A crazy gypsy (vagrant, whatever) grabbed me by the ankle yesterday and started screaming at me -- something about müm and how they aren't "just" glitch IDM and "can't you SEE it!?" I was of course freaked out and was all, "Yeah man, whatever, just let go of my leg," but he held tight. I kicked him a couple of times before he let go, jumped on my bicycle, and rode home. As I soaked myself in a hot bath, I thought more deeply about what the crazy fuck had said. "There be meaning in them words," I thought.
I got up and grabbed the müm lyric sheets that I had lying around, and took them back to the bath for contemplation. Nothing but nonsense. Or Icelandic. Same thing? Out of boredom, I hovered the pages above the bath water and swirled them around, watching the steam curl the edges of the paper before the hot water suffused and sank them. I got out and pulled the drain, the paper whirling around and around, and as the last of the water spiraled out of sight, I noticed the remaining bits of paper had rearranged themselves into an illuminating text, a telling prediction of müm's world tour to come.
- "I go away, go away/ Past the hills, past the day" – Nightly Cares
Having just finished a four-date tour in Japan, müm (while no longer joined by its founding Valtýsdóttir sisters still boasts seven members) are indeed going away, sweeping through Europe, Singapore, and Australia in support of their 2007 release, Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy (TMT Review), their first release since Summer Make Good (TMT Review) released three years earlier.
- "Look how the lights lit/ Look how its tone shifts" – Oh How The Boat Drifts
The band has plans to hit a slew of cities with a schedule that's as fit for sightseeing as it is business (if you can call touring "business"): Dresden, Florence, Amsterdam, Sydney.
- "We who/ Lose our way/ Too drunk/ Scream and shout" – The Island of Children's Children
Hopefully not losing their way, müm's lined up some epic shows where you will be fully expected to drink, scream, and shout. Using a variety of traditional and non-conventional instruments along with pre-recorded material, microphones, computers, and on-stage improvisation, müm's live shows and DJ sets are widely recognized for their artistic impact and are not to be missed.
- "I hope tonight/ You will touch my hair/ And draw ghosts on my back" – The Ghosts you Draw On My Back
And they hope very much that you'll attend these shows and touch their hair...
- "Where are you/ I just want to say ‘how are you’/ Come here" – Abandonded Ship Bells
Despite the schism between old skool and new skool fans (original müm lineup with Valtýsdóttir sisters vs. müm post-Valtýsdóttir sisters), many people are attempting to bridge the gap, saying that the newer material and performances are, while markedly different, just as enjoyable as before. And müm thinks so too. müm wants their fanbase to be happy and wish very much to see you -- all of you.
- "A while go way [sic] nice and dark come back/ Home" – The Island of Children's Children
But they can't tour forever, and when March 19 has come and gone, the band will return home to begin work on their next release.
You never know what to expect: