Mum / Summer Make Good
Album: Summer Make Good   Collection:General
Artist:Mum   Added:May 2004
Label:Fatcat Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2004-05-17 Pull Date: 2004-07-19
Week Ending: Jul 25 Jul 18 Jul 11 Jul 4 Jun 13 Jun 6 May 30 May 23
Airplays: 2 2 2 1 2 1 5 4

Recent Airplay
1. Feb 12, 2010: The Sultry Poo Story
The Ghosts You Draw on My Bk
4. Apr 29, 2008: At Your Local Dive
Weeping Rock, Rock
2. Oct 14, 2009: Lost Verses
Weeping Rock, Rock
5. Mar 30, 2007: college radio
Weeping Rock, Rock
3. Sep 15, 2009: Partly Cloudy
The Island of Children's
6. Oct 19, 2006: Finneman's Market
Weeping Rock, Rock

Album Review
Captain Dee
Reviewed 2004-05-18
Icelandic electronica wizards known as Mum are back. As always, Mum weaves its dreamy melodies over fuzzy noise and complex, quiet beats. Child-like female singing works together with instrumentation.

This time around, however, the sound seems less defined and more cinematic. Even haunting at times. A wide range of real instruments seamlessly blend with the electronics, to the point where you can't even distinguish the two. Definitely some of the most mature integration of electronics I've ever heard.

At times, intensely atmospheric, at other times beautiful and mesmerizing.

The track names are very apt.

For quiet, deeply thoughtful music, play this album! I dig it all, but especially track 2 blew me away. Also try 3,5,6,7. The last few tracks are very ambient and amorphous.

- Captain Dee (Doug)

1. Short. Soft ghostly howls, creaking noises, more quiet fuzz. This is more ambient “sound art" than traditional music.
**2. Ambient notes transition into noise, and Mum's quintessential fast, "clicking" beat. Horns and a banjo come in, then breathy singing. The singing and instrumentation complement each other well over satisfying (yet subdued) drums. Ends with footsteps, distorted vocals and strings. This is so enchanting, wow!
*3. Notes slowly sound over muted noise. Melody grows over time. More airy, echoing singing. More traditional instrumentation enters, as well as an unobtrusive, rolling beat. Horns end the song well.
4. Muted accordion provides the melodic focus. Slow singing, slow beat. Seamlessly blending background sounds, as always.
*5. Another ambient, atmospheric track, with distorted animal noises and short, ethereal melodies. As if you're alone in a secret forest grove.
*6. Guitar plucks and warm percussive noises provide a rhythmic intro. Instrumentation fades in and out with wistful "la" vocals. Harder beat comes in half-way, with a chaotic (yet endearing) chorus of noises and background banjo.
*7. Slow, carefree rhythm with a country, summer evening feel. Diverse instrumentation, dreamy singing. Breaks into a colorful burst of notes, beats, and noises. What an organic transition!
8. Short. Fuzzy/water noises, then detached notes float over (like clouds?).
9. A minute of noise, then extremely slow instrumentation and drumming come in. Later, the familiar female vocals are joined by similarly airy male vocals. Horns towards the end. In my eyes, one of the weaker tracks.
10. Short. Cut up banjo loops, quiet electronic creaking transition into more banjos and breathy, distorted cooing. A very formless minute of sound.
11. Duet female vocals, melancholy background instrumentation. Noises/fuzz throughout track. This is probably the "darkest" track on the album.
12. More ambient creaking and ship noises. Chiming and distorted, subdued wailing joins the fray. Finally more echoing, haunting vocals. A bizarre way to end the album, for sure.

Track Listing
1. Hu Hviss - a Ship   7. The Island of Children's
2. Weeping Rock, Rock   8. Away
3. Nightly Cares   9. Oh, How the Boat Drifts
4. The Ghosts You Draw on My Bk   10. Small Deaths Are the Saddest
5. Stir   11. Will the Summer Make Good
6. Sing Me Out the Window   12. Abandoned Ship Bells