Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2013, Qupperneq 30

30The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 11 — 2013 Music
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So this was when there was the only the
two of you, and then the twins entered?
GÖT: Yes, in 1998, we met Gyða and Kristín
when we were making the music for ‘Nát-
túruóperan’ (“The Nature Opera,” experimen-
tal high school play written by Andri Snær Ma-
gnason and the group).
Your output, both through múm and as part
of other projects, is quite extensive. I know
there is plenty more to come, but isn’t it
time to start thinking about life achieve-
ment when it comes to the two of you?
How many múm records are there anyway?
GÖT: With this one, they are six.
Six records, that’s quite something, isn’t it?
ÖÞS: Well, six records in what fifteen, sixteen
years? That’s nothing. That’s only a record ev-
ery third year. Maybe that’s why almost every
time we release a record it’s perceived as a
comeback by the media. That we have some-
how mysteriously gone into hiding and then
returned with a new record.
GÖT: I think it’s normal, especially when peo-
ple are having children and all it totally makes
sense.
ÖÞS: Most bands release records every other
year, but I agree. I’ve always found the time we
take between records very normal.
I know. It’s that “you have to have a record
every other year” pressure. I personally
have never been able to keep up with that...
Calculate the pain away
You have also been touring like crazy ever
since you started? I wonder how many con-
certs múm has played over the band’s life-
time—it must be at least up to a thousand
or more by now...
GÖT: I once tried to calculate how many peo-
ple múm would have played for altogether.
When I’d reached some ridiculous number I
gave up. Funny, this was on one of many occa-
sions when the Icelandic tax authorities were
driving me up the wall by attempting to collect
taxes that were in no context with my income.
I wanted to get my facts straight.
ÖÞS: That’s exactly the kind of argument they
would listen to! Hmm... not so sure of that...
No I get it. You were upset, and doing the
math was more something you felt like do-
ing to see things in perspective, right?
GÖT: Yep. When I was up to a few million, the
frustration wore off...
I’m wondering, because I’m one of these
former disciples of The múm School Of Mu-
sic And Touring, isn’t it time to make things
more formal? Where do I turn to if I want a
proper certificate of being a graduate from
this school?
ÖÞS: I’m afraid that’s not the way things work...
Isn’t there somewhere I can go to get
this formally taken care of? Where is the
school’s administrative office located?
ÖÞS: I guess it’s where you’ll find us at a
given time...
Symbiotically adjusting
Let’s talk about your latest comeback
album, ‘Smilewound’. Are you entering
something new creatively this time?
ÖÞS: I think we’ve taken a new direction with
every record of ours, so if this one would
sound anything like the last one, we would be
doing something differently for the first time.
Then again, it’s hard to evaluate your work
when you’ve just finished it.
What about you Gunni, do you feel the
same way?
GÖT: I’ve been swamped in the material for
such a long time now. I think I need a few
months to clear my ears to get a proper pic-
ture of it.
ÖÞS: For me it takes years...
Well, the two of you must have found a way
of symbiotically adjusting to each other’s
pace.
GÖT: At least we’ve had a long time to tune.
And would you say you have succeeded in
that?
GÖT: Yes, I would say so.
ÖÞS: It always keeps getting better and better.
Our Intrepid Reporter Ólöf
By Adrienne Blaine
Ólöf Arnalds is a singer and songwriter with
wide instrumental talents. During the span
of her illustrious career she has collaborated
with some of Iceland’s most renowned mu-
sicians including Björk, múm, Mugison and
Sigur Rós.
Ólöf is classically trained in violin and vi-
ola and taught herself guitar and charango (a
small Andean guitar). As a student of Iceland
Academy of the Arts, she studied violin, clas-
sical singing, composition and new media.
Her style has been compared to such folk
artists as Vashti Bunyan, Joanna Newsom
and Sufjan Stevens. Björk once described her
sound as “somewhere between a child and an
old woman.”
For the better part of the last decade, Ólöf
toured with múm as a guitarist, vocalist and
violinist. Since then she has embarked on a
successful solo career with her debut album,
‘Við og við’ (“Us and Us”) setting the bar high
in 2007.
In 2010, she released the critically ac-
claimed ‘Innundir skinni,’ (“Within Skin”),
which was nominated for the inaugural Nor-
dic Music Prize. Ólöf continues making mu-
sic even through motherhood, releasing the
crowd-funded, ‘Sudden Elevation,’ in Febru-
ary of this year. So far it seems as if this Ice-
landic songstress can do no wrong in the eyes
and ears of fans and music critics everywhere.
Hörður&Emiliana&
David&Vincent
The Straum guys have your answers
By Óli Dóri and Davíð
Roach Gunnarsson
Hörður Már Bjarnason, who goes by the
stage name M-Band, just released a sec-
ond single from his forthcoming LP ‘Haust’
(“Fall”) that will hit the shelves... this fall.
The song “All Is Love” is a beautiful piece
of experimental electronica, with hints of
ambient. Highly recommended!
Rejoice! “Jungle Drum” songstress Emili-
ana Torrini has just announced a fourth al-
bum, ‘Tookah,’ due September 6. The first
song off the new album, “Speed Of Dark,”
is out now. The tune is a modern flavoured
electronic-pop music that has us banging
our heads and looking forward to more.
We are heavenly psyched about the upcom-
ing David Byrne and St. Vincent concert,
happening on August 18 at Háskólabíó the-
atre. Throughout David Byrne’s career—
as a leader of the Talking Heads, through
ambient world music collaborations with
Brian Eno, and a slew of solo albums that
touch upon on more exotic musical genres
than you can think of—he has always been
ahead of his contemporary curve. In re-
cent years he has expanded his talents to
multimedia art, movie soundtracks, instal-
lations, writings on city planning and de-
signing bicycle parking racks. He played
two concerts in Iceland in Háskólabíó in
1994, and was a guest at the Reykjavík Art
Festival in 2010, where he showed outdoor
installations throughout 101 Reykjavík.
St. Vincent has established herself as a for-
midable songwriter and an excellent gui-
tar player. Her third solo album, ‘Strange
Mercy,’ was one of the best records of
2011. A meeting of the two very sharp an-
minds resulted in the album ‘Love This Gi-
ant’ last year, and was unlike anything ei-
ther one has done on their own. A leftfield
pop record, relying mostly on a huge brass
section and progressive electronic beats,
the two singers trade lines effortlessly.
St. Vincent also delivers some of her most
inspired guitar work to date. Their tour in
support of the album has received wild
praise from the music press, accompanied
by a huge brass band, with a set list cov-
ering most of “Love This Giant,” but also
drawing on both artists’ solo careers—and
even a few Talking Heads classics. The per-
formance at Háskólabíó is a must see for any
music geek with a mild touch of self-respect.
The Skinny On
Smilewound
By Haukur S. Magnússon
Smilewound is múm’s sixth LP
It was recorded over the past year
and a half or so
It features two songs written in
2004-5, and a track initially re-
corded for ‘Sing Along To Songs
You Don’t Know’ (“Sweet Impres-
sions”), which also made an ap-
pearance on Hjaltalín’s ‘Termi-
nal’).
It was recorded all over the place.
In múm’s Reykjavík rehearsal
spaces and apartments, in Esto-
nia, Finland and at the Galtarviti
lighthouse.
It will be released worldwide on
September 6, except in the US
(September 17).
It is pretty great.