Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy
by Múm

Album details

US: 25 September 2007 on Fat Cat
UK: 24 September 2007 on Fat Cat

This is the first album in three years for the atmospheric Icelandic indie/glitchtronica duo (vocalist Kristín Valtysdottir departed after "Summer Make Good," following her twin sister Gyða, who also left). The remaining pair are supplemented by two new singers and additional musicians, giving the band a bit of a new sound.

BUY THE CD: DOWNLOAD IT:

The critical consensus

An Icelandic band that blends the ethereal, the icy, the childlike, and the odd? Okay, so that seems to describe many Icelandic artists, but would it still describe Múm after their recent lineup changes? The short answer: yes, but there are definite changes in the group’s sound.

All Music Guide says that Múm "sound liberated from any expectations of what a Múm album should be, and they take the opportunity to stretch out and try some new approaches." The resulting music is "still sparkling and childlike, but it’s also much brighter and livelier." Crawdaddy! concludes, "There’s a real joy in listening to a group both prod and pull at the boundaries of their music, expanding their sound at times while reining it in at other points." For Exclaim!, the changes aren’t enough: "While Poison Ivy is a step in a better direction than the somewhat aimless and underwhelming Summer Make Good, there is still a hint of hesitancy in what path the band are going down."

Uncut finds the album "never less than delightful." NME calls Go Go "a glorious marriage of lush instrumentation, electronica and field recordings," while Brainwashed hears "a fine balance between upbeat and haunting" on the album, which "is bathed in a gorgeous sonic clarity." And This Is Fake DIY says that while the songs may be crowded, they come across as "carefully orchestrated chaotic heaven."

Exclaim!, however, declares that "there is too much here that drifts by without ever grabbing attention," while Slant finds the songs too cluttered in places, and adds, "Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy—though a significant step up from their last album—doesn’t break much new ground." Pitchfork says that the album’s increased accessibility doesn’t make it a good album, and that "the band seems to be struggling to find a fresh point of view to go with their new line-up."

Alas, apart from very few arresting moments, there seems to be a determined attempt on Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy to erase most of múm’s past musical statements and replace them with slightly vanilla and vapid pieces.

- David Nadelle, Tiny Mix Tapes

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Blessed Brambles
2. Little Bit Sometimes
3. They Made Frogs Smoke Till They Exploded
   
   
4. These Eyes Are Berries
5. Moon Pulls
6. Marmalade Fires
7. Rhuubarbidoo
8. Dancing Behind My Eyelids
9. Schoolsong Misfortune
10. I Was Her Horse
11. Guilty Rocks
12. Winter (What We Never Were After All)

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site
• Mum @ Fat Cat