Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Múm defined their approach -- twinkling electronics, wispy vocals, acoustic instrumentation here and there -- so clearly on their first few albums that the rest of the collective's work often seemed caught between staying in place and branching out. They do a little of each on Smilewound, which marks the return of founding member Gyða Valtýsdóttir, one half of the twin vocalists who helped craft Múm's signature sound. Adding her to the fold again allows the group to revisit the pastoral folktronica of yore, most potently on "Slow Down," a half-speed chase so delicate it sounds in danger of floating away before it can reach listeners' ears. Meanwhile, Hildur Guðnadóttir -- who joined the band with 2007's Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy -- represents the more dynamic, experimental approach of the collective's later work on standouts like the sprightly 8 bit-synth-driven workout "When Girls Collide" or the drum'n'bass-tinged "The Colorful Stabwound." Ideally, these sounds should balance each other, but too often switching from style to style makes Smilewound unfocused. As on Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy and Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know, having multiple vocalists makes for a fragmented listening experience, and tracks like the drifting "Eternity Is the Wait Between Breaths" feel aimless on an album that already needs more direction. Thematically, Múm return to contrasting innocence and danger, and the results -- as with many things on this album -- are mixed. "Underwater Snow" pits cozily twinkling pianos against rumbling beats in a way that suggests breaking a snowglobe; "Time to Scream and Shout," a perversely whispered lullaby of destruction, feels almost like a parody of their approach. However, Múm make up for it with "Candlestick," Smilewound's most exciting song and one of their most potent mixes of sweetness and violence yet. Over brisk synth-pop, Guðnadóttir flirts by threatening to smash her beloved with the titular blunt object before deciding "I kind of like your face the way it is." It's even catchier than "Whistle," the group's collaboration with pop queen Kylie Minogue, which closes the album with a pretty, if not thrilling, slice of their signature sound. Smilewound is all over the place; Múm are doing a lot, and doing some of it well, but they never bring it together in a coherent statement.
© Heather Phares /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From CA$ 10.83/month
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Egilsson, Composer, Writer - Reynisson, Composer, Writer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Mum, Performer - Smarason, Composer, Writer - Tynes, Composer, Writer
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Album review
Múm defined their approach -- twinkling electronics, wispy vocals, acoustic instrumentation here and there -- so clearly on their first few albums that the rest of the collective's work often seemed caught between staying in place and branching out. They do a little of each on Smilewound, which marks the return of founding member Gyða Valtýsdóttir, one half of the twin vocalists who helped craft Múm's signature sound. Adding her to the fold again allows the group to revisit the pastoral folktronica of yore, most potently on "Slow Down," a half-speed chase so delicate it sounds in danger of floating away before it can reach listeners' ears. Meanwhile, Hildur Guðnadóttir -- who joined the band with 2007's Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy -- represents the more dynamic, experimental approach of the collective's later work on standouts like the sprightly 8 bit-synth-driven workout "When Girls Collide" or the drum'n'bass-tinged "The Colorful Stabwound." Ideally, these sounds should balance each other, but too often switching from style to style makes Smilewound unfocused. As on Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy and Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know, having multiple vocalists makes for a fragmented listening experience, and tracks like the drifting "Eternity Is the Wait Between Breaths" feel aimless on an album that already needs more direction. Thematically, Múm return to contrasting innocence and danger, and the results -- as with many things on this album -- are mixed. "Underwater Snow" pits cozily twinkling pianos against rumbling beats in a way that suggests breaking a snowglobe; "Time to Scream and Shout," a perversely whispered lullaby of destruction, feels almost like a parody of their approach. However, Múm make up for it with "Candlestick," Smilewound's most exciting song and one of their most potent mixes of sweetness and violence yet. Over brisk synth-pop, Guðnadóttir flirts by threatening to smash her beloved with the titular blunt object before deciding "I kind of like your face the way it is." It's even catchier than "Whistle," the group's collaboration with pop queen Kylie Minogue, which closes the album with a pretty, if not thrilling, slice of their signature sound. Smilewound is all over the place; Múm are doing a lot, and doing some of it well, but they never bring it together in a coherent statement.
© Heather Phares /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:50:29
- Main artists: Múm
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Morr Music
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2013 Morr Music 2013 Morr Music
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.