trapped in a room unable to leave.

The mention of a "black hole of beauty" suggests that there is still something alluring about their circumstances despite its negativity. This contradiction is echoed in the repeated lines "In a world of complete make-believe, there's a chance to practice what we preach." It's unclear what exactly they are preaching or what the make-believe world represents, but it can be interpreted as a way to escape their current situation or to find a way to cope with it.

The final lines, "Throw the hammer, burn the gasoline, we're all toothwheels in the death machine," imply a sense of rebellion or destructive action, but ultimately acknowledges their powerlessness in the face of a larger force that is beyond their control. The song evokes a sense of resignation towards something that cannot be changed, but the use of metaphors and contradictions adds complexity to its meaning.

Line by Line Meaning

This door will never open
We have no intention of opening this door

Why would it?
There is no reason for this door to open

We never tried to
We haven't made any attempts to open this door

Exterminating angel
A destructive force that eliminates everything in its path

A black hole
A space that sucks everything in, including light

Of beauty
Despite its destructive nature, there is something beautiful about it

In a world of complete make-believe
In a world where nothing is real or authentic

There's a chance to practice what we preach
We have an opportunity to live by our own principles

Throw the hammer, burn the gasoline
Take action and do something drastic

We're all toothwheels in the death machine
We are all complicit in the destructive systems of the world

Contributed by Henry Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.