REVIEW: Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

múm
Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
© 2007 Fat Cat
www.mum.is

The fourth album from Icelandic artists múm, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy, is a bit of a removal from their previous releases, in part due to the departure of bandmember Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. Featuring live instrumentation, new vocal talent, and a livelier sound, the album may be, at first, disconcerting to those familiar with múm’s previous efforts while also becoming more accessible to new listeners.


The most important question to ask when a band experiments with their style is if that experiment succeeds; is the change an improvement? Or, at least, an even exchange. Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy is not a failure, but I would be hard pressed to call it an improvement. The glacial beauty, cascading rhythms, and wispy vocals that were the greatest strength of their previous albums have been downplayed to make room for the new sounds. For those looking for another Summer Make Good, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Don’t get me wrong; this is a very good album, just different. The greatest strength of Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy exercise in new sounds is the experimentation itself. The album is wonderfully varied, whimsical and eccentric in all the right places, while still being able to achieve moments of arctic beauty. Kristín Anna’s voice is missed, but the new vocalists are well suited, particularly for the increased role of vocals on this album.

Of course, florid adjectives are all well and good, múm's music needs to speak for itself. So I will conclude this with the wonderfully surreal videos for "They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded" and "Rhubarbidoo", which are excellent samples of an album that nonetheless evades accurate representation.

"They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded"


"Rhubarbidoo"


(For comparative purposes check here for the video to ”Green Grass of Tunnel” off the album Finally We Are No One)

STRONGLY RECCOMENDED IF… looking for a beautiful, surreal, and intriguingly experimental experience. If you have tried múm and found them too minimalistic for your tastes, give them another chance. Existing múm fans, you have been warned: expect something different, but don’t let it scare you away; you’ll be missing out.

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