Episode 011 : Mum
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Mum (pronounced 'moom') started making music in Iceland in 1998 after Gunnar Tynes, Orvar Smirason and twin sisters Kristin Valtysdottir and Gyda Valtysdottir brought together their love of classical, hardcore, and computer music to create something completely unique.
Mum is a mixture of the old and new, technological and acoustic, male and female, structure and mood and atmosphere. Incorporating instruments as diverse as the melodica, glockenspiel, accordian, keyboards, trumpet, viola, stroh-violin, bowed musical saw, pump organ, Chinese harp, and banjo, Mum revels in both the warmth of these instruments and in laptops and computers to create a cooler, less-than-human touch. Together, Mum creates hypnotizing songs and soothing soundscapes.
To date, they've released three proper CDs: 2000's "Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today is OK" on Tugboat Records and 2002's "Finally We Are No One" on Fat Cat Records (home of Sigur Ros). In September 2002, Gyda Valtysdottir left the band to concentrate on her classical cello studies, but the three-piece recently released their third CD, "Summer Make Good," also on Fat Cat Records.
They've also been honored with two remix CDs ("Mum: Remixed" and "Please Smile my Noise Bleed," the latter of which just saw a US release) featuring mixes from DJs from around the globe, which tells you a little something about how Mum's resonance with people of many cultures.
"Summer Make Good" was written in a remote lighthouse in the isolated Icelandic town of Galtarviti and later recorded in a big, empty house belonging to a light-keeper in Gardskagati, Iceland. Using both Pro Tools software and one inch analog tape, the band synchronized the mediums to create a richer, warmer album filled with the essence of the ocean and the ghosts of the house.
The band recently kicked off their US tour to support "Summer Make Good" in Boston, Massachusetts performing in the Calderwood Courtyard at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—a great space for an early summer concert as the sun sets and a diverse audience gets a chance to absorb some of the magic Mum makes onstage.
I spoke with Kristin outside in the courtyard as their stage crew readied for their two shows (and you'll hear some of them working in the background) to discuss:
* why the band seeks out inspiration from isolation before committing sounds to tape (or hard drives, whatever the case may be)
* how the band began creating scores for silent films, including Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 classic, "Battleship Potemkin"
* what their favorite country is to visit and perform live in
Samples from Mum's CDs featured in the Well-Rounded Radio Interview include:
IN PREVIEW: weeping rock, rock (Summer Make Good)
1) sing me out the window (Summer Make Good)
2) we have a map of the piano (Finally We Are No One)
3) nightly cares (Summer Make Good)
4) the ghosts you draw on my back (Summer Make Good)
5) away (Summer Make Good)
Jon Lupfer's Well-Rounded Rave on Hem (see info below)
6) stir (Summer Make Good)
7) oh, how the boat drifts (Summer Make Good)
8) the island of children's children (Summer Make Good)
9) don't be afraid, you have just got your eyes closed (Finally We Are No One)
10) small deaths are the saddest (Summer Make Good)
11) the ballad of the broken birdie records: ruxpin remix II (M?m: Remixed)
If you like Mum, give a listen to the Well-Rounded Radio Interviews with Blake Hazard and Ashby.
Our July episode also features a Well-Rounded Rave from Jon Lupfer, a producer and co-founder of Q Division recording studios and Q Division Records located in Somerville, Massachusetts. He raves about the band Hem and their release "Rabbit Songs" on Bar/None Records.
Q Division Recording Studios has hosted dozens of diverse artists over the years, including The Pixies, James Taylor, Aimee Mann, Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, Destiny's Child, Francine, Mary Timony, Fountains of Wayne, Piebald, and Howie Day.
Mum on Fat Cat Records available direct from Fat Cat Records, at Insound, through Yahoo Shopping comparison chart, or Amazon.com.
A great fan site is Mumweb.
Well-Rounded Rave: Jon Lupfer of Q Division Studio and Records on the band Hem on Bar/None Records.
