There’s a slight shroud of anonymity which surrounds Icelandic band, Múm (pronounced "mooom"). Made up of two main members Gunnar and Örvar, who sometimes include more friends into its lineup during tours, most identify them as the group who play soothing electronic ambience music with many strange traditional instruments.

For this Thrusday’s concert at the Esplanade as part of the Mosaic Music Festival, Gunnar and Örvar would be joined by vocalists Hildur and Silla, as well as Eiríkur, Róbert, and Samuli on the instruments.

Inspired by joy, friendship, and all living things, Múm tells us that their latest album go go smear the poison ivy was made very easily, with more vibrancy than their previous works.

		“We don’t feel the need to explain what our music is. That’s more of your job,” Gunnar joked at the press conference held this afternoon. “It is also somewhat inevitable to be influenced by the surroundings you work in.”
They may look solemn, but their music is about joy
Hildur also mentioned that, “Working and performing in Iceland is also different because the community is so small. We also tend to be very interactive due to that. The landscape is also very isolated, and that is a huge influence on anybody making music in Iceland.” Maybe the isolation in their icy homeland is the reason which made Múm very curious about new places. “It’s very exciting to perform in a country for the first time, because the moment we reach the airport, we started to look at everything, and began walking around a lot. It’s very stimulating too.”
“It’s also interesting when people don’t know you,” Örvar remarked. “You get the chance to do something different. We don’t want to build any expectations by telling people what to look forward to, just so they can experience it in their own way.”
		So little people, so many instruments!

The rest of the members agreed with Hildur when she revealed that she has always wanted to play in a warmer climate. “Personally, I’ve always had this fantasy of being in a warm place with a Mediterranean climate, where I can walk around in a bikini and play my instruments. As we’re obviously not from a very warm place, it would be interesting to see how it’ll affect our sound.”

Múm may have brought their bikini outfits with them, but Örvar affirmed us that if they had a bigger suitcase, they’d bring along more instruments. When asked about the number of instruments Múm uses during live performances, Örvar admitted, “I don’t know! We have lost count.”

To date, each member performs on stage with at least four different instruments each, but Gunnar assures us that there’s always room for more. “It’s a very creative input when you find a new instrument. So we always find new ones, and I think that’s why we have so many! We just can’t stop.”

With that, Múm unquestionably deserves to be labeled as a bravely experimental band.

See them drift and flow from one strange musical device to another while creating a soundtrack to some twisted child’s dream this Thursday, March 12, at the Esplanade. Tickets are selling fast, but it’s not too late to book here.

Watch this space as 88DB reviews Múm's one night only concert in Singapore.