MAom - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

Japanese version of this album comes with one bonus track, 'The Amateur show'. 3D. 2007. Album Description

My favorite group for several years now, this is incredible

First of all, I just wanted to say that I pursue music for a living and find it so rare to find a descent album which isn't repetitive, fake, over-processed, cliche, and common in it's use of sounds/instruments. This album has grown on me more than any album I have ever owned. When you open your ears, you will notice how brilliant the album is and the music is genius.
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The Icelandic powerhouse band Mum continually expand upon their abilities to compose fresh new music, releasing one album after the next without dropping loyal fans as many other groups have. The impressiveness of this feat may involve their talents; each album contains something completely new, and yet somehow continues the trademark sound which makes Mum unique.
Still, Mum's 2007 release Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy may be the group's most innovative up to date. With a more expanded combination of instruments than ever before, they have managed to blend acoustic and electronic instruments into one identity within their music. In a world where there exists labels for genres such as rock, pop, classical with few innovators, and countless followers, Mum surely cannot be labeled. Instead, their music communicates both texturally, harmonically, and in terms of instrumentation to create a specific soundscape or feeling.
Although others may disagree, I found Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy to be the best and one of the only albums for the winter season. With the exception of jingles, carols, and related thematic music for the holidays, music suited for the winter comes few and far in between. With harmonica, accordion, violin, piano, harp, and synthesized sounds which seem to create new timbres rivaling acoustic instruments, Mum often uses the high end to create a sparkling sound that resembles winter (Snow in particular) perfectly. The rhythmic aspects of the album do not inflict a thick sound, shoving beats in the listeners' faces as many artists do, but instead consist of a variety of percussive tones created by the group's imagination; often the other instruments have their own consistent groove aspects to add to the fundamental rhythm so that even when the beat does not seem apparent, the music still somehow has a pulse. The female vocalist's bizarre voice sounds like a mix between a child (possibly what we'd imagine an infant to sing like) and a grandmother. Previously, her voice tended to serve a more haunting, dark, creepy style of music, yet on Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy, she combines her voice with the male's voice to create harmonies perfectly suitable to the childish, playful quality associated with snow. Containing the same breathiness as well as beauty, Mum manages to create another surreal album that somehow still manages to pertain to reality perfectly.
The lyrics of Mum's music tend to be out of this world. Despite their Icelandic heritage, English pervades the entire album, resulting in lyrics as surreal as the album itself. Phrases such as "If you snap it like a twig, glue it back with little sticks, put it back into the grass again." continue the group's trademark childlike sound. Of course, nothing tends to be more imaginative than a child, so the lyrics make for an interesting album surely out of the norms. The group's direction seems to continue the use of "lyrics for the sake of the music", which I tend to prefer to convey atmosphere rather than the often boring instrumentation with melodramatic lyrics typically heard by other artists.
Song names portray the tracks accurately, including high piano sounds with bells, modal scales, in "These Eyes are Berries", breathe singing with uplifting beats, major pedal points in the bass in "Blessed Brambles". After track four, the album seems to take another direction; from a winter's morning to its night. Track five, "Moon Pulls", has a hammered string instrument (possibly prepared piano) being used in the low register for the first time on the album, with a minimalistic texture and a descending theme. For the first time, only the male voice sings, portraying a darker, more profound, nightly texture.
Track seven, "Rhuubarbidoo", only spans one and a half minutes and could function as a theme song. "Dancing Behind My Eyelids" might be my favorite track on the entire album. It begins with a thick pulsating bass note, eventually fading in reverberated, smoother, mid-ranged synthesizers. When the dark chord progression and (Mum's first) thick drum beat begin, an incredible Mum-invented cacophony of high-pitched sounds invade the track. The sounds create a texture that only reminds me of some sort of transportation to another world, and truly cannot be described in words. Somehow, Mum has this sound creating harmonies within the music, yet keeping the dissonant unrelated feeling of the frequencies.
The last track, titled "Winter", seems to confirm my thoughts on the group's theme for the album. It serves as an excellent closing track, yet doesn't seem to truly close. It spans four minutes of solely reverberated ambiance, portraying an eternal, haunting, slowly dying feeling for the listener.
I believe that anyone who listens to Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy and does not show some sort of appreciation or interest does not truly understand the music. However, I am biased, and continually prefer the innovators over the followers. For any Mum fans, or music connoisseurs interested in something new, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy is a 7 out of 5.

- all in all, this album is an excellent sonic experience, surreal, yet perfect for the winter (IMO), beyond the realm of post rock, though I should never even classify Mum, moody with every song... All sounds blend brilliantly to create soundscapes, and the harmonic movement is so catchy/beautiful. I can't say anything bad about it. November 7, 2008

Guilty Rocks

I don't have this CD, but my favorite song on here of all time, is Guilty Rocks. There is this eerie part (where it sounds like a flute) and it gives me head chills. I LOVE THAT! Please buy this album...for Guilty Rocks! March 21, 2008

Headphone Commute Review

múm's playful approach to folktronica is already a solid staple among its contemporary experimental artists, regardless of this Icelandic group's changing members or branching out styles. Upon first listen the album defied my expectations. But then again, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what I awaited to hear. Through the fourth rotation, I was already familiar with the toytronic treatment and the lo-fi acoustic melodies, and started concentrating on the elaborated details of the individual tracks. And one by one (as with all múm's previous releases) the ratings started climbing - from three to four; from four to five. Bottom line is that múm delivers beyond deliverable expectations and leaves one more than satisfied with this addition to their already celebrated discography. Recomended for that múm feeling. Favorite tracks: A Little Bit, Sometimes, Guilty Rocks. December 25, 2007

Slightly disappointing

This album goes backwards, in that it starts out poorly but gradually improves. The first few times I listened to this album I had to try and remember who it was I was listening to. I guess after 3 years things are going to have changed a bit. December 6, 2007

this album is different but very good.

This is fun to listen to. It is not a typical Mum album, but it is good. I recommend buying this if you are a fan. October 23, 2007

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